In 2023 it is strange to me to see spreading the story about heroic sw developers who invented Agile in 2001 when writing Agile Manifesto. I do not say Cockburn is somehow misinforming or taking credit. I think it is just confirmation of the silo-based nature of the organizations where many people don't know what other silos do, and often that they even exist. There is enough evidence that Agile as a cross-organization improvement started in the late 70s, apparently as a response to a rising knowledge economy. The label Agile originates from the management conference Agile Manufacturing Enterprise Forum in 1991, and SW development was ONLY one stream of Agile among many. Most Agile techniques we use today originates in automotive. And probably the first agile technique in sw development was EVO, more than a decade prior to Scrum. The word Scrum originates in Toyota.
Agile is a way of managing knowledge-intensive and creative companies. It is the response to the needs of knowledge workers and the complexities of new requirements that required a radical shift in managerial approach. The traditional response was to overengineer the processes (aka waterfall) and push predictability, which resulted in people's active disengagement. Agile builds around new cultures and relations, that can enable different types of work arrangement (aka iterative, incremental, emergent). Without the new culture and change in values, the agile process quickly deteriorates to people's disconnection, what we see in many failed agile "transformations".
And in SAFe I do not see that change. One unfit process is being replaced by another one, labeled Agile. There is no need for a change in values, nor any shift in the understanding of success. SAFe is encapsulated in IT development, while finance, marketing, hr, and other stakeholders are not included. It requires an army of coaches and tons of certificates to implement while there is no known success story, aka a company that reinvented and boosted performance with SAFe. It is a favorite by management, no changes for them. It is a favorite for some trainers, it generates a lot of business for the certification industry. It slows companies down for years and it will cost them a fortune. Coaches know it from their daily interaction, therefore there is so much resistance in the agile community. But if they want to pay their bills, they have to adapt. Leading companies go elsewhere.
Ultimately yes, SAF is not Agile. And unSAFe at any speed.
