Businesses are introducing Agile methodologies in the IT market to stay ahead of the competition which is rapidly growing between competitors. As companies grow larger and more complex, they utilize Scaled Agile framework tools to successfully implement the Agile practices at scaling by providing features for planning, communication, integration, and coordination
SAFe can be thought of as a roadmap for using Agile methods in large organizations. It helps these companies coordinate work between many different teams while keeping everyone focused on the same important goals. Therefore in this article, comprehensive knowledge has been provided about the Agile Framework and the top 15 Scaled Agile Frameworks that will be used in 2024.
What is an Agile Framework?
An Agile framework is a set of practices, guidelines, and principles that businesses use to implement and apply the Agile principles in their software development projects. Therefore the agile framework helps to enable the teams and deliver high-quality products and services more effectively. The agile framework has a particular approach to managing and planning the work.
What is Scaled Agile Framework(SAFe)?
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a set of organizational patterns and workflows that helps companies implement Agile practices at scale. It essentially helps large organizations manage complex projects by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Key Features
- Alignment: SAFe promotes alignment between different teams working on the same project. This is achieved through a common set of goals, objectives, and metrics.
- Collaboration: SAFe encourages collaboration between teams. This is facilitated by regular communication and shared workspaces.
- Delivery: SAFe helps organizations deliver working software in short increments. This allows for early feedback and continuous improvement.
SAFe is based on three core principles:
- Lean-Agile principles: SAFe incorporates key principles from both Lean and Agile methodologies, such as continuous improvement, waste reduction, and iterative development.
- Systems thinking: SAFe encourages organizations to consider the entire system when making decisions. This includes the product, the development process, and the customer.
- Pragmatic Incrementalism: SAFe takes a practical approach to scaling Agile. It recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that organizations need to adapt the framework to their specific needs.
Check Out : Difference between Agile and SAFe
Top 15 Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Tools in 2024
Multiple Scaled Agile framework tools are used in IT industries by the developers. Some of the top 15 Scaled Agile Frameworks tools are mentioned below.
1. Rally Software
Rally Software is a type of agile management tool that is mainly used for tracking each phase of the development iterations. This tool provides customizable reporting, boards and helps to manage the dependencies. Thus this software consists of an encompassing framework for the management of different scaling projects.
Key Features
- It consists of a work view feature that allows users to manage the work for multiple teams.
- This software is also used to track the phase of development releases.
- This tool helps in project management and team collaboration.
Advantages
- This software provides task status updates and outlining of projects.
- It also helps to showcase completion timelines and project success metrics.
2. Agilefant
Agilefant is a type of software tool that consists of SAFe support for the program increment backlog, planning, and portfolio-level progress tracking which develops strategic roadmaps connecting costs and allocations. It is also a more versatile open-source solution.
Key Feature
- It enables the organizations to execute and change the project tasks and goals.
- It is also a detailed management solution for teams of all sizes.
- This tool is also used for time tracking and good iteration planning.
Advantages
- This software is used to track project milestones.
- This tool mainly promotes collaboration and teamwork.
3. Blueprint Storyteller
Blueprint storyteller is a type of website service for business planning automation and visualization. This is an agile management tool that also includes the ability to map SAFe concepts such as epics, and features and also verify the solutions and meets with business requirements.
Key Features
- Autogeneration of the user’s stories and acceptance criteria is the key feature of this tool.
- This tool also helps in reducing the costs and improving the RPA (Robotic process automation) estate..
- This tool supports the creation of roadmaps at different levels of abstraction, including portfolio, program, and team levels.
Advantages
- This tool is used for visualization and business planning.
- This software helps in automating user story creation and improving the speed and quality.
4. ServiceNow
Service Now is a popular Agile tool that helps IT teams implement agile software development and delivery practices. The Agile developmental module in Service Now provides customizable kanban boards that visually track work items through development sprints.
Key Features
- Service Now platform helps to automate manual tasks and provides intuitive capabilities.
- With the help of service now users can monitor anything going on the activity dashboard.
- This tool helps in automation and orchestration.
Advantages
- With the help of the service now users can track assets.
- This tool enables instance-based implementation.
5. TargetProcess
Target Process is a type of kanban style board that provides a visual representation of the project tasks by allowing easy monitoring of work in progress. This software takes an agile approach to help the teams plan, track, and deliver the project effectively.
Key Features
- With the help of this tool custom reports and metrics can also be defined.
- It can sync with JIRA, GIT, Trello, and other PM tools.
- This tool is used to represent important events for the team, projects, or company.
Advantages
- This tool helps create dashboards, forecasting, and reports.
- It is also used for project portfolio management.
6. TaskTop
Tasktop is an Agile tool that allows the users to integrate a pivotal tracker with the other tools for Agile planning, test management, testing, service desk, and requirement management. This tool allows businesses to better manage the process of building their software.
Key Features
- It helps IT leaders to develop an efficient and interoperable tool stack for their teams.
- Planning, scheduling, and tracking are some of the features of this tool.
- This tool integrates with all the popular development tools like Jira and so on.
Advantages
- This software is used for task management.
- It enables individuals to locate every project task easily.
7. Jira Align
Jira Align is a famous agile portfolio management tool that was mainly designed to help enterprises scale agile practices all across the organizations. Therefore this tool can integrate with Jira and also helps in organizing initiatives into epics and portfolios.
Key Features:
- Jira Align adds important capabilities such as consistent reporting at every layer.
- This tool also allows us to visualize, manage, and execute work at every level of scale.
