SAFe 5 introduced the ‘dual operating system’ as an operating model to help enterprises compete and thrive in the digital age. This model has passed the test of time. It has now become a meaningful way to separate the concerns of developing and launching innovative new solutions (the responsibility of the Network) and efficiently running and growing a business that leverages those solutions (the responsibility of the Hierarchy).

But at that time, that is where the discussion ended. We didn’t elaborate further on how to separate—and, where appropriate, share —the complete set of responsibilities needed to run the enterprise. Nor did we describe any other aspects of the model, such as optimizations, enhancing agility in both aspects, funding, and more.

Fortunately, SAFe Fellow Ian Spence took this on as a personal initiative and provided some new thinking, some of which he presented at last year’s SAFe Summit. This prompted a more extensive collaboration, the result of which is the new SAFe Guidance Article entitled ‘Balancing the Dual Operating System.’ This article advances our thinking on this important aspect of business agility and is sure to prompt additional guidance in the future.

If you want to know more, read the article, but also be aware that Ian is giving a talk by the same name at the upcoming 2021 Global SAFe Summit.

Thanks Ian!