Jun 27, 20232 min read

SAFe vs other Agile Frameworks

Updated: Jul 24, 2023

What is Agile Methodology?

Agile Methodology is an iterative, versatile and technology-enabled approach towards the complex processes of project management and software development. It breaks the whole process into smaller phases that simplifies the work. This helps to give good results that are also accredited by the consumers. It was designed as a solution to the problem of rigidity in the existing methodologies. There are different frameworks that are used by the organizations to implement Agile-

· Scrum

· SAFe

· Kanban

· Extreme Programming

· Feature Driven Development

· Dynamic Systems Development Method

· Crystal

· DevOps

· Scrum of Scrums

· Large Scale Scrum

What is SAFe?

SAFe or Scaled Agile Framework is a set of workflow patterns and tools that help scaling Lean-Agile practices at organizational level. It helps the organization to increase its speed and productivity. The framework is based on 4 core values-

· Built-in quality

· Alignment

· Program execution

· Transparency

Benefits of using SAFe

SAFe is gaining popularity among other Agile scaling frameworks due to its efficient result delivery. The organizations are being benefitted in many ways when they use SAFe. The benefits are-

· It increases the quality of the product as rapid changes can be made

· It has the capability to yield greater output with the same input

· Unlike other traditional frameworks, it maintains the transparency between the cross-functional teams

· Aligning all the levels of the organization is one of the core benefits

· Customer engagement is high that eventually results in delivery of customer satisfactory products

· It helps to reduce the delivery time of the products

SAFe vs. Other Agile Frameworks

There has always been a confusion and competition when it comes to choosing among Scaled Agile Framework and Scrum. SAFe vs other Agile Frameworks both have their own benefits and limits according to which it suits to different projects. Let’s take a look at the comparison between the two frameworks:-

Points of Comparison	Scrum	SAFe
Based on	Agile	Agile, Lean and Systems Thinking
2. Size	Limited to a small team with 10-12 members	Deals with cross-functional level
3. Adoption	Only by Agile teams	By the whole enterprise
4. Tiers	There is no middle management	Two important levels of SAFe are Program and Portfolio
5. Basic Construct	Scrum team	Agile Release Train
6. Limitations	Focuses on only a few aspects	Covers all the possible aspects and features

Now that the discussion has been sorted between Scrum and SAFe, let us also know about other scaling Agile frameworks and why SAFe shines out among them-

Point of Comaprison	SAFe	SoS	DAD	LeSS
1. Full Form	Scaled Agile Framework	Scrum of Scrums	Diciplined Agile Delivery	Large Scale Scrum
2. Principles Based on	Agile Values	Scrum	Combination of Agile Techniques	Scrum
3. Size of the Organization	Large Enterprises	Organizations with Several Scrum Teams	Medium Size Organizations	Medium size organizations
4. Communication Level	From ground level to the top executives	Communication between Teams	Communication between teams of different departments	Communication between teams and management

Conclusion

SAFe benefits the organizations highly when used efficiently. Therefore, it is one of the highly adopted scaling Agile frameworks. Learning SAFe to boost or build your career in the field is a good option. Acekube is a digital platform that can help you with different certification courses in SAFe. The platform has experienced coaches and flexible training timings for various courses.