Doing Scrum with Multiple Teams: Comparing Scaling Frameworks

You possibly can set up a number of Scrum groups in many various methods. On this article we evaluate LeSS, SAFe, and Scrum@Scale based mostly on our work with these frameworks. There are different frameworks for scaling Agile similar to DAD (Disciplined Agile Supply) and Nexus, however they aren’t lined on this article.

Scaling

Based on Craig Larman and Bass Vodde (the creators of LeSS) the first rule of scaling agile is: don’t do it!

You probably have issues with:

• Cross crew dependencies
• Dangers that have an effect on a number of groups
• Scheduling of (coordinated) deliveries

you would possibly want a scaling framework. In case you can take care of these issues by re-arranging your groups and product construction, you might be higher off with out one. In case you can’t, please proceed studying.

What LeSS, SAFe and Scrum@Scale have in widespread

All three frameworks begin with cross-functional, self-organizing Scrum groups. The groups vertically slice necessities into the smallest doable increments that may be deployed independently. Groups are additionally anticipated to concentrate on technical excellence similar to doing steady integration and automatic regression testing. On the finish of each dash the groups ought to have a probably deployable product. The three frameworks additionally encourage you to make use of Lean ideas to optimize your move.

LeSS (Giant Scale Scrum)

LeSS is a scaling framework that comes from Craig Larman and Bas Vodde, and is predicated on their work within the monetary and telecommunication industries.

LeSS is outlined by minimalism and minimal course of, i.e. use as little course of as doable to get a number of Scrum groups to work nicely. LeSS consists of a hand filled with guidelines, there are additionally guides and examples for easy methods to customise these guidelines because the group grows.

At its most simple degree, LeSS is a clarification of how Scrum is meant to work. For instance, it clarifies that Scrum groups ought to be long-lived cross-functional function groups which are maintained throughout a number of tasks. The concept is to handle the complexity of large-scale growth by simplifying it as a lot as doable. Due to this fact, LeSS recommends that a number of groups has the identical Product Proprietor and a shared Product Backlog. Their sprints are synchronized to the Product-level Dash main to at least one built-in Doubtlessly Shippable Product Increment. Dash Planning, Dash Overview and Dash Retrospective runs on the similar time for all groups.

One Product Proprietor with one product backlog, and a number of other groups, every with its personal dash backlog.

It may appear unattainable for a single individual to be a Product Proprietor for as much as eight groups, however the philosophy of LeSS precludes the Product Proprietor from collaborating at a element degree, which results in groups that tackle the duty to work out their very own options. This forces the builders to get nearer to their customers, giving them a greater understanding of their customers’ context, wants and issues. The result’s a better degree of involvement and customized options, developed with higher high quality extra effectively. Merely put, you “get extra with LeSS”.

Overview of LeSS with synchronized sprints.

Course of-wise, LeSS is pure Scrum (time-boxed iterations, dash planning, day by day stand-up, dash overview, and retrospective), with a modification. As per Scrum, Dash Planning is break up into two components. Nevertheless, LeSS recommends that the primary half is a joint assembly attended by representatives from the entire groups to agree “What” Product Backlog Objects (PBIs) shall be constructed within the coming Dash. The second a part of Dash Planning is then utilized by every crew to supply the Dash Backlog and agree “How” the PBI’s shall be constructed.

Frequent dash finish for all groups in LeSS

The top of the dash additionally must be synchronized. That is achieved by having one widespread Dash Overview for all of the groups. The Retrospective is split into two components, equally to the dash planning. First, every crew holds their very own particular person crew Retrospective, then representatives from every crew maintain a joint Retrospective collectively that permits them to establish and tackle points that can not be solved on the particular person crew degree.

LeSS Enormous

If there are greater than eight Scrum groups working off the identical product backlog, it’s time to divide the product backlog into completely different requirement areas. We then assign 4-8 groups to every of those new requirement area-specific backlogs.

Every space has its personal Product Proprietor, is aware of as an Space Product Proprietor, and backlog similar to primary LeSS. The Product Proprietor position continues to be current, and that individual is chargeable for all of the product areas. The method (Dash planning, day by day stand-up, Dash overview, and Retrospective) is used on each the general degree and the realm ranges.

Product proprietor together with his/her Space Product House owners and their groups

SAFe

SAFe is Dean Leffingwell’s framework. Model 1 debuted in 2011. By 2016 the framework was as much as Model 4, and we assume that it’ll proceed to evolve. We now have based mostly the textual content under on the SAFe Model 4.

