Scaled Agile Framework: The 4 levels explained with Examples

Your company is planning an an agile transformation It plans to scale agile methods beyond individual teams - or has it already done so? Everyone is talking about the different levels and configuration options within, for example, Scaled agile frameworks such as SAFe® Yes, these terms are not so easy to understand.

This article sheds some light on the levels and configurations of Scaled Agile Frameworks with simple explanations and examples ( SAFe® )! It should be noted in advance that the configurations do not Large scale scrum framework (short: LeSS ).

What are the three levels of the scaled agile framework?

In order to be able to scale agile methods, the (SAFe®) has different so-called levels.

To make it short, the 3 levels of scaled agile framework are team level, program level and portfolio level.

So within the scaled agile framework the level above team is program level, then comes portfolio level.

Before we get to that, one thing is important. Since the latest version of the Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe® 5.0, 3 levels of the scaled agile framework are no longer enough - another, fourth level has been added.

What are the four levels of the scaled agile framework?

SAFe® 5.0 also includes the so-called Large Solution Level. Let’s dive a little deeper now - here are the explanations of the different Scaled agile Framework Levels:

• Scaled Agile Framework Level 1: Team Level
  One or a few teams working on something. Within the scaled agile framework the level above team level is…
• Scaled Agile Framework Level 2: Program level
  The program level contains many teams that deliver solutions via a so-called “Agile Release Train” (ART). An ART is typically a number of 50 to 130 people - organized in sub-teams - who work together to ultimately deliver value to the customer. An Agile Release Train is organized via so-called “team-of-teams”.
• Scaled Agile Framework Level 3: Large Solution Level
  In this case, two or more Agile Release Trains are necessary to deliver value to the customer. To organize these, you need a “team-of-teams-of-teams”. All Agile Release Trains together are referred to as a Solution Train.
• Scaled Agile Framework Level 4: Portfolio Level
  In this case, the entire business (or business area) implemented the agile methodology. Therefore, you do not only have to organize IT-teams - you also have to organize your management practices through agile methodologies. Lean budgeting and strategic governance processes come into play. 

The four levels of the scaled agile framework and their configuration options in SAFe® - An illustration

To have a clear name for how you implement SAFe®, there are four more terms we should know: Essential SAFe®, Large solution SAFe®, Portfolio SAFe® and Full SAFe®.

These four do not explain the “level” SAFe® is implemented at, but in what configuration.

Phew, seems complicated. The following graphic tries to help you further understand how the terms play together.

Large Solution SAFe® builds on Essential SAFe®, but excludes portfolio management - because not the entire company (or the entire business unit) uses SAFe®.

If you are implementing SAFe® throughout a large company with hundreds of employees, multiple teams and lots of integrations, you are using Full SAFe®.

By the way, a quick note in the context of agile transformation: Do you want to make sure that you are currently setting the right priorities in your agile transformation? 

Then take our maturity check for your agile transformation - it only takes 3 minutes. You even get a benchmark based on the over three hundred other participants. See button 🙂

What are the four levels of the scaled agile framework? An example!

To make this model even clearer, I will use an example I found in a great video by Angelo Kalevela. 

You probably know Google Drive? Google Drive has many sub-apps: Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google Slides… Similar to Microsoft Office.

Let’s imagine that each of these sub-apps - for example, Google Slides - is developed by a team in our example (even if it is very likely many teams). In this case, all these sub-teams or sub-apps combined form an Agile Release Train working on a “program”. In other words, Google Drive alone is an Agile Release Train that has implemented the scaled agile framework at the program level. 

If only the “Google Drive department” in Google used the scaled agile framework, then we would say that they are using Essential SAFe®.

Important to understand: Let’s imagine that Google Drive was a standalone company and the management team and processes were also organized according to agile methods (Lean Budgeting etc.). In this case - because the entire company uses agile methods - Google Drive would use Portfolio SAFe®.

The four levels of SAFe® - Large solution & Full SAFe®

As we know, the company Google is much larger and Google Drive is not the only “program” Google is working on. There is also “Google Workspace” (formerly “G Suite”), which includes Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Contacts.

If the latter 3 sub-areas were individual teams (Level 1), we could say that with “Google Workspace” we have another Agile Release Train (Level 2) working on another “program”.

And if these two programs (and Agile Release Trains) in turn work closely together - within the much larger Google company - they work according to a Large Solution SAFe® configuration.

However, now let us imagine Google Drive and Google Daily would be a company on its own and the management team and processes would be organized by agile methodologies (lean budgeting etc.). 

In this case, presumably the entire company (consisting of more than one program and an agile release train) would use agile methods - which would mean that Google Drive would use the so-called Full SAFe®.

The four levels of the Scaled Agile Framework - Conclusion

Just to be clear - I don’t know how Google organizes itself. This is just an example to better understand the Scaled Agile Frameworks Levels!

And to make this also clear: The given explanation is simplicizing a lot of things. A lot of aspects of the scaled agile framework are missing and sometimes maybe even not 100% precise - this is simply to make it easier for you to get a basic understanding of the four levels of the scaled agile framework.

One question you might ask yourself is how to actually measure the success of agile methods in correspondingly scaled levels. In short, take a look at our article “ Agility Health Radar: The 13 Most Popular Models ” .

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