The

Agile at Scale
Playbook
A comprehensive guide
for large organizations
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

I Introduction 3 VII Implementing Agile at Scale 49

Benefits and challenges Training and coaching needs . . . . . 52
of Agile at Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overcoming resistance and other
challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
II Agile principles and practices 6
Key agile principles . . . . . . . . . . . 7 VIII Agile at Scale Metrics and KPIs 55
Agile frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Identifying suitable metrics . . . . . . 56
Agile roles and responsibilities . . . . .12 Tracking and visualizing metrics . . . 58
Using metrics for continuous
III Scaling Agile principles 14
improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Overview of Agile at Scale
Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 IX Continuous Improvement and
Comparison of different Agile at Scale adaptation 60
frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Feedback and inspection . . . . . . . .61
Selecting the right framework for your Adapting processes and practices . . 62
organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Maintaining and nurturing an
IV Organizational structure & culture 23 agile mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Organizational structure for X Case studies & best practices 66

Agile at Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Fostering an agile mindset Common pitfalls and how
and culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 to avoid them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
How to be an Agile at Scale leader . .31
The roles of leadership in XI Implementing Agile at Scale
Agile at Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 with Tempo 70
The Tempo way to Agile at
V Agile at Scale roles and
Scale: Tool overview . . . . . . . . . . 72
responsibilities 35
Overview of roles in Agile at Scale . . 36
VI Agile practices at scale 39
Multi-team coordination & planning . 40
Scaling daily stand-ups, reviews,
and retrospectives . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Scaling backlog management
and prioritization . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Coordinating cross-team
dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Introduction

Welcome to Agile at Scale Playbook

from Tempo. This playbook aims to
guide organizations in successfully
implementing agile methodologies
at scale. By taking a deep dive into
the principles, frameworks, and roles
and responsibilities of agile, we hope
to provide a roadmap for scaling
agile within your organization.

Agile at Scale is the application

of agile methodologies across
an organization or on large
projects involving multiple
teams. It is an approach that
promotes flexibility, customer
About the authors
collaboration, rapid delivery,
Tempo is the company behind product
and continuous improvement,
management tools such as Timesheets,
applied at a larger scale than
Structure and Roadmunk — fan favorites for
base agile implementations
Agile at Scale. For more on that check out
like Scrum and Kanban. the last page of this guide or visit Tempo.io.

I Intro du c tio n 3
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Benefits and challenges

of Agile at Scale

Benefits Quality and customer satisfaction

Agile at Scale provides maximum focus
on the customer. By connecting strategy
Efficiency to agile customer centricity, organizations
can enhance product quality and ultimately
By leveraging agile’s proven methodologies
increase customer satisfaction.
at a larger scale, organizations
can extend those efficiencies to Visibility and predictability
the portfolio level, enabling faster Agile at Scale provides the reporting
development and deployment cycles, and visibility required at all levels of the
leading to quicker time-to-market. organization to drive actions and maximize
Collaboration value throughput. This transparency can
improve predictability and decision-making.
Agile at Scale demands cross-functional
collaboration across different teams and
departments. This enhances innovation,
as diverse perspectives and expertise are
combined to solve complex problems. Challenges
Responsiveness to change
Agile at Scale makes large organizations Maintaining consistency
more adaptable to changing business
Scaling agile across numerous teams can
environments. By extending iterative
result in inconsistencies if not managed
approaches to the strategic level,
properly. It requires a robust framework
adjustments can be made in response to
and clear communication to ensure that
changes in customer preferences, market
all teams are on the same page.
dynamics, or the competitive landscape.

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Coordinating multiple teams Providing flexibility and control

Managing dependencies and coordinating
work across multiple agile teams can be
complex. Early visibility into the impact
of dependencies on target objectives,
coupled with multiple and layered
strategies for managing multi-team
collaboration and coordination, help to
avoid bottlenecks or misalignments.
With Agile at Scale, organizations need
to manage at the strategic level without
diminishing their investments in team level
agility. To achieve appropriate levels of
oversight and control, agile organizational
reporting systems require more adaptability
at the team levels than traditional top
down oriented reporting systems.

Culture and adoption Skills and training

Shifting to Agile at Scale can be a
significant cultural change for many
organizations. Tempo at Scale reduces
cultural and process related resistances
often generated by the shock of inflexible
digital transformations. Tempo starts where
your teams are and brings the whole
organization along the path to agility.
Implementing Agile at Scale requires both
an understanding of agile principles and
the skills to apply them in a scaled context.
This will necessitate bringing areas of the
organization not familiar with agile principles,
that are used to running non-agile processes,
and who are in leadership positions. This
will place a high demand on executive level
coaching skills and require resources from
outside engineering; agile’s traditional domain.

However, with strong leadership, appropriate tool selection, and

a commitment to agile principles at all levels of the organization,
Agile at Scale can greatly improve an organization’s ability to
deliver more value and attract top talent, while reducing costs.

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Chapter II

Agile principles
and practices
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Key agile principles

Agile methodologies are built upon a set of principles designed to encourage
flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. These principles were
codified in the agile manifesto, which highlights the following key tenets:

Individuals and interactions Customer collaboration

over processes and tools
While processes and tools have their
place, agile emphasizes the importance
of the individuals doing the work and
how they work together. Communication,
collaboration, and a strong team dynamic
are seen as essential for success.
over contract negotiation
Agile methodologies stress the importance
of ongoing collaboration with the customer,
instead of relying solely on contract terms
defined at the start of a project. The
objective is to keep the customer engaged,
welcoming their input and adapting to
their feedback throughout the project.

Working software over

comprehensive documentation
The goal of any agile project is to deliver
working software to the end-users. While
documentation is important, it should not
impede the development process. agile
methodologies prefer to focus on delivering
a working product rather than getting
bogged down in extensive documentation.
Responding to change
over following a plan
Agile methodologies recognize that
changes are inevitable in any project.
Rather than rigidly adhering to a fixed plan,
agile teams are prepared to respond to
changes, even late in the development
process. This flexibility allows the
team to adapt the product to evolving
business realities and customer needs.

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In addition to these main principles,

the agile manifesto also includes 12
more specific principles, such as:

• Delivering valuable software frequently,

with a preference for shorter timescales.

• Welcoming changing requirements,

even late in development, as agile
processes harness change for the
customer’s competitive advantage.

• Conducting work at a sustainable pace,

in which developers, sponsors, and users
maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

• Reflecting at regular intervals on

how to become more effective and
adjusting behavior accordingly.

These principles guide the behaviors

and decisions of agile teams, helping
them stay focused on delivering
value to the customer, collaborating
effectively, and continually
improving their processes.

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Agile frameworks
Several agile frameworks have been developed to provide
structured approaches to implementing agile principles.
Here are brief outlines for a few of the most commonly used ones:

1 Scrum
Scrum is a popular agile framework
primarily used for managing complex
software and product development.
It uses fixed-length iterations (usually
two to four weeks) called sprints.
Key elements of Scrum include:
• Product backlog
An ordered list of features,
enhancements, and fixes for the product,
maintained by the Product Owner.
• Sprint planning
A meeting at the start of each sprint
where the team selects items from
the Product Backlog to work on.
• Daily Scrum or standup
A brief daily meeting where team
members sync up on their progress
and discuss any blockers.
• Sprint review
A meeting at the end of each sprint
where the team demonstrates the
work completed during the sprint.
• Sprint retrospective
A meeting after the sprint review where
the team reflects on the past Sprint and
identifies improvements for the next one.
Roles in Scrum include the Product
Owner, who represents the customer
and prioritizes work, the Scrum Master,
who facilitates the Scrum process
and helps the team improve, and the
Development Team, who do the work
to develop and deliver the product.

