SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods

What is SCRUM

Scrum is a framework for project management that emphasizes teamwork, accountability and iterative progress toward a well-defined goal. … The three pillars of Scrum are transparency, inspection and adaptation. The framework, which is often part of Agile software development, is named for a rugby formation.

Questions

• What is Agile development?
• Agils is a way to do things.
• What is a good definition of SCRUM and when should it be used?
• SCRUM is a way to get things done
• Do you always have 2 week cycles?
• Is Agile’s goal to move faster?
• Why is a daily stand up necessary?
• What did you do today?
• What needs to be done?
• Blockers?
• Sprint planning
• Testing
• Demo
• How do you pass acceptance criteria
• What is SAFe?
• What is PI Planning?
• Why would you use SAFe?
• Does SAFe slow a project down?
• What is the benefit of using SAFe?
• Is SAFe anti Agile?
• Once a company adopts SAFe what do they complain about?
• How long does it take a company to work through the growing pains?
• There are too many meetings! Why?!?
• Is SAFe a good methodology to adapt within a startup?
• What size company is a good fit for SAFe?
• How do you go about doing an assessment if someone is a good fit for SAFe?
• If they are not a great fit for SAFe as a whole, can they use any part of it?
• Small batches of work
• Consistency
• What are the different levels of SAFe
• Essential
• Large Solution
• Portfolio
• Full
• What occurs to make you decide you need to switch from SCRUM to SAFe?
• Multiple Teams working together, but on different products?
• Different Timelines?
• Will SAFe give me more visibility?
• Is SAFe only a single vision, or can you make it fit your requirements?
• Framework?
• What are the key roles within SAFe?
• Release Train Engineer
• System Architect
• Product Manager
• SCRUM Master
• Product Owner
• Agile Team
• Cross Functional Developers
• QA
• Does Design Fit within this team?
• Do you need to fill roles that are T shaped?
• Should you only fill with E shaped individuals?
• How do you get better participation in Sprint Planning?
• SCRUM Master
• Everyone should weigh in on pointing (Other than SCRUM Master/PO)

“SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods” ~ Elizabeth Wilson

Links

• https://www.scaledagileframework.com/

Video Chapters & Timestamps

Jump directly to any segment of SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods on YouTube using the timestamped chapters below:

• 00:00: Start
• 00:00: Intro
• 00:00: Elizabeth
• 00:00: Brett
• 00:00: SAFE Visual
• 00:00: What is Agile?
• 00:00: Project vs Product Mentality
• 00:00: Scrum Breakdown
• 00:00: Why use Scrum?
• 00:00: Daily Standup
• 00:00: Sprint Planning
• 00:00: Acceptance Criteria
• 00:00: Conflict Resolution
• 00:00: Stories bugs
• 00:00: When to start using SAFE?
• 00:00: PI Planning
• 00:00: Does SAFE slow down a project?
• 00:00: When to switch to SAFE?
• 00:00: Should consulting agencies use SAFE?
• 00:00: What assessment diagnoses SAFE?

Resources, Links & Official Documentation

• Watch on YouTube: SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods Full Video (plus Subscribe to CodingCat.dev)
• Show Pick: Basecamp Shape Up (picked by Alex Patterson)
• Show Pick: ZTM Monthly Newsletter (picked by Brittney Postma)
• Show Pick: The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data (picked by Brittney Postma)
• Show Pick: The Art of Avoiding a Train Wreck (picked by Elizabeth Wilson)
• Show Pick: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink (picked by Brett Fitzgerald)
• Elizabeth Wilson Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev
• Brett Fitzgerald Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev
• MDN Web Docs for Developers: Core web platform standards, browser APIs, and performance guides

Related CodingCat.dev Tutorials & Podcast Episodes

• Agile Methodology: Alex Feldman discusses Agile and how it can be used in Project Management.
• Data Connect: All About Schemas in Firebase: Web Architecture & Implementation Guide: Hands-on web engineering breakdown of "Data Connect: All About Schemas" (2025-02-11). Learn how to integrate Firebase, Google Cloud, Web Dev, SQL in production ...
• Not a Designer: Design bites for devs: In the tech world, developers often find themselves stepping into the realm of design, a space that can feel both unfamiliar and daunting. Recognizing this chal...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the main takeaways from SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods?

Chatting with Elizabeth Wilson and Brett Fitzgerald about Agile, SCRUM and SAFe practices when building products. 1.9 - SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-9-safe-is-scrum-on-steriods 0:00 - Start
01:08 - Intro
01:10 - Elizabeth
01:34 - Brett
02:00 - SAFE Visual
02:30 - What is Agile?
03:20 - Project vs Product Mentality
04:00 - Scrum Breakdown
04:40 - Why use Scrum?
06:10 - Daily Standup
07:30 - Sprint Planning
09:35 - Throughout this podcast, Elizabeth Wilson and Brett Fitzgerald breaks down real-world implementation details for WebDev so developers can apply these patterns directly in production.

How do you implement WebDev best practices in production?

When adopting WebDev in a production stack, start by validating your configuration against the MDN Web Docs for Developers (Core web platform standards, browser APIs, and performance guides). Focus on incremental adoption, automated testing, and observability so your team can measure performance and developer velocity improvements at each stage.

Where can I watch the full SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods walkthrough and find related code resources?

You can watch the complete video session for SAFe is SCRUM on Steriods on the CodingCat.dev YouTube channel. For a deeper dive into WebDev, check out our related guide: Agile Methodology.