SAFe Roles Explained: Product Owner & More

October 9th, 2023 by inflectra

https://www.inflectra.com/Ideas/Entry/scrum-team-size-roles-1643.aspxIn the world of software development, agility is key to staying competitive and responsive to ever-changing market demands. The Scaled Agile Framework, or SAFe, is a powerful approach that enables organizations to scale agile principles across multiple teams and deliver value efficiently. At the heart of SAFe are various roles, each with a specific set of responsibilities. In this guide, we'll demystify these, what they do, and where they fit into the framework.

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SAFe agile team size

SAFe is built upon lean agile principles, promoting a mindset of continuous improvement, customer-centricity, and collaboration. This mindset serves as the foundation for all SAFe roles, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and customer value.

In SAFe, team size should typically range from 5 to 11 individuals. This range balances agility and coordination with the ability to deliver substantial value. However, organizations should tailor team sizes based on their specific context and needs.

Layers in scaled agile framework

To understand SAFe roles, it's essential to grasp the bigger picture. SAFe operates at four layers — Team, Program, Large Solution, and Leadership. Each layer has distinct goals and requires specialized roles to achieve them. Think of these layers as a hierarchy, with each building upon the previous one.

For more information on scaled agile’s structure, see our guide on the different configurations of SAFe.

Scaled agile roles

Block diagram of the SAFe roles outlined below

Team-level roles

The first layer is the Team level, where the primary goal is to efficiently deliver value through agile practices. This layer focuses on individual teams working together to deliver high-quality, customer-centric product increments. Team-level activities are guided by agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Key roles here include Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Development Team members.

Scrum Master

The Scrum Master plays a pivotal role in ensuring that agile principles are followed effectively. They facilitate Scrum ceremonies like Daily Standups, Sprint Planning, and Sprint Reviews, ensuring the team is aligned and focused. Scrum Masters also remove impediments that hinder progress, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Development Team

The Development Team is composed of cross-functional members responsible for delivering working increments of the product. They collaborate closely, share knowledge, and collectively own the quality and success of their work.

Product Owner

The Product Owner is responsible for prioritizing and managing the product backlog. They bridge the gap between the development team and stakeholders, ensuring that the most valuable features are delivered. Product Owners make critical decisions about what gets built, balancing customer needs and business goals.

Program-level roles

The Program level aligns multiple agile teams to deliver larger solutions that meet strategic objectives. Its primary goal is to ensure coordination, integration, and value delivery across these teams. Programs consist of multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs), with synchronized planning, cross-team collaboration, and alignment on strategic themes. Key roles at this level include Release Train Engineers (RTEs), Product Managers (PMs), and System Architects.

Release Train Engineer

As we move up to the Program level, the Release Train Engineer takes center stage. The RTE coordinates multiple Agile Release Trains to deliver large-scale solutions. Their role is to ensure alignment, communication, and the overall success of the program.

System Architect

System Architects guide technical decisions at the Program level. They provide a technical vision and ensure that the solution aligns with the overall architectural direction. Their expertise is crucial for building scalable and maintainable systems.

Product Manager

At the Program level, the roles of Product Manager become more complex. They work to provide guidance, prioritize features, and define the program's vision. Their focus is on achieving strategic goals through the program's deliverables.

Large solution-level roles

Moving another layer up, Large Solution (and Portfolio) levels deal with broader initiatives and portfolios of projects. Their primary goal is to develop large-scale solutions efficiently and align portfolios with the organization's strategic direction.

Solution Train Engineer

At the Large Solution level, the Solution Train Engineer orchestrates the coordination of multiple ARTs to deliver comprehensive large solutions. Their role is akin to that of an RTE, but at a larger scale.

Solution Architect

Solution Architects design and guide these large solutions, ensuring that they meet the organization's strategic needs. They take into account the technical complexity of the solution and make architectural decisions that align with the overall strategy.

Portfolio Manager

Portfolio Managers operate at the highest level, aligning the organization's strategy with execution. They oversee multiple value streams and guide the allocation of resources to maximize business outcomes.

Enablers role

The concept or role of "Enablers" does not fit neatly into one of the layers (Team, Program, Large Solution, or Portfolio) we discussed above. Instead, Enablers are a cross-cutting concept that spans across multiple layers, supporting the entire SAFe framework.

They include tasks or activities such as architectural work, infrastructure enhancements, and compliance updates that facilitate value delivery by addressing dependencies and prerequisites. Enablers ensure efficient alignment and synchronization across the SAFe framework, supporting Agile Release Trains and value streams at different levels.

Scale your team’s capabilities with SpiraPlan

The roles within SAFe, from Team to Portfolio levels, all play a crucial part in achieving business agility and delivering value to customers. But it's also evident that successful scaled agile implementation hinges on the right tools.

For effective scaled agile implementation, SpiraPlan is a comprehensive platform that supports program management, portfolio management, and risk management features to ensure efficient coordination, value delivery, and risk mitigation. Even better, requirements management, program planning, and release planning features streamline scope management, while customized reporting empowers data-driven decision-making. And with integration capabilities like IDE and email, it simplifies processes for SAFe roles, facilitating a smooth transition to agile scalability.