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2 Kanban
Kanban is a lean method to manage
and improve work across many types of
industries. It emphasizes visualizing the
workflow, limiting work-in-progress (WiP),
and optimizing the flow of work items.
A Kanban board is used to visualize
workflow. Work items are represented
as cards that move from one column
to another, typically from left to right,
as they progress through stages of the
workflow. By limiting WiP, teams can
focus on completing items before starting
new ones, reducing the time it takes
for work to flow through the system.
Unlike Scrum, Kanban does not prescribe
roles or iterations. It can be used as a
standalone method or in conjunction
with other agile frameworks.
II Ag i l e princ iples and prac tic es
3 Extreme Programming (XP)
Extreme Programming (XP) is an
agile framework primarily focused on
software development. It emphasizes
team collaboration and customer
satisfaction. Key practices of XP include:
• Pair programming
Two programmers work together at one
workstation, with one person writing
the code and the other reviewing it.
• Test-driven development
Tests are written before the code, which
is then developed to pass the tests.
• Continuous integration
Code changes are frequently
integrated and tested, to catch
and resolve issues quickly.
• Refactoring
Code is regularly cleaned up to
maintain its quality and simplicity.
• On-site customer
A representative of the end-
user is part of the team, providing
rapid feedback and direction.
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Lean Software
4 5
Development
Lean Software Development is an agile
framework based on lean manufacturing
principles. It emphasizes eliminating
waste, amplifying learning, deciding as
late as possible, delivering as fast as
possible, empowering the team, building
quality in, and optimizing the whole.
Dynamic Systems
Development
Method (DSDM)
DSDM is an agile framework that prioritizes
scope and functionality during the project
life cycle. DSDM adheres to principles like
focusing on the business need, delivering
on time, collaborating, never compromising
quality, building incrementally, and
communicating continuously and clearly

Each of these agile frameworks has its own strengths, and the right
one to use depends on the team’s context, including the nature of the
work, the team’s skills and preferences, and the organization’s culture.

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Agile roles and responsibilities

Within an agile team, there are typically three key roles: the Product
Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Development Team. Here is
a brief description of each role and its responsibilities:

1 Product Owner (PO) 2 Scrum Master

The Product Owner is the individual
responsible for maximizing the value
of the product and the work of the
development team. They represent the
business or user community and are
responsible for working with the team to
define and prioritize the product backlog.
Key responsibilities of the
Product Owner include:
• Clearly expressing product
backlog items.
The Scrum Master is the servant-leader
for the Scrum Team, helping everyone
understand Scrum theory, practices, rules,
and values. They facilitate Scrum events,
remove impediments for the team, and
coach the team to higher levels of maturity.
Key responsibilities of the
Scrum Master include:
• Guiding the team and organization
on how to use agile/Scrum
practices and values.

• Ordering the items in the • Facilitating discussion, decision

product backlog to best achieve making, and conflict resolution.
goals and missions.
• Assisting with internal and external
• Ensuring that the product backlog is communication, improving transparency,
visible, transparent, and clear to all, and and radiating information.
shows what the team will work on next.
• Supporting and educating
• Ensuring the development team the Product Owner, especially
understands items in the product with respect to grooming and
backlog to the level needed. maintaining the product backlog.

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3 Development Team

The Development Team is made up of

professionals who do the work of delivering
a potentially releasable increment of the
product at the end of each sprint. This team
is self-organizing and cross-functional,
with all the skills necessary to produce
a working increment of the product. Remember that these roles are
defined in the context of the
Key responsibilities of the
Development Team include: Scrum framework. Other agile
methodologies may define
• Delivering a potentially releasable
different roles or assign similar
increment of the product at
the end of each sprint.
responsibilities differently. But
in all agile methodologies,
• Determining the technical means and
it’s common to see this clear
methods to turn the product backlog
distinction between the role
into a working product increment.
that represents the business
• Managing their own work and (like the Product Owner),
progress, tracking and reporting the role that facilitates the
during the daily standup meeting.
agile process (like the Scrum
• Collaborating closely with the Master), and the role that does
Product Owner to clarify and refine the development work.
the product backlog items.

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Chapter III

Scaling agile
principles
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Overview of Agile at
Scale frameworks
Agile at Scale frameworks are designed to apply agile principles
to large projects or across entire organizations, involving multiple
teams. Here are some of the main Agile at Scale frameworks:

1 Scaled Agile 2 Large-Scale

Framework (SAFe)
SAFe is a knowledge base of proven,
integrated principles and practices for
implementing lean, agile, and DevOps
at scale. SAFe promotes alignment,
collaboration, and delivery across large
numbers of agile teams. It has four levels:
Team, program, large solution, and portfolio,
each designed to organize and coordinate
a different scale of work, from individual
teams to enterprise-level initiatives.
Scrum (LeSS)
LeSS provides a framework for scaling
Scrum to multiple teams working on the
same product. LeSS builds directly on
top of Scrum, extending its practices to
larger groups, while striving to maintain
Scrum’s simplicity and flexibility. There
are two frameworks within LeSS: Basic
LeSS for up to eight teams, and LeSS
Huge for eight or more teams.

3 Nexus
Nexus, developed by Ken Schwaber
(co-creator of Scrum), is a framework
that scales Scrum to guide multiple
Scrum teams on how they need to work
together to deliver working software
every sprint. It uses the same roles,
events, and artifacts as Scrum, but adds
new ones to manage the dependencies
and interactions between teams.
Scrum at Scale
4
(Scrum@Scale)
Scrum@Scale, also created by one
of Scrum’s original developers (Jeff
Sutherland), is designed to scale
across the organization as a whole,
not just development teams. It is a
lightweight framework that extends the
fundamental Scrum principles to guide
coordinated efforts for multiple teams
across divisions and departments.

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Disciplined Agile
5
Delivery (DAD)
DAD is a process decision framework
that enables simplified process decisions
around incremental and iterative
solution delivery. DAD builds on the
practices of Scrum, agile modeling,
Extreme Programming (XP), and others,
providing a solid foundation from which
to scale agile. It provides guidance
to help organizations streamline their
processes in a context-sensitive manner.

Each of these frameworks provides different strategies, structures,

and practices to scale agile methodologies across multiple teams
or entire organizations. The choice between them depends on
factors like the size and structure of the organization, the nature of
the work being done, and the organization’s culture and goals.

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Comparison of different Agile

at Scale frameworks
SAFe LeSS (Large DAD
(Scaled Agile Scale Scrum & Spotify Scrum@Scale (Disciplined
Framework) LeSS Huge) Agile Delivery)

Long term planning

and strategy

Multi agile teams

Agile Release Scrum of

Team of Teams Area Tribes
Train (ART) Scrums

PM / PO

Scrum Master /
Agile Coach

Release Engineer /
Group Manager

Agile practice
(scrum, kanban, etc.)

Demo

Retros

Customer driven /
value focused

Dependency
management

Strategy transparency

Portfolio mangement

Release on demand

Risk Management

DevOps

Defined and Defined with Not clearly

Processes:
prescribed recommendations defined

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Scaling agile without care can add excess processes. However, establishing
rituals, roles, and principles for scaling agile benefits newcomers.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular Agile at Scale frameworks
in terms of their key principles, structures, and applicability.

1 Scaled Agile 2 Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

Framework (SAFe)
Principles
SAFe is based on Lean and agile
principles and promotes alignment,
collaboration, and delivery across
large numbers of agile teams.
Principles
LeSS builds directly on Scrum, extending
its principles to larger groups. It
emphasizes simplicity, flexibility, and
customer-centric development.

Structure
SAFe has a highly structured approach
with four levels: Team, program, large
solution, and portfolio, each designed
to accommodate different scales of
work. SAFe defines roles, artifacts, and
ceremonies for each of these levels.
Applicability
SAFe is suitable for large enterprises with
multiple teams that need to coordinate
their efforts. It’s particularly helpful for
organizations transitioning from traditional
waterfall methodologies to agile.
Structure
LeSS is less prescriptive than SAFe, with
fewer additional roles and artifacts. It has
two levels: Basic LeSS for up to eight teams
and LeSS Huge for eight or more teams.
Applicability
LeSS is suitable for organizations that
have already implemented Scrum at
the team level and are looking to scale
without adding much complexity.