- This software helps in delivering better business outcomes.
Advantages:
- It is used to group user stories and represent the functionality of the customers.
- It is also used to provide more optimized and predictable delivery.
8. Clarizen
Clarizen is a type of project management and work collaboration solution with the capabilities for agile task management, reporting, and resource planning. This tool also provides visibility into the work execution for the agile teams.
Key Features:
- Clarizen helps in task management, time tracking, and application integration.
- This tool is used by managers to control project tasks, project finances, and allocations.
- This tool is used for time tracking and email integration.
Advantages:
- Clarizen is used for budget management and collaboration.
- It also helps in data imports and exports.
9. PlanView
PlanView software is another famous software that mainly provides a single location which mainly monitors the time, expenses, and budgets for the projects. Planview consists of an ability to track, visualize, and realize the flow of the projects.
Key Features
- It enables value stream planning and alignment, agile costing, and capitalization.
- This tool provides a seamless way to manage projects, applications, and resources.
- It ensures the most strategic initiatives to deliver the desired outcomes.
Advantages
- Customers can drive the agile transformation by linking projects, programs, and so on.
- This tool helps in strategic planning and road mapping.
10. SpiraPlan
SpiraPlan is a type of integrated test management, agile project control system, and release planning for managing and tracking multi-team agile software development. This tool provides release scheduling, test management, and issue tracking.
Key Features
- SpiraPlan mainly provides a space to record all the manual testing carried out on the products.
- This tool provides support for integrating software configuration management tools with the system.
- This software is also used in content editing and program planning.
Advantages
- This tool helps in risk management and resource management.
- It also helps in managing risk mitigations, action plans, and deadlines.
11. SwiftKanban
SwiftKanban is a type of virtual project and workflow management system for agile development and this tool provides a kanban board, cycle time graphs, cumulative flow diagrams, and many more. This tool provides help in managing work effectively.
Key Features
- It is a dynamic software that assists with organizing the workflow and promoting agility.
- This tool helps in collaboration and task tracking.
- It offers communication features such as work cards, kanban boards, and so on.
Advantages
- This tool helps in visualizing the workflow and defining WIP Limits.
- It is easy to use due to its user interface.
12. Hive
The Hive tool is an agile management tool that helps to integrate the Scaled Agile framework as an agile scaling concept and this tool also provides SAFe-compliant hierarchies, reports, and processes. The hive tool uses a strong interaction between Jira and Confluence.
Key Features
- Hive provides a project template for each SAFe level and also helps the team track the progress of the projects.
- It also helps the users to view the progress of the projects in real time.
- It is used for data analysis and reporting.
Advantages
- Hive is mainly designed to handle petabytes of data by using batch processing.
- It is easy to distribute and scale based on the needs.
13. Swift Ease
Swift Ease is a type of SAFe tool that is designed to simplify and enhance agility. This tool is a highly configurable tool that was designed to cater to the needs of lean agile software developmental teams. Swiftease mainly focuses on supporting the SAFe at every organization.
Key Features
- This tool mainly offers visual administration, intuitive operation, and lean execution.
- This tool enables the product owners and the executives to track the potential risks.
- It helps to quickly scale agile to the enterprises.
Advantages
- The tool is used for visual planning, collaboration, and execution.
- It allows instant visibility of the strategy and investment across the portfolios.
14. Digital.ai
Digital.ai is another popular scaled agile tool that enables organizations to scale agile methodology with value stream management software and services. This tool offers capabilities for release planning, reporting, collaboration and delivery predictability.
Key Features
- This tool is used in agile planning solutions which enables large organizations to track and plan across different teams.
- This tool mainly supports the automated cross browser testing, test development.
- It helps to detect and prevent the threats at the application endpoints.
Advantages
- This tool is used to reduce errors and helps in increasing efficiency.
- The capabilities of this tool helps the organizations to align the products and investments with strategic business goals.
15. Leankit
Leankit tool used to support the kanban applications and this tool supports lean and agile methodologies. This tool is mainly used to manage the workflows and the projects and this software mainly offers a large range of advantages, time tracking and task management.
Key Features
- Leankit is a highly flexible project management platform which lets the user visualize the process and collaborate more effectively.
- This tool also offers advanced features such as integration, analytics and customization.
- This tool is used for file sharing and workflow management.
Advantages
- Leankit helps in status tracking, project planning and collaboration.
- This tool is used for task management and time tracking.
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Conclusion
Scaled Agile framework are used in multiple organizations to plan, coordinate and track the work on large and complex projects. Thus this approach is believed to increase the productivity across the teams and the portfolios through flexible and accurate reporting and planning. Therefore in this article, detailed knowledge has been provided about the agile methodology, SAFe, top 15 Scaled Agile frameworks tools .
Top 15 Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Tools – FAQs
Define Scaled Agile Framework.
Scaled Agile Framework is the set of organizations and workflow patterns that are intended to guide the enterprises in the scaling lean and the Agile processes. SAFe mainly promotes collaboration, alignment, and delivery across different agile teams.
What is the use of the Agile framework?
The agile framework mainly prioritizes the individuals and the interactions over the processes and tools. These frameworks are important for planning, executing, and managing work. Some of the most common frameworks for agile teams include Lean Agile, extreme programming, and so on.
Name the top Agile framework in 2024
Some of the top Agile frameworks in 2024 are- TargetProcess, Tasktop, SpiraPlan, SwiftKanban, Clarizen, ServiceNow, Rally Software, PlanView and so on.