Organisation

SAFe’s central premise is to divide the work into worth streams. A price stream consists of the steps that the corporate constantly repeats to ship worth to clients and customers. Between 5 and 15 groups are usually concerned with a worth stream, and this grouping of groups is named a launch prepare. A launch prepare can comprise as much as 150 folks. As soon as that threshold is exceeded it is strongly recommended to have a number of Agile launch trains inside every worth stream.

Agile launch trains are an organizational construction, and the Launch Practice Engineer’s roll is that of a

facilitating coach (also called an Agile Coach in different organizations).

Course of

Inside the Agile Launch Practice, groups work in response to Scrum with sprints of usually 2 weeks. SAFe additionally provides the idea of a “Program Increment” which is a cadence based mostly interval of about 10 weeks, though the size of every interval might differ. The creators of SAFe advocate a Program Increment period of between 8 to 12 weeks based mostly on their expertise within the subject.

Week-by-week, the connection between Sprints and Program Increments.

A Program Increment begins with the “PI Planning Occasion” (a.ok.a. “large room planning”) – a one to 2 day occasion the place groups collect collectively to plan for the following Program Increment (normally round 10 weeks). Usually, product managers start the assembly and set the imaginative and prescient adopted by groups do the precise planning and resolving dependencies between them. The results of the planning, together with dependencies between groups, is visualized on a Program Board. If uncertainties come up, Product Managers are continuously available to make an instantaneous determination. The Program Increment is facilitated by a Launch Practice Engineer.

SAFe suggests two issues for attaining a stability between predictability, technical wants, and suppleness:

1. Not upfront plan any Backlog Objects for the “Innovation & Planning Dash” (IP Dash), the final dash of the Program Increment. As an alternative use it to finalize issues that didn’t get completed, assist product house owners plan future increments, and simply attempt new issues.
2. Don’t fill the Sprints to 100% capability, however slightly solely 30-70% to make room for correcting defects, offering person help, and the unexpected. It additionally gives the capability for carrying out these issues that product administration takes as a right, however usually don’t obtain devoted time, for instance, upgrading instruments and adapting to new platforms.

A typical Scrum crew has three varieties of things of their dash backlog:

1. Defects which are prioritized earlier than anything.
2. Objects from the “large room planning”
3. Issues the crew is aware of must be achieved, however nobody else has actual perception or
   
   opinion of (for instance, upgrading working methods or databases).

Portfolio Administration

SAFe’s portfolio degree ensures that each one the corporate’s initiatives (referred to as Epics in SAFe) are aimed on the similar purpose. Architects, Portfolio Managers, and Initiative House owners work collectively based mostly on the technique and imaginative and prescient developed by the corporate’s administration.

A Kanban board can be utilized to maintain monitor of all Epics, each enablers (that’s, technical initiatives to facilitate future growth) and enterprise initiatives (that’s, options that clients direct discover). The Portfolio Kanban gives transparency over the choice of alternatives. One can monitor the complete growth progress on Epic degree, from the thought funnel to the delivered performance. It additionally helps implement an organizational WIP restrict for each evaluation and implementation. The choice and approval course of gives the chance for the financing sponsors to approve developments and forecast supply.

When an epic’s standing turns into “portfolio backlog”, it turns into a candidate to be damaged down into a number of Program Backlog Capabilities or Options. SAFe makes use of the phrases (so as of dimension) Epics, Capabilities, Options and Tales to explain the work. The Epics which are wholly or partly developed in a product increment are collected within the column “implementation” (“Implem.” within the image under).

Abstract of SAFe in an image that describes the three ranges (large-scale SAFe has a “worth stream”

degree that lies between portfolio and program degree), the roles which are usually discovered on every degree, the

work concerned at every degree, and what the necessities are referred to as at every degree.

Many roles

At first look, all of the roles, ranges, conferences, and artifacts can appear overwhelming. Whereas this sense dangers making a SAFe implementation that’s each stiff and heavy, one ought to distinguish between people and roles. A person can advantageously have a number of roles, and a number of people can man every of the roles pictured above. You probably have a very good understanding of the fundamental ideas of Lean and Agile, you possibly can customise SAFe and get a sensible and clean implementation.

Scrum@Scale comes from one among Scrum’s founders, Jeff Sutherland, and is a meta-level framework that takes up the areas that have to be resolved to convey Scrum to scale. One might see it as a listing with discussions that you must have whenever you resolve your course of. Relying on the context, the answer could also be much like SAFe, LeSS or its personal customized methodology.

The areas are divided right into a Product Proprietor cycle (pink) and a Scrum Grasp cycle (grey), in addition to some ideas on metrics and transparency. Picture courtesy of Jeff Sutherland and Scrum Inc.