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3 Nexus
Principles
Nexus extends Scrum to guide
multiple teams while maintaining
the focus on producing a “Done”,
integrated increment every sprint.
Structure
Nexus uses the same roles, events,
and artifacts as Scrum but adds new
ones to manage dependencies and
interactions between teams. It can
accommodate three to nine Scrum teams.
Applicability
Nexus is well-suited for organizations
that are already using Scrum
successfully and want to apply it
to larger projects or programs.
III S caling Agile princ iples
4 Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale)
Principles
Scrum@Scale extends the fundamental
Scrum principles to coordinated
efforts for multiple teams across
divisions and departments.
Structure
It consists of a ‘scale-free’ architecture,
which means that the same basic
unit, a Scrum team, can be used to
build organizations of any size.
Applicability
It can be applied across industries
and departments and is designed
to be easily understood by those
already familiar with Scrum.
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5 Disciplined Agile
Delivery (DAD)
Principles
DAD provides a process decision
framework that enables simplified
process decisions around incremental
and iterative solution delivery.

Structure
DAD has a hybrid model that extends
Scrum, Agile Modeling, Extreme
Programming (XP), and other agile
techniques, offering a more comprehensive
approach to Agile at Scale.
Each of these frameworks has
Applicability
DAD is an excellent choice for organizations
its strengths and weaknesses.
seeking to improve their existing agile The choice depends on many
practices with a more disciplined approach factors, including the nature
while providing flexibility in implementation. and scale of the work, the
maturity of agile practices in
the organization, the desired
level of structure and discipline,
and the organization’s
overall goals and culture.

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Selecting the right framework

for your organization
Selecting the right Agile at Scale framework is a critical decision for any
organization and should be approached thoughtfully. Here are some
key criteria to consider during the decision-making process:

Current agile maturity level structured approach like LeSS or Nexus

might be best. On the other hand, if your
Evaluate your organization’s current
work involves large, complex initiatives
state of agile practice. Some frameworks
with many interdependent elements,
like SAFe or DAD may be more suitable
a more structured approach like SAFe
for organizations just transitioning
or DAD could be more suitable.
from traditional waterfall methods,
while others like LeSS or Nexus Culture and change readiness
could be more appropriate for those Some frameworks require a substantial
already familiar with basic Scrum. change in organizational culture and
Organization size and structure mindset. If your organization is ready for
a significant shift towards a lean-agile
Smaller organizations might not need
mindset, then SAFe or DAD might be a
as structured a framework as larger
good fit. If your organization prefers to
ones. LeSS, Nexus, or Scrum@Scale
make changes more gradually, starting
could work well for smaller to medium-
with Scrum and then moving to a less
sized organizations, while SAFe or
prescriptive framework like LeSS or
DAD may be more appropriate for
Nexus might be more effective.
larger, more complex organizations.
Available resources
Nature of work
Implementing Agile at Scale requires
The type of work you do can significantly
resources, including time, money, and
impact the choice of framework. If your
personnel. The availability of these
organization typically handles many
resources can impact the choice of
smaller, independent projects, a less
framework. For example, SAFe and

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DAD typically require more extensive

training and may require more substantial
investments in change management.

Desired speed of transformation

If you want to transition quickly, a less
complex framework like LeSS or Nexus
could be more suitable. For a more
gradual transition, or for organizations
with many complex, intertwined
projects, a more structured approach
like SAFe or DAD might be preferable.

In addition to these criteria,

it’s always beneficial to seek
outside advice. Talk to other
organizations that have
implemented Agile at Scale,
consult with agile coaches or
consultants, and leverage online
resources to learn more about
each framework’s strengths
and weaknesses. Remember
that the best framework is not
necessarily the most popular
or the newest, but the one that
best fits your organization’s
needs and context.

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Chapter IV

Organizational
structure and culture
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Organizational structure
for Agile at Scale
Creating the right organizational structure is a critical component for scaling
agile effectively. It should be designed to foster collaboration, enable
fast decision-making, and minimize dependencies. Here are the main
considerations when structuring your organization for Agile at Scale:

Cross-functional teams Communities of Practice (CoPs)

Agile development depends on cross-
functional teams that can handle all aspects
of a project. These teams should include
all necessary roles to design, develop, test,
and deliver incremental value to customers
without relying heavily on other teams. This
includes Software Developers, Testers,
UX/UI Designers, Business Analysts, and
any other roles relevant to your projects.
Agile Release Trains (ARTs)
In frameworks like SAFe, Agile Release
Trains (ARTs) are used as the primary
value delivery construct. An ART is a long-
lived team of agile teams, which, along
with other stakeholders, incrementally
develops, delivers, and validates a solution
in a value stream. ARTs typically include
5 to 12 agile teams (50-125 individuals),
aligning teams to a common mission.
These are groups of people who share a
concern, a set of problems, or a passion
about a topic, and who deepen their
knowledge and expertise in this area by
interacting on an ongoing basis. In Agile
at Scale, CoPs help facilitate knowledge
sharing and standardization across multiple
teams. CoPs can be centered around
various roles (like Scrum Masters or
Product Owners), technologies (like Java or
Python), or practices (like TDD or CI/CD).
Alignment with value streams
Organizations should align their teams
and ARTs with the flow of value in the
organization. Value streams are the
sequence of activities an organization
undertakes to deliver on a customer
request. By aligning teams with value
streams, organizations can ensure that
their agile teams are always working
on the highest value activities.

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Scaling the roles

Roles like Product Owner, Scrum Master,
and agile team member will need to be
scaled. This could mean introducing
new roles, such as a Chief Product
Owner to coordinate multiple Product
Owners, or a Release Train Engineer
in SAFe, who is a servant leader and
coach for an Agile Release Train.

Organizational design principles

It’s critical to adhere to some key
organizational design principles: Minimize
dependencies between teams, keep
the team sizes manageable (the two-
pizza rule where a team shouldn’t be
larger than what two pizzas can feed By focusing on these
is often mentioned), and ensure clear considerations, organizations
lines of communication and reporting. can create a structure that
Flattening hierarchies effectively supports Agile
at Scale. It’s important
Agile works best in flat structures, where
to remember that every
decision-making authority is decentralized.
Flatten the hierarchy as much as possible
organization is different, so
to foster a culture of autonomy and there’s no one-size-fits-all
empower teams to make decisions. structure for Agile at Scale.
Instead, organizations
Embrace change
should aim to create a
Finally, recognize that the organization
flexible, adaptable structure
will need to evolve over time. Regularly
that can evolve as the
inspect and adapt the structure to better
align with the changing needs of the
organization’s needs change.
customers and the business environment.

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Fostering an agile
mindset and culture
Success with agile methodology is more than just telling your teams what you want
to happen and hoping they can sort themselves out and start producing results.

Agile wasn’t created to be a diktat from

leadership telling people what to do and
how to do it. It was created to empower
workers to make their own decisions,
speed up processes, and make everything
in the company more efficient and effective.

However, as many product buyers, owners,

and managers can attest, change is no easy
thing. It requires shifting processes, people,
strategies, mindsets, and technology and
this simply won’t happen overnight or
without careful planning to make it work.

So how do you ensure that you

implement agile in the right
way so teams are enthusiastic
about adopting and don’t just
drop it at the first hurdle?

Here are seven ways to foster an

agile culture in your organization so
you can be agile at any scale.

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1 Promote transparency 2 Make it personal

Agile practices were developed In an agile culture, change is not only

from the ground up to help teams
work independently and have the
ability to make impactful decisions
on what they are working on.
That means it is essential to create a
safe environment where team members
can speak their minds without fear of
repercussions. Agile requires daily stand-
ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
where employees are actively
encouraged to share their misgivings.
accepted but needs to be actively
embraced. People need to understand
how new tools and working practices
will make their lives better, not just
the finances of the organization.
If the only thing people know about agile is
that it produces results faster, all they think
is that they will have to be working more
and no-one will get excited about that. Pitch
the benefits for them on an individual level
and not just the company-wide angle.

