What is Scrum of Scrums SAFe?
- Michelle M
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Delivering value at scale requires more than just a single agile team working in isolation. When multiple teams collaborate on the same product or within the same program, coordination challenges emerge ranging from misaligned priorities to duplicated efforts or blocked dependencies.
To address these issues, the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) introduces a concept known as the Scrum of Scrums a powerful coordination mechanism designed to align multiple Scrum teams, remove cross-team impediments, and ensure smooth delivery of value at scale.
In this blog, we will explore what Scrum of Scrums is, how it fits into SAFe, who participates, and how it enables large-scale agility without compromising the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Understanding the Basics: What is Scrum of Scrums?
The Scrum of Scrums (SoS) is an agile scaling technique used to coordinate the work of multiple Scrum teams working toward a shared goal. It is essentially a meta-level Daily Scrum that brings together representatives (often Scrum Masters or designated team members) from each team to discuss progress, identify blockers, and plan joint efforts.
In a Scrum of Scrums meeting, teams don’t go over the full details of every sprint task. Instead, they focus on what is relevant to other teams dependencies, blockers, deliverables, and coordination needs. The goal is simple: facilitate collaboration across teams and eliminate anything standing in the way of delivering integrated value.
Scrum of Scrums in the SAFe Context
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) is a widely adopted framework for implementing agile at enterprise scale. It organizes teams, programs, and portfolios to achieve alignment, collaboration, and delivery across multiple agile teams.
Within SAFe, the Scrum of Scrums is a key component of the Agile Release Train (ART) a virtual organization of multiple agile teams (typically 5 to 12) that plans, commits, and delivers together.
While each team in an ART works independently using Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc.), they are all contributing to a common goal usually tied to a Program Increment (PI). The Scrum of Scrums in SAFe ensures that:
Teams stay aligned on sprint and PI objectives
Risks and impediments are quickly escalated
Cross-team dependencies are managed
Integration happens continuously
It’s not just a meeting it’s a key mechanism of synchronization and system thinking.
Who Participates in a Scrum of Scrums?
The participants of a Scrum of Scrums vary depending on organizational context, but typically include:
Scrum Masters or team representatives
Release Train Engineer (RTE) – acts as the facilitator and servant leader
Product Owners (sometimes) if coordination of requirements is needed
System Architects (as needed) to address technical integration issues
Each participating team nominates a representative often called an "ambassador" to attend the Scrum of Scrums on their behalf. This person speaks for the team and communicates any insights or follow-up actions back to them.
In SAFe, the RTE facilitates the Scrum of Scrums, ensuring it remains focused, value-driven, and aligned with the PI objectives.
What Is Discussed in Scrum of Scrums?
A typical Scrum of Scrums session does not cover internal team discussions or individual task updates. It focuses on cross-team alignment and coordination points.
Common questions discussed include:
What has your team done since the last meeting that might affect other teams?
What will your team do before the next meeting that might affect other teams?
Are there any blockers that are preventing your team from making progress?
Are you about to put something in another team's way?
The emphasis is on raising and resolving inter-team issues, not managing individual team activities.
Frequency and Timing
In most organizations using SAFe, the Scrum of Scrums is held 2–3 times per week, although it can be daily during critical phases or integrations. The duration is kept short typically 30–45 minutes and may increase only if there are significant coordination items to address.
A successful Scrum of Scrums rhythm depends on the cadence and sprint length used by the participating teams. The meetings are usually synced with the team sprint cycles and major milestones in the PI roadmap.
Scaling Further: SoS of SoS
In very large organizations, even the Scrum of Scrums can become too large or complex. To address this, SAFe introduces the concept of a Scrum of Scrum of Scrums (SoSoS) a higher-level coordination layer.
Here, multiple Scrum of Scrums representatives come together, often coordinated by the Solution Train Engineer (STE), to address system-level dependencies and integration points across Agile Release Trains.
This layered approach to coordination allows SAFe to scale up to hundreds or even thousands of people while still maintaining visibility, alignment, and agility.
Benefits of Scrum of Scrums in SAFe
The Scrum of Scrums isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a critical enabler of flow in scaled agile environments. Key benefits include:
1. Improved Transparency
SoS meetings bring to light the status, risks, and dependencies across teams in near real time. No more surprises late in the sprint or PI.
2. Faster Issue Resolution
By surfacing cross-team blockers quickly, teams can work together to solve problems before they cause delivery delays.
3. Alignment with Shared Goals
SoS ensures that every team is working toward the same high-level PI objectives and that their work aligns with overall business priorities.
4. Better Risk Management
Risks, assumptions, and impediments are escalated faster, logged into ROAM boards, and mitigated collaboratively.
5. Integrated Product Delivery
System-level integration issues can be identified early and resolved across teams, avoiding the "big bang" problems at the end of a release.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
While the Scrum of Scrums is a powerful tool, poor execution can turn it into just another meeting. Some pitfalls to watch out for include:
No clear ownership – Without a strong RTE or facilitator, meetings can become aimless.
Too much detail – Representatives focusing on internal team updates rather than cross-team issues.
No follow-through – Issues raised aren’t tracked or resolved between sessions.
Wrong participants – Sending someone who isn’t empowered or informed to speak for the team.
Infrequent meetings – Delayed feedback loops can lead to unaddressed blockers.
To avoid these, it’s crucial to establish clear objectives, roles, and follow-up mechanisms.
Scrum of Scrums vs. Regular Daily Standups
It’s important to differentiate a Scrum of Scrums from the traditional daily standup. Here’s how they differ:
Aspect | Daily Standup | Scrum of Scrums |
Participants | Team members | Team representatives (e.g., Scrum Masters) |
Scope | Team-level tasks & blockers | Program-level coordination & dependencies |
Focus | What I’m doing | What my team is doing that affects others |
Frequency | Daily | 2–3 times per week (or as needed) |
Facilitator | Scrum Master | Release Train Engineer (RTE) |
They serve different levels of the agile system but both are essential for maintaining alignment and flow.
Conclusion
The Scrum of Scrums is more than a scaled meeting it's a structural solution to a structural problem: how do we coordinate many agile teams working on the same product or solution?
In the SAFe framework, the Scrum of Scrums plays a central role in maintaining agility while scaling, ensuring that collaboration and transparency are not lost in complexity. When implemented effectively with the right people, cadence, and focus it can transform chaotic development efforts into aligned, efficient, and high-performing value streams.
Whether your organization is just beginning its agile journey or is operating at enterprise scale, mastering the Scrum of Scrums can unlock the next level of coordinated, scalable, and sustainable delivery.
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