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Summary
In his article for Forbes titled Understanding Fake Agile, Steve Denning refers to SAFe as “codified bureaucracy”. Jared Spool says it’s a “fast path to mediocrity”. But the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is currently in use by many enterprise organizations like NASA, Capital One, FedEx, and the Department of Defense. With so many companies attempting to become as agile as Silicon Valley startups, SAFe is being adopted as a way to scale up Agile software development processes, and many UX teams are having to support it, whether they like it or not.
Key Insights
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SAFe is designed to scale agile practices to large organizations.
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The Agile Release Train consists of multiple agile teams working towards a common goal.
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Continuous exploration and integration are key within the SAFe framework.
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Lean UX has been integrated into SAFe to enhance user experience practices.
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It's critical to visualize inter-team dependencies to improve collaborative efforts.
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UX teams should advocate for early involvement in the agile process to better inform design decisions.
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Embedding UX specialists within agile teams is a recommended strategy for success.
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Training non-UX team members in UX principles can democratize design practices.
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A dedicated backlog for UX work is beneficial for managing design resources effectively.
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Effective program increment planning needs to consider UX input and story point allocation.
Notable Quotes
"Jack emphasizes that each agile team should have scheduled iterations in the SAFe model for consistent delivery."
"He describes the Agile Release Train as a metaphor for ensuring timely development and delivery aligned across teams."
"Recognizing the limited number of UX experts, he suggests forming a Lean UX Center of Excellence to serve multiple agile teams."
"Jack recalls his experiences where UX involvement significantly improved organizational alignment during program increment planning."
"He notes how SAFe's structure can sometimes create a disconnect between teams working on delivery and those focused on discovery."
"Acknowledging Steve Denning's critique, Jack reflects on the bureaucratic challenges SAFe might impose within agile frameworks."
"Jack mentions the need for a UX runway to continuously improve design systems and tools for faster development."
"He shares that training teams on UX practices can lead to better product outcomes through holistic design thinking."
"Jack stresses the importance of aligning product owners and analysts with user-centered viewpoints in agile practices."
"He emphasizes cautiously optimistic views about SAFe's potential for business agility against its tendency for bureaucracy."
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