Without transparency, both with teams

sharing their thoughts and leadership
sharing their goals, agile methodologies
won’t go far. Agile on any scale begins
from a place of respect for all parts of
the business and that means everyone
has their ideas listened to and feels like
they can have a say in their workflow.

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3 Encourage continual
learning and improvement
Learning organizations invest in making
sure their teams are growing, learning, and
always on top of developments in their
line of work. That means individuals will
excel at adapting to new circumstances,
understanding their industry, and
teaching this to people around them.
How do you do this? You need to invest
in your employees with training budgets
both individually and on a team level to
keep them sharp and encourage constant
reflection on working processes. What
went wrong in the last project, what
went right, and how can we improve?
If you listen to this feedback and properly
act upon it, your teams will naturally
begin to think and work like this on every
task instead of settling for “it is what it
is” with legacy tools and processes.
IV O r ga n i zat i o nal stru c tu re and c u ltu re
4 A new kind of leader
Sometimes referred to as “servant
leadership”, this focuses on a kind
of leadership that is embedded
within a team, not above it.
Their main function is not telling
people what to do and allocating jobs,
but ensuring everyone is organized,
on-task, and being capable to fill in
any weak point in their team.
They need to ensure the team always
comes first, they feel confident in
their work and path to achieve their
goals, and that every person feels
they are in control of their work and
not just being told what to do.
Done properly, this style of leadership
creates accountability across teams and
entire organizations and is one of the
core tenets of an agile workplace.
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5 Get the right tools for the job
Agile methodology was created and
enabled by technology rising to a
level where new workflows could
be implemented. If you aren’t using
that technology in your own attempts
at being agile, you are, ironically,
trying to swim up a waterfall.
Technology enables agile by letting
teams see how others are progressing,
provides actionable data, and
enables cross-team collaboration.
That means you should be investing
in tools that can visualize workflows,
allocate resources, and enable seamless
collaboration and communication
across your organization.
IV O r ga n i zat i o nal stru c tu re and c u ltu re
6 Foster a sense of ownership
and accountability
Agile teams are self-organizing, which
means they have the autonomy to
distribute their own workload and create
the plans to reach their intended goals.
However, this shouldn’t mean responsibility
and accountability become just concepts.
An agile culture understands that failure
is a part of the learning process. Rather
than punishing failures, they are seen as
opportunities for improvement. Similarly,
successes, even small ones, are celebrated
to encourage and motivate teams.
When you celebrate the little things
and make sure they are always tied
to the project as a whole, individuals
will start to understand how their work
affects the overall objective. Tools for
visualizing workflows help greatly with
this, and the more it is encouraged
then the more people will see their
part in the entire process and feel
responsible for general success.
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7 Over communicate
When it comes to success with being agile,
everything needs to be big and visible.
Your goals, your important documents,
the long and short term plans. You can’t
keep things tucked away in a drawer
until someone comes calling for it.

Everyone needs to be kept in the loop

about how projects are progressing,
and that requires daily meet-ups for
rapid quick fire conversations, tools to
check on progress on-demand, and
people feeling empowered to talk
about their pain points and workload.

Without making a deliberate effort for

constant communication, agile will fail as Remember, cultural
your teams will not be responsive, you’ll
transformation is a journey and
lose track of the overall objectives, and
it requires commitment from
people can become siloed in their teams
all levels of the organization.
without feeling part of something larger.
It might require fundamental
Effective communication is key for agile
changes in how people interact
success at any scale, even if it can feel like
with each other, how work is
a chore to meet every day when not much
needs to be said. A quick ten minutes to
organized, and how decisions
check everything is on track once a day are made. The key is to be
might feel superfluous one day, but when persistent and consistent in
it manages to catch a roadblock that you promoting and living the
otherwise would have missed until two agile values and principles.
days down the road, you’ll be happy for it.

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How to be an Agile
at Scale leader
Agile organizations pride themselves on the independence and adaptability
of their teams. It requires a system of empowered workers, owning their
own processes and staying in constant communication with each other. That
raises a key question: Where do leaders fit in a self-organizing team?

With hurdles constantly appearing,

communication issues killing productivity,
and objectives clashing, leaders are still
as essential as ever in an agile workplace.
This is only increased when we start to
think about Agile at Scale, where we need
to somehow develop hierarchies on top
of non-hierarchical team structures.

Leaders need to embody agile values and

principles and take on a new kind of role:
One of an individual embedded within
a team to support its goals rather than
above it and dictating where to go.

So how do you go about it?

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The roles of leadership

in Agile at Scale

Team Providing clear

servant strategic direction

Sometimes referred to as “servant While agile teams should have the

leadership”, this is a common kind of autonomy to decide how they work,
role for an Agile at Scale leader. leaders still need to provide a clear
strategic direction. This includes setting
Their main function is getting
the vision, aligning the organization
everyone organized, on-task, and
around strategic goals, and ensuring
keeping communication flowing
that all teams understand how their
with daily standups or sprints.
work contributes to these goals.
You need to be encouraging transparency
You are succeeding as an agile leader
both from those above and around you
when everyone knows their goal, agrees
so everyone feels respected and their
it is the best way to get the job done,
pain points are heard. Prevailing with
and how that goal relates and impacts
Agile at Scale starts with respect for all
overall objectives. However, teams
points of the working process, but just
also need to know where their work
hearing the feedback of the final sign-off.
ends so they are protected from taking
on more than they could handle.

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Removing Continual
obstacles improvement

Embracing agile principles doesn’t come
without challenges, such as resistance
to change, poor communication
between teams and individuals,
and unfamiliarity with new tools.
Agile at Scale leaders need to be on the
lookout for silos developing and push for
daily communication between all groups.
You need to push for daily communication
between individuals and teams so
everyone is informed of the progress
of others and not just management.
However, sometimes the biggest
obstacle for agile teams can be the
leader themselves. It can be easy to fall
back into old methodologies and want
full control over your team and what they
are doing. Without that trust and respect,
agile cannot succeed at any scale.
Agile leaders should foster a culture
of continual improvement. This means
regularly reflecting on the organization’s
agile practices and looking for ways to
improve. Leaders should encourage
their teams to do the same and be
open to feedback and suggestions
from all levels of the organization.
Part of this mindset of continuous
improvement means investing in
agile training, education, and new
tools for themselves and their teams.
They should keep up-to-date with the
latest agile practices and trends, and
ensure their teams have access to the
resources they need to be successful.

Make sure you don’t become the biggest

obstacle for your organization’s success.

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Measure and
reward agility

While there is no single way to

measure agility, you can always
strive to collect more feedback and
acquire data on your efficiency and
effectiveness towards your objectives.
Get the tools you need to measure your
time to market, customer retention, defect
rate, or whatever the relevant metric for
your industry might be. See how these
things are changing and make sure your
team knows where they can improve and
celebrate when things are on track.
Getting it right and seeing your metrics tell
the tale of your organization’s success is
always a cause for celebration, and if you
want your team to keep it up you need to
pat them on the back. This is even more
important if your work is purely iterative
and there is no solid end-state for projects.
The role of leadership in Agile at
Scale is multi-faceted. Leaders
must not only manage and
guide their teams, but also
serve as role models, fostering
an environment that supports
agile principles and values.
However, being an agile leader
is not a zero-sum game where
you are either successfully
agile or a failure. Agile itself is
an ever-evolving process that
iterates and develops, and so
is being an agile leader. Your
goal is to keep generating
better outcomes with less
time wasted with a happier
and better functioning team.

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Chapter V

Agile at Scale roles

and responsibilities
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Overview of roles in Agile at Scale

In Agile at Scale, many of the roles that exist in single-team agile
methodologies remain, but new roles are often introduced to manage
the complexity and coordination required in large-scale projects.
Here’s an overview of some key roles in Agile at Scale:

Product Manager Release Train Engineer (RTE)

The Product Manager has a strategic
role, responsible for understanding
the market, customer needs, and
business goals. They prioritize the
high-level backlog and ensure that the
organization’s strategic vision aligns with
the work being done by agile teams.
In the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), the
RTE is a servant leader who facilitates the
execution of Agile Release Trains (ARTs) −
long-lived teams of agile teams. They help
manage risks and dependencies, drive
program-level continuous improvement,
and escalate and track impediments.

