The SAFe framework promises to structure agility at scale, align teams around shared objectives, and ensure value delivery at a steady pace. But what happens when this well-oiled machine turns into a grinder?

Behind the polished ceremonies, some practices prove to be anything but “safe”: people are easily discarded, quarterly commitments are locked in, and common sense is often sacrificed in favor of sticking to the plan. The result? Dehumanizing pressure, decisions disconnected from the field, and walls we crash into… methodically.

Worse still, the hypertrophy of the upfront phase—with its layers of validation, strategic alignment, and business framing—weighs down the ideation process. We spend more time planning value than exploring or delivering it. And by trying too hard to predict what will work, we forget to test, to listen, and to adapt.

In this talk, I propose a clear-eyed—and slightly critical—look at the pitfalls I’ve observed around SAFe, both from a human and a business perspective. Far from throwing away scaled agility altogether, the goal is to collectively reexamine what we truly want to grow: the processes or the people?