I am increasingly suspicious and skeptical of so-called scaling frameworks like Less and Safe. If an org wants to adopt these frameworks that’s fine but they are not scrum scaling methods for the simple fact that they abandon the fundamentals of Scrum. Any Scrum scaling approach that abandons the fundamentals of Scrum is not a method of scaling Scrum.
For example:
- Stories are exchanged for releases as the ultimate unit of delivery.
- Feature teams are exchanged for component teams.
Does this mean there can’t be innovation? No. There can be endless innovation. What then are the guidelines for innovation? Innovation always happens within constraints. One doesn’t enter a sculpture into a painting contest. So with this in mind let's determine the fundamental constraints of Scrum. Roles, Events, and Artifacts.