Header graphic for Todd Horn's article on AI in SAFe, showing a code editor with an AI-flagged change and a human-approved sign-off.

Beyond Coding: Engineering in an AI-Native SAFe World

Todd Horn Agentic AI & AI-Accelerated Development, Agile, All Industries, Articles, Artificial Intelligence, Project Management Leave a Comment

Artificial Intelligence is changing where engineering value is created: less in producing artifacts by hand, and more in making better technical decisions. In SAFe, that change extends well beyond code generation. It affects how Agile Release Trains prepare for PI Planning, how architects manage the Architectural Runway, how teams validate quality, and how organizations learn from delivery data.

In my earlier three-part series on the Foundations of SAFe, I covered its values, core principles, benefits, drawbacks, and practical application. As SAFe evolves, the next question is how AI will change the way those principles are practiced in real engineering organizations.

This article looks at what AI practices mean for engineering work inside SAFe. Rather than just faster coding, the real gains are in better planning, stronger architecture, faster feedback, and more accountable engineering decisions across the Scaled Agile Framework.

Foundations of SAFe: Part 3 (benefits, drawbacks, and practical application)

The Foundations of SAFe: Part III (Benefits, Drawbacks, + Practical Application)

Todd Horn Agile, Articles, Project Management Leave a Comment

You’ve officially made it! We’re almost ready to wrap up our conversation about the Scaled Agile Framework. In case your memory is hazy, I’m a senior consultant and team lead on the Keyhole Software team. I’ve been working with a client who is adopting SAFe, guiding their team and helping to set the right culture for the methodology. I’ve learned a lot about SAFe over the past year, and in this blog series, I’m sharing what I’ve learned with you.

In this final series installment, we’re getting a bit more practical. We’ll start with a quick foray into the benefits and the drawbacks of implementing SAFe (we’re all about balance here). Then, I’ll talk a little more about what it looks like for small teams, and after, I’ll share some tips for devs who find themselves in an organization that uses SAFe. To wrap up, we’ll get down to it; should you implement SAFe on your team? I’ll talk you through a few factors that should help you decide.

Before we get started – if you’re new here, head to Part I (Overview + Core Values) and/or Part II (Core Principles) before proceeding. If you’re caught up, great! I think we’re ready to dive in.

Foundations of SAFe: Part II (Core Principles)

The Foundations of SAFe: Part II (Core Principles)

Todd Horn Agile, Articles, Project Management Leave a Comment

Welcome back to Part II of our series covering Scaled Agile Framework. As a quick refresher, I’m a lead consultant at Keyhole Software, and for the past year, I’ve been helping my client adopt SAFe methodologies and practices. I’ve certainly learned a lot, and I want to share that knowledge with you.

Last time in Part I, I gave an overview of SAFe and discussed the four core values: Alignment, Transparency, Respect for People, and Relentless Improvement. Today, we’ll dive a little deeper, talking through SAFe’s ten core principles. Next time in the third and final installment, we’ll take a practical look at the pros and cons of SAFe and some tips for implementing it.

The Fundamentals of SAFe - Part 1: Overview and Core Values

The Foundations of SAFe: Part I (Overview + Values)

Todd Horn Agile, Articles, Project Management Leave a Comment

For several years, I have been a lead software engineer for one of Keyhole’s clients. More recently in the last year, they started a journey to implement SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) methodologies and practices. If you are new to or have not heard of SAFe, this short, three-part blog series will give you the perfect launch pad.

In Part I (this post), I’ll give a high-level overview and then we’ll walk through SAFe’s four core values. In Part II, we’ll dive into its ten core principles. In the final installment (Part III), we’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks and then we’ll get a bit more practical. I’ll teach you how it can be used for small teams, some key points a developer should know, and some considerations for if SAFe is right for your organization and teams.