Capterra Glossary
SAFe (scaled agile framework), is a set of principles, processes, and best practices that assists organizations with the adoption of agile methodologies such as Lean or Scrum. This framework helps development teams stay aligned with objectives of their business, collaborate more effectively, in addition to enabling efficiency throughout the development process. SAFe is centered around three bodies of knowledge: agile software development, lean product development, and systems thinking (an analysis approach that encourages teams to ask better questions to find better answers before jumping to conclusions prematurely). There are four SAFe framework configurations, including Essential, Large Solution, Portfolio, and Full that can be used to govern agile teams. Although SAFe is typically thought of as a framework for larger organizations, it was initially developed for organizations with multiple teams of 5 to 11 people, making it suitable for small organizations (under 100 employees) and midsize organizations (100 to 999 employees).
Small to midsize businesses in the software development industry that feature five or more agile teams of 5 to 11 individuals often use the SAFe framework to mitigate potential miscommunication or misalignment over the duration of project sprints. Small to midsize corporations should use the Essential SAFe framework configuration or the Portfolio SAFe framework configuration to help govern agile teams, as the other two SAFe framework configurations (Large Solution SAFe and Full SAFe) are best suited for enterprises.