Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) is a product development framework that extends Scrum with scaling rules and guidelines without losing the original purposes of Scrum.

LeSS stands for the general techniques for scaling Scrum and Agile Development to more than one team and it is the name for the basic LeSS Framework which works up-to around 8 teams. The second LeSS Framework is named "LeSS Huge" and introduces additional scaling elements for development up to hundreds of developers.

"Scaling Scrum starts with understanding and being able to adopt standard real one-team Scrum. Large-scale Scrum requires examining the purpose of single-team Scrum elements and figuring out how to reach the same purpose while staying within the constraints of the standard Scrum rules."

Bas Vodde and Craig Larman evolved the LeSS framework from their experiences working with Large-Scale product development, especially the work in telecom and finance industry. It evolved by taking Scrum and trying many different experiments and discovering what works. In 2013, the experiments were solidified by the LeSS Framework rules, defining LeSS.

LeSS consists of:

Of these, the principles and rules define LeSS and the guides and experiments give guidance to product groups adopting LeSS. The latest description is on the LeSS Online site.

Large-Scale Scrum is Scrum scaled up to multiple teams. It isn't a bigger process that includes Scrum, but is Scrum at its core.

These principles are directly taken from Scrum where the product and process has to be evolved following inspect-adapt cycles or experiments. The content of the product and the process used for development is never fixed but constantly evolving. Transparency is required in order to see the current reality and improve.

When scaling up development, there is a tendency to add more process, more roles, more artifacts, more control. These additions often cause overhead and rigidity. The More with LeSS principles assume there is a way of scaling up without adding this additional overhead. It assumes that tailor down is fundamentally wrong. Instead, concepts and processes need to be scaled up based on experiences of the people in the development. Therefore, the intention of LeSS is to descale organization complexity, dissolving unnecessary complex organizational solutions, and solving in simpler ways. Less roles, less management, less organizational structures.

Customers don't want components but whole products. When scaling up development, it is easy to lose the focus of the whole product and the whole experience. Therefore, we need to constantly remind everyone involved in development to have the whole-product focus so they make decisions with the whole product in mind.

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