Software development is becoming more and more complex as technology advances, and the struggle for developers to keep up with the competition is becoming more and more pronounced. When a large team works together to complete a project, it can, at best, be a confusing process, full of miscommunications, and specific departments delegated to completing specific requirements. Scrum Management works to alleviate these problems before they become major issues. But what do you do if you feel that your team is too large to successfully implement Scrum techniques and methodologies? That’s precisely where SAFe training comes in.
What is SAFe Training?
SAFe refers to the Scaled Agile Framework method that combines Scrum and Agile techniques to help large-scale development teams successfully reach their goals without running into the same roadblocks they’d encounter in traditional development teams. Further, SAFe is designed to involve the entire development team, including executives and managers, throughout the process. Scrum methodology is primarily focused on individual teams with a product owner managing the backlog and sprint schedule. SAFe allows for executives and company managers to see how the projects are developing, make changes at the appropriate level, and maintain an awareness of the challenges the team faces throughout the process.
What Does the SAFe Process Do?
The framework requires that teams of eight to ten people work on the program and be able to deliver a completed software package within that team. Each team will be able to perform the initial coding, testing, and release of the program without having to shift the software to another team for the next stage of development.
What is the Schedule?
SAFe practices implement a release train, made up of the individual teams. This train follows a release schedule of the developed programs and projects. The schedule itself is not set in stone and can be altered to suit the business’s end goals and needs. If a project needs to be altered in order to meet a changing goal, the release schedule is flexible enough to accommodate those changes without threatening the overall release of the project. The release train allows the individual teams to coordinate their project releases. The main goal of the schedule is to support the development and release of projects that contribute to the final, long-term goal.
SAFe Versus Scrum Management
Scrum management focuses primarily on individual sprints that let small teams develop a part of a project without much input or collaboration from other teams. Scrum techniques require that a certified scrum product owner (CSPO) convey any changes in priorities or needs with each team they work with. The Scrum Master runs point, removing obstacles from the development team’s process and communicates the team’s progress to the CSPO, who then communicates with the stakeholders.
SAFe allows for a more open and clear picture of the software development process. The stakeholders and executives are more easily able to see what is going on at every stage of the project. They’re more actively involved in the process.
SAFe is also much easier to implement across multiple areas. Only a few key individuals need training and certification in order to properly guide the implementation of the Scaled Agile Framework. Scrum Management often requires multiple certifications and multiple people being trained in order for the techniques to be properly implemented across the development team.
Agile Strategic Solutions offers both SAFe training and Scrum Certification. Our experienced practitioners will teach you everything you need to know to successfully implement changes to your business’s development process. Register today for our next class!