Product Proprietor cycle:

• Strategic Imaginative and prescient – The place are we heading with the corporate and our merchandise?
• Backlog prioritization – What’s most vital for us on the firm degree, the portfolio degree, and throughout the venture?
• Backlog decomposition and refinement – How can we allocate the duties among the many groups, and the way can we conduct classes in preparation for them?
• Launch Planning – How can we plan for our deliveries? What comes when?
• Launch Administration – How can we synchronize between groups to get painless launches?
• Product and launch suggestions – How can we get suggestions concerning the newest launched options from the person, and the way can we get that info out to the groups?

Scrum Grasp cycle:

• Cross-team coordination – How can we coordinate between completely different Scrum groups so we’re not each doing the identical factor or tripping over one another?
• Steady enchancment and obstacle removing – How can we be certain that all groups are conscious of their abilities and continuously attempt to enhance them? How can we be certain that no matter a crew comes upon shall be resolved even when it falls exterior their space of competency?

Exterior of those two cycles are additionally:

• Metrics and transparency – How can we measure that we construct the correct issues and the way can we be sure that everybody has entry to those readings?

In some organizations, it may be very troublesome to get to some enhancements except individuals who have the authority to make sure selections are concerned. Scrum@Scale proposes that corporations arrange a bunch of determination makers (for instance, an Govt Motion Workforce) whose mandate is to facilitate and oversee the enhancements that the groups, Product House owners, and Scrum Masters don’t themselves have the power to implement.

Since no two company cultures are ever alike, you’ll virtually definitely want to switch whichever framework you select, and certain have to provide you with a number of options of your individual.

LeSS is an efficient place to begin when you have already got Scrum in place, and are simply starting to scale up with extra groups, one after the other. LeSS scales up with minimal further course of in comparison with single-team Scrum.

By comparability, one can say that SAFe is extra of a everything-anyone-might-need framework, and one can then take away what shouldn’t be wanted.

Some the reason why you would possibly select SAFe over LeSS:

• It’s essential to coordinate a really massive group of lots of and even 1000’s of individuals. SAFe gives a transparent approach ahead right here for the complete chain from company technique to product technique to ways to what to do subsequent Dash.
• You’re employed in part groups and don’t need to change them into function groups. Part groups should not really helpful however the transition to Characteristic Groups is tough, no matter framework, and our expertise is that maybe SAFe makes it simpler as a result of it has mechanisms and roles that give the notion that the ache of part groups is manageable (by way of Program Board and Launch Practice Engineer).
• You desire a framework that may recommend easy methods to deal with just about each side of a totally Agile group, however doesn’t require a deeper expertise of Agile growth. SAFe gives a straightforward accessible set of instruments to assist with easy methods to prioritize the Program Backlog, easy methods to run Planning and so forth. So it has a set of patterns to get you up and working and adapting from.
• When deciding to go for SAFe you don’t have to take selections about quite a lot of issues, you simply observe the “guide”. Relying in your viewpoint that is both unhealthy (too prescriptive for those who do not adapt), or good (fast enablement – solves widespread issues).

Scrum@Scale is a helpful dialogue framework for many who have already got a number of Scrum groups in place which are functioning collectively, and you’ll love to seek out issues and areas to enhance. Alternatively, if you wish to describe your course of, Scrum@Scale is an efficient place to begin so that you don’t miss any views.

As all the time, in terms of Agile, bear in mind these three vital issues:

• Adapt the strategy to suit your personal scenario.
• Always replicate on the scenario.
• Enhance how you’re employed collectively.

Good Luck Scaling!

Tomas Björkholm, Hans Brattberg, Jan Grape at Crisp In Stockholm, Sweden

Because of:

Yassal Sundman, Simon Powers, Shaun Smith, and Vince Ryan for proof studying

Concerning the Authors

 Tomas Björkholm is a mentor, facilitator, coach, licensed Scrum Coach, and the creator of two books about Agile. Throughout his 9 years at Crisp, he has helped corporations implement Agile. His mantra is “if it’s not simple, one thing is improper”.

Hans Brattberg is an agile coach and has been at Crisp for 16 years. He’s the creator of two books about agile and lean startup. His ardour is to cease local weather change by teaching the correct corporations, and run a sensible grid enterprise start-up.

Jan Grape is an agile coach that has spent his final 12 years with Crisp. His ardour is to assist product growth organizations and their folks attain their potential by providing teaching, mentoring, educating and facilitation. His mantra is “motivation, high quality, pace” (in that order).