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Solution Architect/Engineer
Solution Architects work with system and
enterprise architects to provide technical
leadership for an ART or a solution train
(a larger construct that coordinates
multiple ARTs). They help in defining
and communicating the technical vision
and architectural direction, and work
closely with teams to ensure alignment.
program-level continuous improvement,
and escalate and track impediments.
System Team
The System Team assists in building
and maintaining the agile development
environment, often taking care of
integration, end-to-end testing, and other
technical tasks that support the ARTs.
V Ag i l e at S cale ro les and res po ns ibilities
Business Owners
Business Owners are key stakeholders
who have the primary business and
technical responsibility for governance,
compliance, and return on investment
(ROI) for a solution developed by an ART.
They are actively engaged in defining the
backlog and preparing for ART events.
Shared services
Shared services represent specialized
capabilities that are necessary but don’t
exist within each ART. These may include
roles like Security Specialists, Database
Administrators, or UX Designers. They
can be called upon as needed.
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Epic Owner
Epic owners are responsible for defining
and coordinating the realization of epics
in SAFe. They work with stakeholders to
define the epic and its business case and
then follow the epic through its lifecycle.

Customer
The customer role is expanded in Agile
at Scale to include internal and external
stakeholders who are the ultimate
consumers of the solution. They provide
valuable feedback and help guide the
direction of product development.

Supplier
Suppliers represent external organizations
that provide necessary components
or services. They are integrated into
the Agile at Scale process and may
participate in planning, demos, and
tinspect & adapt (I&A) workshops.

Remember, not all roles will be needed in every Agile at Scale

implementation. The roles that are needed will depend on factors such
as the specific Agile at Scale framework used, the size and complexity
of the organization, and the nature of the work being done.

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Chapter VI

Agile practices
at scale
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Multi-team coordination and planning

Multi-team coordination and planning are critical parts of Agile at Scale. These
ensure that several teams working on the same product or within the same program
align and move in the same direction. Below is an outline of how a business might
incorporate multi-team coordination and planning in an Agile at Scale environment:

Program increment (PI) planning Cross-team planning

In Agile at Scale frameworks such as SAFe,
one common practice is Program Increment
(PI) planning. This is a two-day event where
all members of an ART convene to align
around a shared mission and vision. Teams
discuss and agree on the objectives for
the next increment, typically lasting 8−12
weeks, during PI Planning. It also allows
teams to pinpoint dependencies and risks.
This strategy involves coordinating
planning activities across different agile
teams. Teams should have insight into
what other teams are working on so that
they can align their work and manage
dependencies. This might involve a joint
planning session or a shared planning tool
accessible to all teams.

Scrum of Scrums (SoS)
The Scrum of Scrums meeting is a
coordination meeting that includes
representatives (usually Scrum Masters)
from each team. In this meeting, teams
synchronize their work and progress,
discuss any dependencies or conflicts that
have arisen, and identify potential risks and
impediments that need escalation.
Dependency management
Managing dependencies between teams
is crucial in Agile at Scale. Teams must be
aware of dependencies and plan for them
in their work. This might involve creating
a dependency map or using a tool to
visualize and manage dependencies.

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Integration points
With multiple teams working on different Remember that these practices
parts of the same product, regular will need to be adapted to
integration points are crucial to ensure that your organization’s specific
everything comes together smoothly. This context and needs. The
could involve regular integration testing, key is to maintain open
continuous integration practices, or set
lines of communication and
integration points where all teams’ work is
ensure transparency and
combined and tested together.
alignment across all teams.

Inspect and adapt

(I&A) workshops
In SAFe, I&A workshops are held at
the end of every PI. These workshops
provide an opportunity for teams to reflect
on their performance, identify areas of
improvement, solve problems, and come
up with action items.

Product management
and shared backlog
Having a shared backlog and an
active role of product management
can help in ensuring that teams are
working on the highest priority items
aligned with the organization’s goals.
This also helps in keeping a focus
on delivering customer value.

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Scaling daily stand-ups,

reviews, and retrospectives
Scaling daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives to Agile at Scale
involves maintaining the benefits of these practices while accommodating
the complexities of large-scale projects and multiple teams. Here’s how a
business might approach these practices in an Agile at Scale environment:

Daily stand-ups Reviews or sprint reviews

In an Agile at Scale context, daily
stand-ups still happen at the team level
to discuss progress and obstacles.
For coordination across multiple
teams, consider the following:
• Scrum of Scrums
This is essentially a stand-up for Scrum
Masters or representatives from each
team. It can occur daily or a few times
a week, depending on the level of
inter-team coordination needed.
• Scaling online
If teams are distributed, consider using
digital tools to hold stand-ups. Keep
in mind the time zone differences and
make sure everyone can participate.
At the end of each sprint, each agile team
will conduct a review to demonstrate
the increment of work completed.
In an Agile at Scale context:
• Joint reviews
If several teams are working on the
same product, consider joint reviews.
This allows for better synchronization
and understanding of the overall
progress and challenges.
• System demo
In SAFe, a system demo happens
at the end of every iteration. The
integrated solution from all teams
on the ART is demonstrated to
stakeholders for feedback.

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Retrospectives
Retrospectives are opportunities
for teams to reflect on their process
and make plans for improvements.
In an Agile at Scale setting:
Remember that these
• Team-level retrospectives
practices will need to be
Each team conducts its own
retrospective, as in single-team agile.
adapted to your organization’s
specific context and needs.
• RTE (Release Train Engineer) facilitated
The key is to maintain open
retrospectives
lines of communication and
At the end of a PI, an overall
ensure transparency and
retrospective is facilitated by
the RTE to gather improvement
alignment across all teams.
points at a program level. needed will depend on factors
such as the specific Agile at
• Large-scale retrospectives
Scale framework used, the
Techniques may be required for
size and complexity of the
facilitating large-scale retrospectives,
such as appreciative inquiry, speedboat,
organization, and the nature
or open space, which are designed to of the work being done.
gather feedback from large groups.

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Scaling backlog management

and prioritization
Scaling backlog management and prioritization in Agile at Scale involves handling
multiple backlogs that may exist at different levels of the organization. Below
are the considerations for backlog management and prioritization at scale:

Hierarchical backlogs
In an Agile at Scale environment, you’ll
often find hierarchical backlogs:

• Team backlog
Each team maintains its own
backlog with user stories for their
upcoming iterations or sprints.

• Program backlog
This backlog contains features to be
worked on by multiple teams on an
Agile Release Train (ART). Managed
by a Product or Program Manager, this
backlog feeds into the team backlogs.
• Portfolio backlog
At the strategic level, this backlog
contains Epics or large initiatives
that span across various ARTs.
Managed by portfolio management,
these are broken down into features
for the Program Backlog.
Backlog grooming at scale
In addition to individual team backlog
grooming sessions, scaled organizations
may need larger grooming or
refinement sessions. These can involve
multiple teams, or representatives
from each team, and help ensure
alignment, handle dependencies, and
promote shared understanding.

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Prioritization at scale Tools for scaling backlog

For prioritization, techniques that
help objectively rank backlog items
based on their value, risk, cost, and
dependencies are crucial at scale:
• Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)
Used in SAFe, WSJF is a method
for prioritizing features based on
the cost of delay and job size.
• Business value points or MoSCoW
(Must have, Should have, Could have,
Won’t have)
These methods can be used
to rank items based on their
relative value or necessity.
management
Consider using agile project management
tools that can manage hierarchical
backlogs and provide visibility
and transparency at all levels.
Consistent communication
Consistent communication between all
levels is crucial in understanding the
priorities. This is often done through regular
meetings like Program Increment (PI)
planning, and synchronization meetings.

