Overview of Scaled Agile Framework

Scaled Agile Framework helps us in scaling Agile. The term scaling means different things to
different people. But most of us understand, scaling means how do we work Agile, working
with more than 9-10 people. Most of us understand that framework which helps 100 + more
people working together mechanism is one of the scaling framework of Agile.
Another dimension which many consider while they talk about scaling is, how do we make an
alignment between an enterprise level strategy and the execution done at the team level.
Scaled level framework addresses that dimension. It gives us a mechanism, by which that, the
enterprise portfolio program strategies work items get aligned with the team level
development things.
Let’s look at the framework and let’s start with, how do you organize people, in scaled agile
framework. In general, agile and scrum, we have small agile or Kanban teams, who are
delivering things at iteration, and guided by scrum masters or facilitated by scrum masters and
requirements are prioritized by the product owner. It works good, till the time you have , 2-3
teams. When you have, more than 5-6 teams, you may find, 1 product owner, not efficient to
provide answer to all the teams and he may not be expert because the system is becoming
bigger and it has multiple dimensions.
So, in order to manage the bigger team environment work in scaled agile framework, we have
a layer called, program management. This layer has a role like product management. The
Product management role is kind of center or program level requirement or content
identification and prioritization role. So they provide that guideline to all the product owners
who are working in the respective team. When we have more than 5 teams, we may also need
some sort of a scrum masters who can handle the conflicts, which are coming amongst team,
who can remove impediments at the program level. So, in scaled agile framework, we have a
role called Release train engineer. So in a general thing, you can think of that the product
owner is getting scaled by putting up a role or a structure called product management at a
program layer and these product management guys will work in close coordination with the
product owners, who are working in the teams and similarly the scrum masters is getting
facilitated at a program level by release train engineer. He is like program level release train
engineer in case of scaled agile framework.
Now when we have smaller teams, and they can keep thinking about architectural design and
in Agile we do have principle, which talks about best architectural design emerges from self-
organizing team, but when we have more than 6- 7 teams and they are working for a common
system, there may be a need for aligning their architecture work. In order to bring an
architectural alignment and provide an architectural level guideline in scaled agile framework
at a program level we have a role called system architect.
How many of you may feel that teams should be able to do those architectural related
decisions? But considering the scaled 1 team, may not be able to visualize the impact their
architectural decision will make on the other teams. Having a system architect at a program
level does not mean that he is the one, who will create the complete architecture. He is there
to just ensure alignment for the common goal as far architecture is concerned.
At a program level, you also have few other roles. One of the role, which I wanted to talk
about, is the business owner. They are key stakeholders who work with this particular group
and provide them business related inputs, they help product management identifying the right
features for this particular solution and you have a system teams which primarily helps these
teams to integrate their work in order to develop or deliver the overall integrated software.
Now the structure looks like , that once you have more than 5 teams, we may group them or