Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

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LeSS addresses the organizational design challenges of scaling agile. It tackles issues like team structure, role definition, and cross-functional alignment in large organizations, aiming to improve coordination and reduce friction between teams.

Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) is an extension of Scrum that focuses on scaling Scrum to bigger organizations and coordinating multiple teams working on the same product. It aims to simplify the structure and rules of Scrum in a large-scale context, reducing complexity by descaling rather than adding roles and artifacts. LeSS promotes transparency, customer focus, and continuous improvement, making it suitable for large projects requiring agility and adaptability.

Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

Steps / Detailed Description

Define the product and identify the Product Owner.
Create a single Product Backlog for clarity and transparency.
Organize teams into feature teams rather than component teams.
Conduct overall product backlog refinement sessions.
Plan for a single Sprint for all teams with one Sprint Planning.
Perform synchronized Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives.

Best Practices

Ensure strong leadership and support from management
Train all members thoroughly in Scrum principles
Focus on building feature teams rather than component teams

Pros

Improves coordination and integration across multiple teams
Maintains simplicity and transparency of Scrum at scale
Enhances adaptability and responsiveness to market changes

Cons

Requires significant organizational changes and commitment
Can be challenging to implement in very large or distributed teams
Depends heavily on the maturity of teams and their understanding of Scrum

When to Use

When scaling Scrum across multiple teams working on the same product
In organizations looking to maintain agility while growing in size

When Not to Use

In very small projects or teams where basic Scrum is sufficient
Where organizational culture resists change or agile methodologies

Related Frameworks

Agile Release Train Framework

Agile Scaling Framework

SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)

Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)

Categories

Lifecycle

Scope

Maturity Level

Time to Implement

3–6 Months

Copyright Information

Autor:

Craig Larman and Bas Vodde

2008

Publication:

LeSS Company