Scrum@Scale: A Holistic Look at Scaled Agile Transformation

Working with a single Scrum Team is relatively simple. But when dozens of teams start working on the same product or portfolio, new questions appear: how will dependencies between teams be managed? Who sets priorities, and how? Who removes obstacles at organisational level? Scrum@Scale is a scaling framework that answers these questions with Scrum’s own logic.

What is Scrum@Scale?

Scrum@Scale was developed by Jeff Sutherland, one of the co-creators of Scrum, and spread through Scrum Inc. Its core idea is simple: apply the same principles that work in one Scrum Team to teams of teams, and ultimately to the whole organisation.

The framework rests on two important characteristics:

• A scale-free architecture: small networks of teams are formed and connected to each other as the organisation grows, keeping communication complexity under control.
• Minimum viable bureaucracy: only the coordination structures that are truly needed are added; the aim is to protect the speed of decision-making.

Two cycles: “how” and “what”

Scrum@Scale takes Scrum’s separation of accountabilities to organisational level:

The Scrum Master cycle (how the work is done)

• Team-level process
• Cross-team coordination
• Continuous improvement and removing impediments
• Delivery

The Product Owner cycle (what is done)

• Strategic vision
• Backlog prioritisation
• Backlog decomposition and refinement
• Release planning

The two cycles meet in the components of product and release feedback and metrics and transparency.

The core structures

Scrum of Scrums

A team made up of several Scrum Teams that together deliver an integrated output. Team representatives meet regularly to discuss dependencies, impediments and integration, facilitated by a Scrum of Scrums Master. As the organisation grows, several Scrums of Scrums can come together in the same way.

MetaScrum

The centre of the Product Owner cycle. Led by a Chief Product Owner, the teams’ Product Owners and stakeholders come together to set priorities on a shared backlog. The MetaScrum at the top of the organisation is called the Executive MetaScrum; it sets the strategic vision and organisation-wide priorities.

Executive Action Team (EAT)

The top level of the Scrum Master cycle. It owns the organisation’s agile transformation: it removes impediments the teams can’t solve on their own, changes policies and processes, and is accountable for the quality of the transformation.

The benefits of Scrum@Scale

• Alignment across teams: dependencies and integration are managed regularly, in the same rhythm.
• One priority order: the MetaScrum brings requests from different units into a single prioritisation mechanism.
• An owner for organisational impediments: thanks to the Executive Action Team, structural obstacles don’t stay on the teams’ shoulders.
• Flexibility: the framework can be introduced in stages, fitting the organisation’s existing structure.

How it differs from SAFe and LeSS

• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) is more comprehensive and prescriptive, offering a detailed structure for roles, events and portfolio management. It appeals to large, complex organisations looking for a ready-made roadmap.
• LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum) aims to scale Scrum for many teams working on one product with as few additions as possible, and asks for a simpler organisational structure.
• Scrum@Scale sits between the two: a flexible, modular framework made of components. You can decide which component to start with based on what the organisation needs.

More important than which framework you choose is understanding where the need to scale really comes from. Often, reducing dependencies first creates more value than adding a scaling framework.

Notes from the field

• No scaling without a shared backlog. Where every team sets its own priorities, the MetaScrum turns into just another meeting.
• Make dependencies visible. If cross-team dependencies aren’t visible on a shared board, Scrum of Scrums meetings become status reports.
• Connect strategy to team work. Strategic goals set in the Executive MetaScrum should be traceable all the way down to team backlogs. We built BEXI to make that link visible.

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Related: What is Scrum?, What is a Product Owner?. To design your scaled structure together, have a look at our strategy, portfolio and product management services.