We are indebted to those SAFe Fellows, SAFe Program Consultant Trainers (SPCTs), and SAFe Program Consultants (SPCs) who are doing the hard and rewarding work of applying the Framework in enterprises across the globe. Many have contributed indirectly in discussions, certification workshops, LinkedIn forums, and more. More specifically, the following individuals have directly provided content that is included either here or in guidance (advanced topics) articles on the SAFe website (www.scaledagileframework.com).
(In alphabetical order by last name.)
Juha-Markus Aalto – Guidance article: “Six SAFe Practices for ‘S-Sized’ Teams”
Em Campbell-Pretty (SAFe Fellow) – Release Train Engineer contribution
Gillian Clark (SPCT) – Advanced topic: “Lean Software Development in SAFe”
Charlene Cuenca (SPCT) – Guidance article: “Enterprise Backlog Structure and Management”
Gareth Evans (SPCT) – Guidance article: “Lean Software Development in SAFe”
Fabiola Eyholzer (SPC) – Guidance article: “Agile HR with SAFe: Bringing Lean-Agile People Operations into the 21st Century”
Jennifer Fawcett (SAFe Fellow) – Product Manager and Product Owner contribution and focus
Ken France (SPCT) – Guidance article: “Mixing Agile and Waterfall Development in the Scaled Agile Framework”
Harry Koehnemann (SAFe Fellow) – Lean Systems Engineering and Achieving Regulatory and Industry Standards Compliance with SAFe Whitepaper
Laanti Maarit (SPCT) – “Lean-Agile Budgeting” guidance and white paper
Steven Mather (SPC) – SAFe 2.0 glossary draft
Steve Mayner (SAFe Fellow) – Guidance article: “Achieving Regulatory and Industry Standards Compliance”
Isaac Montgomery (SPCT) – SAFe Toolkits
Colin O’Neill, (SPC) – SAFe 1.0–2.5 contributor
Scott Prugh (SPC) – Guidance article: “Continuous Delivery”
Mark Richards (SAFe Fellow) – Technical and Business Metrics input for SAFe guidance articles and future SAFe releases
Al Shalloway (SPC) – Concept development and community support
Ian Spence (SAFe Fellow) – Guidance article: “Right-Sizing Features for PIs”
Carl Starendal (SPCT) – RTE course product owner
Joe Vallone (SPCT) – SAFe Scrum Master and SAFe Advanced Scrum Master product owner
Eric Willeke (SAFe Fellow) – Guidance articles: “The Role of PI Objectives” and a “Lean Perspective on SAFe Portfolio Limits”
Alex Yakyma (SPC) – SAFe 1.0–4.0 core Framework content development
Yuval Yeret (SPCT) – Guidance article: “Invitation-Based SAFe Implementation”
We would like to thank our Pearson/Addison-Wesley acquisition editor Greg Doench and production manager Julie Nahil. At Scaled Agile Inc., we are grateful to Regina Cleveland, Director of Communications, and Digital Production Designers Jeff Long and Kade O’Casey.
The initial concepts behind the Scaled Agile Framework were first documented in the 2007 book Scaling Software Agility: Best Practices for Large Enterprises by Dean Leffingwell. The Framework itself was first documented in Dean’s 2011 book Agile Software Requirements: Lean Requirements for Teams, Programs, and the Enterprise (ASR), so it’s appropriate to repeat and update the book acknowledgments here.
Thanks to the ASR reviewers, Gabor Gunyho, Robert Bogetti, Sarah Edrie, and Brad Jackson. Don Reinertsen provided permission to use elements of his book, The Principles of Product Development Flow. Thanks to the book’s Finnish collaborators: Juha-Markus Aalto, Maarit Laanti, Santeri Kangas, Gabor Gunyho, and Kuan Eeik Tan. Alistair Cockburn, Don Widrig, Mauricio Zamora, Pete Behrens, Jennifer Fawcett, and Alex Yakyma contributed directly to book content. Many others—Mike Cottmeyer, Ryan Shriver, Drew Jemilo, Chad Holdorf, Keith Black, John Bartholomew, Chris Chapman, Mike Cohn, Ryan Martens, Matthew Balchin, and Richard Lawrence—contributed words, thoughts, or encouragement.
SAFe stands on the shoulders of many who came before us, particularly the Agile thought leaders who created the industry movement. It starts with the signers of the Agile Manifesto and continues with those outspoken thought leaders who have helped move the industry toward the new paradigm. The following people have contributed most directly to our understanding of Agile development: Kent Beck, Alistair Cockburn, Ron Jeffries, Mike Cohn, David Anderson, Jeff Sutherland, Martin Fowler, Craig Larman, Ken Schwaber, Scott Ambler, and Mary and Tom Poppendieck. Still others are acknowledged in the Bibliography.
In extending Agile to the enterprise and developing the broader Lean-Agile paradigm, we are fortunate to stand on the shoulders of Lean thought leaders as well, including Don Reinertsen, Jeffrey Liker, Taiichi Ohno, Eli Goldratt, Dr. Alan Ward, Jim Sutton, Michael Kennedy, Dantar Oosterwal, Steve Womack, and Daniel Jones. Still others are acknowledged in the Bibliography.
Finally, where would we be without the seminal works of W. Edwards Deming, to whom we perhaps owe the deepest gratitude of all? He was a visionary and systems thinker, whose tireless quest for the underlying truths and unwavering belief in people and continuous improvement led to a set of transformational theories and teachings that changed the way we think about quality, management, and leadership.