As organizations grow and SAP projects become more complex, managing Agile at scale requires a structured approach that aligns multiple teams toward common goals. The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a proven methodology designed to scale Agile principles across large enterprises, enabling synchronized delivery, improved collaboration, and faster value realization.
This article provides an introduction to SAFe and its relevance in managing large-scale SAP Agile projects.
SAFe is a comprehensive framework developed to implement Agile, Lean, and DevOps practices at enterprise scale. It provides guidance on roles, responsibilities, and processes to coordinate multiple Agile teams working together on large programs and portfolios.
Key benefits include:
- Aligning strategy and execution
- Enabling continuous delivery of value
- Improving collaboration across teams and departments
- Managing dependencies and risks effectively
SAP implementations often involve numerous teams such as functional consultants, developers, testers, basis administrators, and business users, all working on interconnected modules. SAFe offers:
- Structured Coordination: Aligns multiple Agile teams to deliver integrated SAP solutions.
- Visibility and Transparency: Provides dashboards and metrics for real-time insight into progress.
- Scaled Planning: Facilitates Program Increment (PI) planning for cross-team synchronization.
- Lean Portfolio Management: Aligns SAP initiatives with business strategy and investment priorities.
- Agility at Enterprise Scale: Enables adaptability while maintaining governance and compliance.
- Team Level: Agile teams use Scrum or Kanban to deliver value in iterations.
- Program Level: Multiple teams collaborate in an Agile Release Train (ART) delivering features every Program Increment (PI).
- Large Solution Level: Coordinates multiple ARTs for complex SAP landscapes.
- Portfolio Level: Aligns SAP projects with enterprise strategy and funding.
An ART is a virtual organization of 5–12 Agile teams (50–125 people) that plan, commit, develop, and deploy together. It provides cadence and synchronization across SAP teams.
PI planning is a cadence-based event (typically every 8–12 weeks) where all teams align on goals, identify dependencies, and commit to deliverables.
- Release Train Engineer (RTE): Facilitates ART processes and execution.
- Product Management: Manages the program backlog and prioritizes features.
- System Architect: Provides technical guidance.
- Business Owners: Represent business interests and approve priorities.
- Agile Teams: Deliver user stories and features in iterations.
- Take an economic view: Prioritize features that deliver highest business value.
- Apply systems thinking: Understand SAP’s end-to-end processes and dependencies.
- Assume variability; preserve options: Use iterative development to manage uncertainties.
- Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles: Leverage SAP Activate’s iterative phases aligned with SAFe.
- Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems: Use continuous testing and integration for quality.
- Train SAP teams and leadership in SAFe practices.
- Organize SAP teams into Agile Release Trains based on modules or business domains.
- Use PI planning to coordinate cross-team dependencies and deliverables.
- Integrate SAP tools (Solution Manager, Jira) with SAFe management tools.
- Establish Lean Portfolio Management to align SAP initiatives with strategic goals.
¶ Challenges and Solutions
| Challenge |
Solution |
| Cultural shift to scaled agility |
Conduct SAFe training and change management |
| Managing complex dependencies |
Use Program Boards and PI Planning to visualize dependencies |
| Ensuring compliance and governance |
Embed SAP GRC and audit controls into SAFe processes |
| Tool integration |
Adopt integrated tooling platforms supporting SAFe |
SAFe offers a robust framework to scale Agile principles across large SAP projects, improving collaboration, visibility, and delivery speed. By adopting SAFe, organizations can better manage complex SAP landscapes, align IT and business strategies, and drive continuous innovation.