Agile Scaling - Cheat Sheet

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet
for Agile Scaling

When scaling your Agile implementation, there are several frameworks and methods available to help you. Before
you pick one, check out “3 Misconceptions Your Boss Has About Agile Scaling” and “4 Reasons Not to Scale.”
Choosing the right framework starts with leveraging values and principles to guide your scaling efforts.
To help you navigate the most common Agile Scaling frameworks and methods, we’ve created the ultimate cheat
sheet comparing the core of the 6 most common—Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®),
Scrum@Scale, Kanban, Disciplined Agile Delivery (DA), and Nexus.
Scaling Principles
The following chart illustrates where the approach resonates with the principles from The Manifesto for Scaling
Agility and where some thought might be required. Where there is indigo, you will find it easier to align with the
principle; where there is aqua, you will have to do more work to align the framework to the principle.
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Scrum
Principle LeSS SAFe® @ Scale Kanban DA Nexus
If you can achieve your goals with a single team, do

not scale. Employ the minimum number of people
required to meet your strategic outcomes.
If you have a single team and it cannot deliver

effectively using Agile principles and practices,
do not scale. Succeed with a single team first.
Respect and trust your people; foster a climate of

open, honest, rapid, and empathetic communication.
Continuously improve across all levels and

maintain focus on the whole; prioritize collective
high performance over the performance of any
individual team.
Keep teams and their work loosely coupled

to preserve flexibility; minimize handoffs and
dependencies with cross-functional teams and
clearly decomposed work.
Radiate information between and among teams

to develop shared understanding and promote
asynchronous communication; create visibility
across the entire work system.
Aim for a minimally viable bureaucracy and nothing

more; effective and repeatable practices, policies,
and procedures will emerge as you scale.
Decentralize decision-making; push authority to

teams so that they can quickly take advantage of
emerging opportunities.
Prioritize experimentation for each individual team

over conformity across the organization. Celebrate
the learning that comes from experimentation—
successes and failures—across all teams.
Ensure each team is working towards the shared

vision and delivering real value regularly and
consistently. Demonstrate progress with frequent
validations by stakeholders.
Principle aligns Principle may be at odds
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Disciplined Agile Delivery Nexus
Seven core principles establish the foundation for An overlay framework that helps align three to nine
a context-sensitive approach aligned to the goal of scrum teams as they work together against a single
delighting customers; the multitude of specialist roles product backlog; relies on a managerial layer—the
can inhibit agility if not done right. integration team—to ensure effective coordination.
Kanban SAFe®
Fosters continual improvement through a focus on Well-structured framework with configurable options
service orientation—satisfy the customer—disciplined for organizations of various sizes; relies on customized
change management, and team empowerment. terminology and extensive training for success.
The lack of a prescriptive approach is a benefit but
Scrum@Scale
may challenge some organizations.
Employs a scrum-based, scale-free structure to align
LeSS product management and delivery at all levels of the
Uses a concise set of principles to support continual organization; emphasis on a single framework may
improvement and process evolution; ultimately focuses prevent the use of effective alternatives.
on just a single product.
How do you choose the right approach for you?

Every organization has different context, and the context can vary
across the organization, over time, and between teams. To choose
the right path for you:
1. Focus on your goals, and build shared Looking for help

understanding of them across the organization.
with your Agile
2. Select the practices most appropriate to achieve
your goals in your context—regardless of the
Scaling approach?
framework or method.
3. Experiment across teams to identify practices that

CONTACT US
work and ones that do not; build on those that do.
4. Deliberately embrace an evolving collection of

practices which continually moves you towards
better achievement of your goals.
Tailor the best features of different frameworks and create a

customized fit for your organization’s context with a pattern of
deliberate, mindful experimentation aligned towards your goals.
About Us
Excella is an Agile technology firm helping Washington, DC’s leading organizations realize their future through the power of
technology. We work collaboratively to solve our clients’ biggest challenges and evolve their thinking to help them prepare for
tomorrow. Together we transform bold ideas into elegant technology solutions to create real progress.
Learn more at www.excella.com.

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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

for Agile Scaling

If you can achieve your goals with a single team, do

If you have a single team and it cannot deliver

Respect and trust your people; foster a climate of

Continuously improve across all levels and

Keep teams and their work loosely coupled

Radiate information between and among teams

Aim for a minimally viable bureaucracy and nothing

Decentralize decision-making; push authority to

Prioritize experimentation for each individual team

Ensure each team is working towards the shared

Principle aligns Principle may be at odds

How do you choose the right approach for you?

1. Focus on your goals, and build shared Looking for help

3. Experiment across teams to identify practices that

4. Deliberately embrace an evolving collection of

Tailor the best features of different frameworks and create a

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