• Dependency analysis
For large-scale projects, understanding
and prioritizing tasks based on
their dependencies is crucial.

Remember that effective backlog management and prioritization at scale

aim to provide a clear path forward for each team while aligning with the
broader organizational goals.

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Coordinating cross-team
dependencies
Coordinating cross-team dependencies is an integral part of Agile
at Scale. Since several teams work on interrelated tasks, managing
dependencies is crucial to ensure a smooth flow of work and to minimize
delays and bottlenecks. Here’s an outline for how a business might
approach coordinating cross-team dependencies in Agile at Scale:

Identification of dependencies Managing and prioritizing

The first step is identifying dependencies.
This can be done during backlog grooming
sessions, planning sessions, or the Program
Increment (PI) planning event in SAFe. It is
essential to actively identify and document
dependencies between teams to manage
them effectively.
Visualizing dependencies
Visualizing dependencies can help teams
understand the relationship between
tasks and potential impacts on their
work. Dependency maps, Dependency
Structure Matrix (DSM), or tools provided
by various agile software can be useful. In
SAFe, the program board is used during
PI planning to visualize dependencies.
dependencies
Once dependencies are identified and
visualized, they need to be managed
and prioritized. Teams need to agree on
who will do what by when. High-impact
dependencies should be given priority.
This involves collaboration, negotiation,
and sometimes escalation to higher
management levels.
Regular communication
and re-assessment
Regular cross-team meetings such as
Scrum of Scrums or the ART sync in SAFe
can be used to track dependencies,
discuss progress, and tackle any
emerging issues. Dependencies should
be reassessed frequently as priorities
and circumstances may change.

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Risk management
Cross-team dependencies often carry
risk, as delays or issues in one team can
impact others. Hence, it’s important to
include dependency-related risks in the
overall risk management process.

Fostering a collaborative culture

A collaborative culture is crucial for
effective dependency management.
This involves teams working together
to solve problems, negotiate
solutions, and make collective
decisions related to dependencies.

Remember, the ultimate goal of coordinating cross-team dependencies

in Agile at Scale is to maintain a smooth and efficient flow of
value through the organization. While it can be a complex task,
effective dependency management can significantly improve a
scaled agile organization’s productivity and delivery speed.

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Use of tools
Consider using project portfolio management
(PPM) tools that can help track dependencies
across teams and provide visibility to all
stakeholders. Here’s how Tempo can help:
Roadmunk
Develop your portfolio vision with
Roadmunk. Capture customer feedback,
build your strategic themes, and
use roadmaps to communicate your
strategy to the entire organization.
Structure
Visualize multiple Jira projects, programs,
and portfolios in one place, so you can
align execution with strategy.
Planner
Centralize and fast-track the capacity
planning process and capture
actionable insights into your workforce
operations and requirements. Ensure
you have the right resources in the
right place to deliver on the roadmap.
VI Ag i le prac tic es at s cale
Timesheets
With Timesheets, you can track all billable
time for invoicing, measure and report
on CAPEX and OPEX with precision, and
build custom reports to support operational
needs.
Cost Tracker
With Cost Tracker you can translate
Timesheets data to get true project
costs, monitoring financial health at
every level of your organization.
Custom Charts
Report on multiple teams, sprints, and
projects across your instance, directly
on Jira dashboards. Teams use Custom
Charts to plan, monitor, and reflect
on work, both day-to-day and at the
beginning/end of projects and sprints.
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Chapter VII

Implementing
Agile at Scale
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Implementing Agile at Scale

Transitioning to Agile at Scale requires careful planning and execution. Here
are the main considerations for an organization making this transition:

Understanding the need organizations. Therefore, an assessment

for scaling agile
Before embarking on the transition,
understand the specific reasons why you
need to scale agile. This understanding
could arise from existing challenges or
strategic business goals, such as faster
market delivery, better product quality, or
improved customer satisfaction.
Choosing the right
scaling framework
Several frameworks like SAFe, LeSS,
DaD, and Nexus are available for
scaling agile, each with its unique
strengths and applicable scenarios.
It’s crucial to choose the one that
best aligns with your organization’s
needs, culture, and specific context.
For more on frameworks, see page 15
Assessing organizational
readiness
Transitioning to Agile at Scale can
represent a significant change for many
of readiness, including the current culture,
leadership support, existing practices, and
resource availability, is a critical initial step.
Training and coaching
Proper training and coaching are pivotal
during any significant transition. This
includes training on the agile basics, the
specific scaling framework, and role-
specific training. Additionally, consider
engaging experienced agile coaches to
guide the organization during the transition.
For more on training and coaching, see
page 52
Pilot projects
Running pilot projects before a full-scale
rollout is a practical approach. It allows you
to test the waters, derive valuable insights,
and make necessary adjustments before
scaling agile across the entire organization.

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Leadership engagement
and support
Leadership support is vital for a successful
transition to Agile at Scale. Leaders need
to understand their role in the transition,
provide necessary resources, and help
overcome any potential roadblocks.
For more on leadership engagement and
support, see page 31
Change management
Managing change effectively is a crucial
aspect of the transition. It involves effective
communication, managing resistance, and
ensuring that the implemented changes are
effective and sustainable.
Aligning with business strategy
Your Agile at Scale approach should
align with your overall business strategy.
This alignment includes correlating
team objectives with strategic goals
and ensuring value delivery across
all levels of the organization.
V II I m pl ementing Agile at Scale
Measurement and
continuous improvement
Establishing metrics to measure
the success of the Agile at Scale
implementation is essential. These metrics
should then be used for continuous
improvement, regularly inspecting and
adapting your approach as needed.
For more on metrics and KPIs, see page 55
Remember, transitioning to
Agile at Scale is not solely about
processes and tools. It’s equally
about cultivating an agile
mindset and culture throughout
the organization. While the
journey may be challenging, the
rewards can be substantial.
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Training and coaching needs

Transitioning to Agile at Scale is a significant shift that often requires
comprehensive training and coaching to ensure a smooth and
successful transition. Here are the main considerations for an
organization when determining training and coaching needs:

Training needs assessment encapsulate the principles, practices, roles,

Understanding the current agile maturity
level and the skills gap of your organization
is the starting point. You might need
to employ methods such as surveys,
interviews, or use assessment tools to
accurately pinpoint where training is
required.
Agile basics training
Ensuring everyone involved has a
fundamental understanding of agile
principles and practices is paramount.
This includes training on the specific agile
framework your teams employ, like Scrum
or Kanban.
Specific Agile at Scale
framework training
Upon choosing a specific Agile at Scale
framework, such as SAFe, LeSS, and
others, detailed and targeted training
will be required. This training should
and artifacts specific to the framework of
choice.
Role-specific training
In Agile at Scale, different roles have
distinct responsibilities. Roles such as
Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Release
Train Engineers, among others, will require
specific training tailored to ensure effective
execution of their roles. The structure and
content of this role-specific training will
largely depend on the chosen framework.
Leadership training
It is important that executives, managers,
and other leaders undergo training to
understand how to lead in an Agile at Scale
environment. This includes getting a grasp
on the agile mindset, learning the ropes of
team empowerment, and understanding
how to alleviate impediments.

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Technical practices training Coaching

Depending on the maturity level of
your agile teams, training may be
required in technical practices. These
include but are not limited to Test-
Driven Development (TDD), Continuous
Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/
CD), automated testing, refactoring, etc.
Coaches can provide invaluable
guidance to teams and individuals
as they apply their newly gained
knowledge, helping them to navigate
real-time challenges and ensure that
Agile at Scale practices are properly
adopted.

Ongoing learning and

improvement
Agile calls for a culture of continuous
learning and improvement. Such culture
can be encouraged through regular
retrospectives, sharing sessions, and
opportunities for continuous education.

Remember, the success of the Agile at Scale transformation

is heavily hinged on training and coaching. They help
build and foster the knowledge and skills required to work
effectively in the new environment and forge a shared
understanding of Agile at Scale across the organization.

