Since its inception, the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) has been used to guide the adoption of Lean-Agile practices in almost every industry and for all types of solutions, from banking software to automobile manufacturing. Our goal has always been to keep SAFe technology-agnostic since the guidance we provide can be used to embrace a new way of working that leads to business agility in any context.

While this remains an essential underlying principle for the success patterns provided by SAFe, one rapidly emerging technology has the potential to fundamentally change every industry, driving transformational changes to the operating and business models for every SAFe enterprise. The implications of this innovation are so profound that we have decided this technology merits discussion in the Framework. That technology is Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI is not just another technology innovation. Like the technological revolutions of the past three centuries described by Carlota Perez in her book Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages, AI has the potential to forever alter the business landscape in much the same way that the steam engine, electricity, and mass production did in previous revolutions. That’s because AI doesn’t just provide entirely new capabilities to a company’s products and services. For enterprises that fully embrace AI, it forever alters the organization’s DNA, creating what the authors of Competing in the Age of AI describe as a ‘digital firm.’

One of the biggest hurdles facing businesses making the transition from a traditional model to a digital model is the ability to pilot AI solutions and take them all the way from the experimental stages into full production. In fact, according to Gartner, only 3% of the Global 2000 have mastered what it takes to operationalize and scale their AI prototypes.  If only there were a knowledge base of successful practices for building complex solutions at scale! (smile)

The advanced topic article Succeeding with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SAFe is our first step toward sharing what we have learned so far with the global community of SAFe leaders, change agents, and practitioners. It provides a basic primer on AI for those who might be new to the topic. More importantly, it highlights specific elements of SAFe practice that can be used to overcome some of the typical hurdles that organizations encounter as they attempt to move their AI investments beyond the prototype stage.

While this article provides a good initial overview of the synergies between AI solutions and SAFe practice, it is by no means the only guidance we plan to offer on this topic. Our research continues, and as we learn more, you can expect us to update and add to the initial discussion captured in this article.

We hope you enjoy Succeeding with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SAFe, and we welcome your thoughts and comments on this rapidly evolving topic!

Be SAFe!

— Dr. Steve Mayner

SAFe Fellow, Scaled Agile Framework Team