A Comparative Analysis Of Safe 6.0 Configurations

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A comparative analysis of SAFe 6.0 configurations

“Improving workflow, the way value is created, is a continual source of advantage for the firms that do it.”

With the growing need for attaining business agility SAFe framework also evolves to provide proper support to organizations to address their customer’s needs. The latest Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe 6.0 comes with a range of configurations that provides the necessary elements to implement agile practices at the program level.

In this article, let’s look at the comparative study of the different configurations available in the SAFe 6.0 framework. This can help you choose the right configuration to improve your organization.

Essential SAFe

Large Solution SAFe

Portfolio SAFe

Full SAFe

Essential SAFe covers the basic needs of Agile Release Trains to deliver solutions.

Large Solution SAFe provides the necessary elements to handle complex projects.

Portfolio SAFe is concerned with aligning the strategy with execution to produce a solution.

Full SAFe is the most upgraded configuration ...
... that helps maintain large portfolios to address complex solutions.

That was a brief introduction to the four configurations of the SAFe 6.0 framework. Now let’s discuss them in detail.

Comparing the four important configurations of the SAFe 6.0 framework

As Essential SAFe is the first configuration to derive, it comes with a minimal amount of features to support new organizations. It consists of the following elements:

Lean-Agile mindset, core values, SAFe implementation roadmap, Principles of SAFe, and two core competencies. The competencies are:

Lean-Agile Leadership helps agile leaders to operate and sustain organizational changes. It helps empower team members to reach their highest potential.

A Continuous Learning culture comprises a set of values and practices to help an individual develop their innovation and performance.

Team and Technical Agility describing the Lean-Agile practices and principles to create high-quality solutions.

Agile Product Delivery to keep up the flow of valuable products and services to customers.

Comes with a minimal spanning palette. A spanning palette is the additional guidance element that improves the flexibility and adaptability of a company.

Compared to the Essential SAFe configuration, Large Solution SAFe comes with additional roles, events, and artifacts. This helps build the most sophisticated applications with following the elements:

Essential SAFe configuration and one more competency called Enterprise Solution Delivery. This core competency helps organizations apply Lean-Agile principles and practices for the evolution of software applications and cyber-physical systems.

Consists of the full spanning palette and a link to the enterprise or government entity.

On the other hand, Portfolio SAFe develops around one or more value streams. It consists of the basic Essential SAFe and the following elements:

Lean Portfolio Management that applies Lean and System thinking to strategy and investment funding, and agile portfolio operations.

Continuous learning culture for individuals to regularly improve their value, knowledge, and performance.

Organizational agility encourages agile leaders and team members to optimize their business processes and quickly adapt to new changes and opportunities.

This configuration consists of additional portfolio roles, events, and artifacts.

It also consists of a full spanning palette.

Finally, the last configuration that supports portfolios of large and complex solutions is the Full SAFe. This configuration consists of all seven core competencies to improve the business agility of large enterprises. They are:

Team and Technical Agility

Enterprise solution delivery

Agile product delivery

Lean Portfolio Management

Organizational Agility

Lean-Agile Leadership and

Continuous Learning Culture

The purpose of these seven core competencies is already mentioned above. These competencies along with the full spanning palette can help organizations achieve their business goal. So, based on the organization’s scalability requirements and governance needs, one can select the best configuration discussed above to achieve successful agile adoption.

Title Description

What are the business benefits of applying the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)?

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) helps organizations facing trouble with developing high-quality, innovative, and digitally-enabled products. It assists organizations address queries regarding technology development, delivering new values, quality improvement, organizing people around value, designing an environment that encourages collaboration and communication, and more.

What is the SAFe 6.0 Big Picture?

SAFe 6.0 Big Picture is the visual model of the SAFe framework. This new version consists of four out-of-the-box configurations. The configurations cover the foundational principles, values, mindset, roles, artifacts, and SAFe implementation elements. Considering customers as their centrifugal force, the seven core competencies are developed to enable the business agility of an organization.

What is the significance of Business Agility?

The term Business Agility refers to an organization’s ability to thrive in this digital era. It is about taking up new measures to sustain and respond to the ever-changing business environment. Business agility involves implementing agile practices and principles. And SAFe is the most popular framework that helps organizations achieve business agility. It assists in improving the quality of the product, collaboration among team members, enhanced operational efficiency, and increased resilience to market needs.