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Overcoming resistance
and other challenges
Resistance to change and other challenges
are common hurdles when adopting Agile
at Scale. This resistance can come in many
forms, from individuals holding onto old
ways of working, to systemic issues like
processes and structures that don’t support
agile ways of working. A well-planned and
thoughtful approach can help overcome
these obstacles and pave the way for a
successful Agile at Scale transformation.
Start by creating a compelling vision
for change and clearly communicate
the benefits of Agile at Scale. Highlight
how Agile at Scale can help the
organization respond faster to market
changes, improve product quality, and
enhance customer satisfaction. This
vision will help build buy-in from the
start and create a sense of urgency
for the change. Additionally, involve all
stakeholders in the transition, fostering a
sense of ownership and engagement.
Address individual resistance by focusing
on training and coaching. Help employees
understand how Agile at Scale will affect
V II I m pl ementing Agile at Scale
their day-to-day work and provide them
with the necessary skills to succeed in
the new environment. Remember, it’s not
only about teaching new practices, but
also about fostering an agile mindset.
Encourage feedback, and use it to adjust
your approach and address concerns.
Overcome systemic resistance by
aligning your organization’s structure and
processes with agile principles. This may
involve redefining roles, breaking down
silos, and changing decision-making
processes. Consider working with an agile
coach or consultant with experience in
Agile at Scale transformations, who can
provide valuable insights and guidance.
Above all, be patient and persistent.
Change takes time and there will be
setbacks along the way. Keep the focus
on the long-term benefits and continue to
champion agile principles and practices.
Over time, resistance will decrease, and the
new way of working will become the norm.
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Chapter VIII

Agile at Scale
Metrics and KPIs
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Identifying suitable metrics

When selecting metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for Agile at Scale,
organizations should consider several key factors. The chosen metrics should
reflect the goals and objectives of the organization, align with agile principles,
and provide insight into both the process efficiency and product quality.

Here are some guiding principles to consider:

Alignment
with business
objectives
Choose metrics that align with your
organization’s business objectives. If
the aim is to accelerate time to market,
for example, you might measure
lead time (the time it takes for work
to flow through your system).
Balance
process and
outcome metrics
Process metrics measure the efficiency
of your agile processes (like velocity
or cycle time), while outcome metrics
assess the results of those processes
(like quality, customer satisfaction, or
business value delivered). Both types
are important for a balanced view of
your Agile at Scale implementation.

Actionability Simplicity

Select metrics that you can act upon. If Keep your metrics simple. Too many
a metric indicates a problem but doesn’t metrics can become confusing and may
point towards a possible solution, it may dilute focus from the essential ones.
not be useful. For example, a metric
like ‘escaped defects’ (defects found by
customers) is actionable because it may
indicate a need for improved testing.

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Value
over volume
Avoid measuring activity for the sake of
activity. A high number of story points
completed might look good on paper, but if
they aren’t delivering value to the customer,
they’re not helping you achieve your goals.

Teams
over individuals
Keep in mind that metrics can
Agile emphasizes team performance drive behavior, so it’s important
over individual performance. Focus
to choose wisely. Remember to
on team-level metrics instead of
regularly review and adapt your
individual ones to foster collaboration
metrics as your Agile at Scale
and avoid unhealthy competition.
implementation matures and
your business objectives evolve.

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Tracking and visualizing metrics
When tracking and visualizing metrics in Agile at Scale,
there are several key considerations:
Use appropriate tools
There are a wide variety of tools available
that can help with tracking and visualizing
agile metrics. These can range from
dedicated agile project management
tools like Jira and Custom Charts, to
more generalized data visualization
platforms like Tableau. The right tool will
depend on your organization’s specific
needs and existing infrastructure.
Transparency
Agile emphasizes transparency, and
this extends to your metrics. Make sure
that your metrics are easily accessible
to all relevant stakeholders. This might
involve a centralized dashboard that
provides a real-time view of key metrics.
Different levels of detail
Remember that different stakeholders
will need different levels of detail. Team
members might need a detailed view of
their work in progress, while executives
might only want a high-level view of
product delivery and quality. Make sure
your tracking and visualization strategy
caters to these different needs.
V III Ag i l e at Scale Metric s and KPIs
Trends over absolute numbers
Agile metrics are most useful when they
are used to identify trends, rather than
as absolute numbers. For example, a
single sprint’s velocity has limited use,
but watching the velocity trend over
several sprints can provide useful insights.
Visualization can play a key role in
making these trends easier to identify.
Regular reviews
Regularly review your metrics to check
for any anomalies or unexpected trends.
This should be a part of regular agile
ceremonies like reviews and retrospectives.
Avoid vanity metrics
Be cautious of metrics that look good
on paper but don’t provide any real
value. These “vanity metrics” can
provide a false sense of security and
distract from more important metrics.
Remember, the goal of tracking and
visualizing metrics is not just to measure
performance, but to provide insights that
can help drive continuous improvement
in your Agile at Scale implementation.
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Using metrics for continuous

improvement
When implementing Agile at Scale, organizations should consider metrics as
a means for continuous improvement. Metrics play a crucial role in providing
feedback, identifying areas for improvement, and guiding decision-making.

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Chapter IX

Continuous Improvement
and adaptation
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Feedback and inspection

When it comes to continuous improvement and adaptation, organizations
should consider the following best practices for feedback and inspection:

Regular feedback loops Continuous monitoring

Establish regular feedback loops at
different levels of the organization,
including within agile teams, between
teams, and from stakeholders, to
gather valuable input and insights.
Retrospectives
Conduct regular retrospectives to
reflect on team performance and
processes, identifying strengths, areas
for improvement, and actionable
steps for enhancement.
and evaluation
Continuously monitor progress,
evaluate the effectiveness of the
Agile at Scale implementation, and
make timely adjustments based on
metrics and objective evaluation.
Experimentation and iteration
Encourage a culture of experimentation,
iteration, and learning, embracing the
agile principle of “inspect and adapt”
to drive ongoing improvement.

Agile metrics Documentation and

Utilize agile metrics such as velocity,
cycle time, customer satisfaction, and
defect rates to assess performance
and inform improvement efforts.
Customer and user feedback
Actively seek feedback from customers
and end-users through surveys,
interviews, usability testing, and direct
observation, integrating their insights
into the iterative development process.
knowledge sharing
Document lessons learned, best
practices, and improvements made,
fostering knowledge sharing and
facilitating organizational learning.
By implementing these best practices,
organizations can foster a culture of
continuous improvement, leveraging
feedback and inspection to drive
adaptation and optimize Agile at
Scale processes and outcomes.

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Adapting processes and practices

When considering how to adapt processes and practices in Agile at Scale,
organizations should keep the following considerations in mind:

Embrace an
agile mindset
Foster a culture that values adaptability
and continuous improvement, encouraging
individuals and teams to be open to
change and actively seek ways to
enhance processes and practices.
Continuously
assess and evaluate
Regularly evaluate the effectiveness
of existing processes and practices,
using retrospectives, reviews, and
feedback loops to gather insights
and identify areas for adaptation.

Tailor processes Experiment

to fit the context
Adapt processes and practices to fit
the unique context of the organization,
teams, and projects, considering
factors such as size, complexity,
industry, and specific needs.
and iterate
Encourage teams to experiment
with new approaches and iterate on
existing processes, implementing
small changes and assessing their
impact before scaling them up.

Foster a culture Empower

of learning
Create an environment that encourages
learning and knowledge sharing, promoting
cross-team collaboration, communities
of practice, and providing opportunities
for professional development.
teams
Empower teams to adapt processes and
practices by giving them autonomy and
ownership, allowing them to self-organize
and find the most effective ways of working
within the Agile at Scale framework.

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Provide support
and resources
Ensure teams have the necessary
support, resources, and training to adapt
processes and practices, offering coaching,
mentoring, and guidance as needed.

