A guide to scaling agile for product managers

As agile continues to shape the way products are developed, many product managers are now faced with the challenge of scaling these practices beyond a few teams. Agile is renowned for its flexibility, customer-centric focus, and speed, but applying it to large, multi-team environments can be complex. The key question is: how do you maintain agile’s core principles, collaboration, adaptability, and efficiency, when managing large teams across various functions, locations, or even continents?

This article covers practical ways to scale agile, going into depth on well-known frameworks like SAFe and LeSS, alongside other valuable methodologies like Scrum of Scrums (SoS), the Spotify model, Nexus, and Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD). Keep reading to also learn about the tools that support these frameworks, such as Tuleap and Atlassian’s suite.

What is scaled agile?

Scaled agile is an approach that allows you to extend agile principles across multiple teams, projects, or business units. When agile is scaled, it involves more than just increasing the team count; it means aligning each team’s efforts to ensure they work harmoniously toward your company’s strategic goals. Scaled agile frameworks provide structures that improve coordination, governance, and communication across teams.

Key frameworks for scaled agile

There’s no single solution for scaling agile, but the following frameworks offer a variety of structures, philosophies, and practices to help you tailor agile to your unique needs:

SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) — SAFe is known for its strong structure, breaking down agile practices across multiple levels, team, program, and portfolio. It’s a good fit for organizations that need detailed governance, particularly in industries with high regulatory requirements. SAFe introduces roles, responsibilities, and planning cycles to improve alignment and coordination
LeSS (Large Scale Scrum) — LeSS keeps scrum’s core principles at its heart, focusing on simplicity and minimizing hierarchy. LeSS is ideal for organizations that want to maintain scrum’s simplicity while scaling it across teams. It uses scrum principles to manage multiple teams working on a single product, making it straightforward but effective
Scrum of Scrums (SoS) — The SoS approach allows multiple scrum teams to stay connected through designated representatives who meet regularly to discuss progress and address cross-team dependencies. This structure is less formal and fits well in organizations that want to scale without adding too much overhead
Spotify Model — Inspired by Spotify’s team structure, this model emphasizes autonomy and flexibility, with “squads” (small, cross-functional teams) that work independently but are connected through “tribes,” “chapters,” and “guilds” for knowledge sharing. The Spotify model works best in fast-paced, innovative environments where minimal central governance is preferred
Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) — DAD is a hybrid framework that combines elements of agile, lean, and Kanban. It’s known for its comprehensive approach, covering full project lifecycles, governance, and risk management. DAD is suitable if you need structure but still want to keep your options open with adaptable practices
Nexus — Nexus is a framework for scaling scrum, designed to help teams integrate their work across different departments. It introduces integration teams and additional roles to manage dependencies and support multiple scrum teams working on complex products
Enterprise Kanban — Kanban is widely used to visualize workflows, but Enterprise Kanban takes it to the organizational level, supporting continuous delivery across multiple teams. This approach works well for companies that value a flow-based approach over structured sprints

Each framework is designed to solve specific scaling needs. For example, SAFe may suit highly regulated environments that require a clear governance structure, while the Spotify model emphasizes autonomy and suits innovation-focused organizations. Nexus and SoS both extend scrum, making them great for companies already familiar with scrum principles.

Steps to successfully scale agile

Scaling agile effectively requires careful planning and commitment to maintaining agile’s core values. Here are some practical steps to guide the process:

Steps To Scale

Define clear roles and responsibilities — Large organizations need clarity to avoid duplication of efforts. Frameworks like SAFe and DAD provide role definitions that establish accountability across multiple teams, ensuring everyone knows their place in the structure
Promote cross-functional collaboration — Scaled agile thrives on collaboration between functions and locations. The Spotify model’s “guilds” and “chapters” are designed to foster alignment and knowledge sharing, while SoS and Nexus introduce regular inter-team meetings to manage dependencies and align priorities
Invest in continuous improvement — Retrospectives and process reviews are essential in a scaled agile environment. Frameworks like DAD and Nexus emphasize continuous improvement, helping you identify and resolve issues proactively
Align agile goals with organizational objectives — Scaling agile shouldn’t just be about team efficiency, it must support the company’s strategic vision. Regular alignment sessions ensure that Agile efforts are aligned with the company’s long-term goals, contributing to business outcomes

Use cases of scaled agile implementation

To better understand how you can effectively implement scaled agile, pay attention to the following examples of successful organizations:

Netflix

Using agile principles to guide its content creation process, Netflix relies on rapid feedback loops and data-driven decisions. This agile approach has led to a higher success rate for Netflix Originals, allowing the company to quickly adjust content based on audience preferences.

SAAB

The defense company SAAB used agile methodologies to develop the Gripen fighter jet at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. By implementing agile in a highly regulated environment, SAAB demonstrated the cost-saving and efficiency potential of agile at scale.

Tuleap

Tuleap, an open-source agile and DevOps tool, enables large teams to manage projects collaboratively. Companies using Tuleap have found it valuable for scaling agile practices through its customizable workflows and integration with other development tools.

These examples demonstrate how scaled agile can drive innovation, efficiency, and adaptability in diverse industries, from media and defense to software development.

Tools for scaling agile

Effective tools are crucial for managing large-scale agile projects, especially as teams grow and communication needs increase. Here are some popular tools for scaling agile:

Jira (Atlassian) — A powerful project management tool, Jira enables teams to plan, track, and visualize work across multiple projects. It supports custom workflows, integrations with Confluence, and detailed reporting, making it ideal for large agile teams
Confluence (Atlassian) — Often used alongside Jira, Confluence provides a collaborative workspace for documentation, sharing knowledge, and managing project goals. It’s particularly useful for remote and distributed teams that need a central source of information
Miro — A digital whiteboard tool, Miro is ideal for visual brainstorming and planning. Its interactive canvas makes it easy for remote teams to collaborate in real-time, ensuring alignment on complex projects.
Tuleap — An open-source platform, Tuleap offers agile and DevOps tools that can be customized to fit specific workflows. It supports everything from Kanban and scrum boards to CI/CD pipelines, making it a versatile choice for scaling agile across development teams

These tools provide essential support for communication, project management, and documentation, allowing you to stay aligned and organized.

Conclusion

Scaling agile is a transformative process that, when done right, helps you retain the speed, flexibility, and customer focus of small agile teams while addressing the complexities of a larger, multi-team structure. Frameworks like SAFe, LeSS, the Spotify model, DAD, Nexus, and SoS each offer unique benefits, allowing you to choose a structure that fits your goals, culture, and industry demands.

The key to successful scaling lies in aligning agile efforts with broader organizational objectives, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that continuous improvement remains a priority. With the right frameworks, tools, and a commitment to agile principles, you can unlock the full potential of agile, creating more innovative, responsive, and customer-focused teams.

Over 200k developers and product managers use LogRocket to create better digital experiences

Learn more →

Featured image source: IconScout

LogRocket generates product insights that lead to meaningful action

LogRocket identifies friction points in the user experience so you can make informed decisions about product and design changes that must happen to hit your goals.

With LogRocket, you can understand the scope of the issues affecting your product and prioritize the changes that need to be made. LogRocket simplifies workflows by allowing Engineering, Product, UX, and Design teams to work from the same data as you, eliminating any confusion about what needs to be done.

Get your teams on the same page — try LogRocket today.