Scrum or SAFe- What’s the Difference?

 

“Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.”- Donald Rumsfeld

When it comes to agile we always try to be precise and start from the very basic which is a mindset change and culture. Because to be faster and achieve quality, we need to be sure that we are on the right track not mistaking any concept and using it wrongly. Because leading a wrong path will bring a mess in between the path where it will cause frustration, high cost, and waste of time which is not agile ever approves. In agile the most popular concepts and also the newest on-boarders are confused with scrum and SAFe. Many consider scrum and SAFe as one in every aspect as SAFe itself includes scrum.

Even though scrum and SAFe both function under agile values and principles but still there is some small difference between them. While applying to agile this difference must be cleared for better understanding and utilization of agile. In agile, scrum is a framework based on agile values and principles. Whereas, SAFe is a framework that implements scrum at a scaled enterprise level.

We can say that the main difference between scrum and SAFe is about the way they handle the work where scrum is used to organize small teams, and SAFe is used to organize the complete enterprise. SAFe contains many important aspects that are missed out on by scrum. Today let’s get clear with the concept and differences between Scrum and SAFe and get to know agile more for gaining more benefits from it.

Scrum

Starting with the definition scrum is an iterative method of product development that is concentrated more on the regular beat of delivery. It includes cross-functional teams, specific roles, events, and ceremonies to achieve its goals. The main role involved in scrum is of the Scrum team- Responsible for executing and achieving the job of each sprint.

Scrum master- Responsible for getting the job done within the sprint and achieving sprint goals.

Product owner- Responsible for planning, organizing, and communication within the company.

If going with the particular difference the points in scrum are as below

·       Scrum deals with small, cross-functional, and collocated teams

·       Scrum is always adopted by the agile teams

·       In scrum, middle management doesn’t have any role to play

·       The basic requirement to construct is to build a scrum team

·       Scrum misses out on many important aspects compared to SAFe

·       Teams are more inclined towards organizing themselves and managing themselves as the dependencies of work are less on other teams.

SAFe

SAFe stands for Scalable Agile Framework. It is an approach where the framework organizes complete organization and not only small or large teams. It helps organizations in scaling agile from small-big and also implementing agile in larger organizations. The bigger and multiple teams that work on the same product SAFe is the key for management. SAFe while applying scrum at a bigger level includes three levels that are portfolio, program, and teams. SAFe also focuses on improvement by applying retrospectives and release plans. The important parts in the success of SAFe for scaling the scrum in an organization are lean product development, system thinking, and agile software development.

The particular points of SAFe that differentiate it from scrum are;

·       SAFe deals with multi-geographical and big teams and organizations

·       Extension of scrum in SAFe is adopted by an enterprise as a whole and not just the team.

·       Program and portfolio management are the important stages of SAFe

·       The basic requirement construct is to build an Agile Release Train

·       SAFe all possible features and aspects of an organization are managed

·       SAFe needs more alignment and coordination across management and team level as being scaled the dependencies of work on each other is relatively more.

Understanding the difference between scrum and SAFe clearly will surely help the organization leaders in making the right decision of where and when to use the required concept for the betterment of the organization.

From the above description, we can see that SAFe is more of a perfect solution for adopting agile at scaling enterprises. But when agile needs to be more focused on teams and smaller groups scrum will help in completing the job perfectly. Leaders while selecting the scrum and SAFe framework are advised to understand their needs and requirements first and then go with the framework that fits the best for them.

We, at Advance Agility, are the new-age Agile Coaching, Consulting and IT services company. We enable end-to-end Digital Transformation. Agile execution is integral to our being. We are doing SAFe implementation with small, medium and large organization across the globe. Our vision is to be the leading Agile execution player globally. To keep adding value at every process stage. We are on a mission to empower our clients, move from concept to cash in the shortest sustainable lead time by adopting human centric approach to business agility. Embracing the change is in our DNA. Things that keep us apart are Quicker and Seamless execution with End-to-end gamut of services. Our Global presence and Stellar Track Record give us an edge over our competitor.

Connect with us at advanceagility.com to learn about SAFe and SAFe Implementation. We provide various SAFe certification courses along with DevOps, Scrum, Agile Coaching and more trainings. Write to us at contact@advanceagilty.com for any agile training or consulting needs. We are always looking for competent agile trainers as well. So if you are a good trainer or want to become one, do get in touch with us to that we can learn, grow and achieve together.