Regularly review
and adjust
Continuously review the adapted
processes and practices, using feedback,
metrics, and evaluations to identify
areas for further improvement and
make adjustments as necessary. By considering these factors,
organizations can effectively
adapt processes and practices
in Agile at Scale, promoting
continuous improvement
and enhancing the agility
of their operations.

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Maintaining and nurturing

an agile mindset
When it comes to continuous improvement and adaptation, organizations
should consider the following best practices for feedback and inspection:

Leadership modeling Celebrate successes and

Leaders should actively demonstrate and
model agile values and behaviors, such
as openness to change, collaboration,
empowerment, and customer value focus.
learn from failures
Celebrate achievements that embody
agile values and view failures as
learning opportunities, emphasizing
experimentation and adaptation.

Continuous education
and training
Provide continuous education and training
opportunities to employees at all levels,
including agile workshops, seminars, and
certifications.
Continuous improvement rituals
Integrate regular retrospectives,
reviews, and feedback sessions into
the organization’s practices to identify
areas for improvement and encourage
experimentation.

Cross-functional collaboration
Foster cross-functional collaboration
and knowledge sharing across
teams and departments to break
down silos and encourage learning
from each other’s experiences.
Supportive environment
Create a supportive environment that
encourages psychological safety, trust, and
open communication, where individuals
can voice ideas and concerns without fear.

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Agile coaching and mentoring By actively maintaining

Provide access to agile coaches and and nurturing an agile
mentors who can guide teams and mindset, organizations can
individuals in adopting and maintaining an sustain a culture of agility,
agile mindset. collaboration, and continuous
improvement necessary for
Regular communication success in Agile at Scale.
and reinforcement
As your organization
Regularly communicate the importance of grows, continue to nurture
an agile mindset, share success stories, an agile mindset. This
and reinforce agile values and principles
includes a focus on learning,
through internal communication channels.
improvement, collaboration,
and customer value.

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Chapter X

Case studies and

best practices
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Case studies
When it comes to continuous improvement and adaptation, organizations
should consider the following best practices for feedback and inspection:

Spotify across multiple teams, enabling faster

Spotify is often cited as a prominent
example of implementing Agile at Scale.
They have adopted the “Spotify Model”
that emphasizes cross-functional teams,
decentralized decision-making, and
a focus on autonomy and alignment.
They have shared insights into their
agile practices through articles,
blog posts, and presentations.
ING
ING, a global banking and financial services
organization, implemented Agile at Scale
across its operations. They transformed
their entire organization into agile squads,
tribes, and chapters, enabling faster
delivery and improved collaboration. ING
has shared their journey and experiences
in various publications and case studies.
Salesforce
Salesforce, a leading cloud-based
software company, has successfully
embraced Agile at Scale principles.
They implemented the agile approach
development cycles and iterative
improvements. Salesforce has shared
their agile transformation journey through
conferences, webinars, and blog posts.
Ericsson
Ericsson, a multinational
telecommunications company, has
adopted Agile at Scale to improve
its product development processes.
They have implemented the Scaled
Agile Framework (SAFe) and shared
their experiences in case studies,
presentations, and industry events.
Scania
Scania, a global manufacturer of
commercial vehicles, implemented Agile
at Scale in its product development and
engineering teams. They utilized agile
methodologies like Scrum and Kanban
to increase collaboration, efficiency, and
customer value. Scania has shared their
agile transformation journey through
presentations, interviews, and publications.

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Common pitfalls and

how to avoid them
When implementing Agile at Scale, organizations should be mindful of common
pitfalls and take steps to avoid them. Here are some pitfalls to consider:

Lack of leadership support Lack of alignment with

and engagement
Without strong leadership backing
and active participation, Agile at Scale
initiatives may face challenges. Leaders
should advocate for agile principles,
provide necessary resources, and be
actively involved in the transformation.
Insufficient training and education
Inadequate training on agile principles
and practices can hinder successful
implementation. Ensure teams and
individuals receive the necessary
training and support to understand
and embrace agile methodologies.
business objectives
Agile initiatives should align with the
organization’s strategic goals. Ensure that
agile at scale efforts deliver value and
support the overall business objectives.
Overemphasis on tools
and processes
At Tempo we sell Agile at Scale tools
− so we love tools. But, while tools
and processes are important, focusing
too much on them can overshadow
the agile mindset and principles.
Remember that agile is about people and
interactions over tools and processes.

Scaling too quickly Failure to address

Scaling agile across the entire
organization without proper planning
and piloting can lead to inefficiencies.
Start with pilot projects, learn from
them, and gradually scale agile at scale
to other teams and departments.
cultural resistance
Cultural resistance to change is common.
Neglecting or not adequately addressing
resistance can hinder progress. Foster
a culture of transparency, collaboration,
and continuous improvement to address
concerns and resistance effectively.

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Inadequate collaboration
and communication
Agile at Scale relies on collaboration
and effective communication. Insufficient
collaboration or miscommunication
can hinder progress. Foster open
communication and collaboration to
ensure successful implementation.

Neglecting continuous
improvement
Agile is all about continuous improvement.
Neglecting this mindset and failing to
regularly review and adapt processes
can limit the benefits of Agile at Scale.
Encourage a culture of learning,
experimentation, and continuous
improvement for ongoing success.

By being aware of these common

pitfalls, organizations can take
proactive measures to mitigate
risks and increase the chances
of successful Agile at Scale
implementation. Embrace a culture
of continuous learning, adaptability,
and collaboration to drive the
success of Agile at Scale initiatives.

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Chapter XI

Implementing Agile
at Scale with Tempo
 T H E AGILE AT S CA LE PLAYBO O K

Every organization — even organizations using the same ‘flavor’ of agile — leverage
agile principles differently. The legacy, monolithic approach to enterprise software
is too rigid for Agile at Scale, so Tempo’s approach is different.

Supporting a third of Fortune 500 companies, Tempo’s Jira native solutions are
highly adaptable, fully scalable, and easily adoptable so that agile teams can better
communicate, align, and execute programs faster. Unlike any other Agile at Scale
solution, Tempo’s product suite is:

Modular so businesses can start

with their greatest need or needs to build
on success and improve as they go.

Flexible so users can utilize the

tools how they want to best serve
the needed outcomes regardless of
the chosen agile methodology

Jira native with embedded

products that are simple to implement,
easy to adopt, and cost effective

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The Tempo way to Agile at

Scale: Tool overview

Roadmapping and Project and program

communicating strategy management across teams

Time management Team capacity and

and reporting financial management

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Roadmunk
Develop your portfolio vision with
Roadmunk. Capture customer feedback,
build your strategic themes, and
use roadmaps to communicate your
strategy to the entire organization.
Structure
This is where the work happens. Keep
your ART on track with Structure and
supercharge your PI work. Paired with
Roadmunk, Structure consumes the high-
level portfolio objectives and organizes
them by theme, and can be extended
into the lower levels of the hierarchy —
capabilities, features, stories, etc. — as
per normal Jira issue management.
Centralize and fast-track the capacity
Planner
planning process and capture
actionable insights into your workforce
operations and requirements. Ensure
you have the right resources in the
right place to deliver on the roadmap.
You can learn more, and book a demo, at Tempo.io
XI I mpl e m e n t i ng Agile at Scale with Tempo
Timesheets &
Cost Tracker
The primary goal of any planning and
budgeting model is to allocate an
organization’s limited resources to the
work that will generate the highest
returns. With Timesheets, you can track
all billable time for invoicing, measure
and report on CAPEX and OPEX with
precision, and build custom reports
to support operational needs.
With Cost Tracker you can translate
Timesheets data to get true project
costs, monitoring financial health at
every level of your organization.
Custom Charts
Finally, leverage Custom Charts to report on
multiple teams, sprints, and projects across
your instance, directly on Jira dashboards.
Teams use Custom Charts to plan, monitor,
and reflect on work, both day-to-day and at
the beginning/end of projects and sprints.
Create Custom Charts dashboards for
reporting on sprint progress, retrospectives,
programs, customer satisfaction, workloads,
age of issues, cumulative spend, and more.
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