Is SAFe Really That Bad?
This article by Christiaan Verwijs contains interesting data-driven conclusions and hypotheses about SAFe and other agile scaling frameworks.
The key interpretation is that we should focus less on the type of framework that is chosen to scale work across teams, and more on the health and quality of the processes that happen in teams and between teams.
Note: do keep in mind that a lot of the used data focuses on teams (incl. its collaborations outside), not so much organization-wide. Some statements are therefore hypotheses rather than evidence-based conclusions.
Some specific takeaways:
Teams that use SAFe score similarly on key indicators of team effectiveness than teams that use other frameworks
Stakeholders seem to be similarly satisfied with the outcomes of SAFe
Scientific investigations of scaling approaches see both benefits and challenges to SAFe
The key agile scaling challenges that teams encounter are not unique to specific large-scale methodologies
Factors other than frameworks are more important to shape success or failure, such as the quality of internal processes and inter-team collaboration