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Frank Neff
- 20 Jun, 2025
Is SAFe Just Waterfall Wearing a Hoodie?
SAFe gives leaders a comforting sense of order: roles, layers, roadmaps, and predictable increments. But too often, that “safety” hides something familiar – Waterfall dressed up with agile terminology.
On paper, SAFe promises agility at scale. In practice, it often turns into months-long planning cycles, extra layers of governance, and top-down control with new names. The labels change – “epics” instead of projects, “program increments” instead of deadlines – but the behaviors stay the same.
Which brings us to the real question: Is SAFe actually helping companies become agile, or is it just Waterfall in disguise?
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