# The Potential of AI-Driven Assistants in Scaled Agile Software Development
## 5 Applying Review Results to SAFe Environments
### Challenges at the Essential Level  
**E1: Defining concepts and terms**--The fundamentals are well-defined in the papers that introduced methods like SAFe and LeSS [3]. However, when these methods are applied in different contexts, the guidelines for their implementation can become less clear [9]. Many companies cite misconceptions about the concepts and procedures within these methods, along with substantial variations in their interpretation and application across different areas. A recurring issue that we have encountered during our research is the presence \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline
**Level** & **Identified Challenge** \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Essential (E)} & E1: Defining concepts and terms \\  & E2: Readiness and willingness for change \\  & E3: Maintaining developer autonomy \\  & E4: Customer process/ method inconsistency \\  & E5: Presentation of requirements’ knowledge \\  & E6: Process aspects \\  & E7: Risk identification and mitigation \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Large Solution (LS)} & _E1_–_E7_ + \\  & LS1: Change and development support \\  & LS2: Common system understanding \\  & LS3: Managing and documenting releases \\  & LS4: Managing complex dependencies across ARTs and teams \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Portfolio (P)} & _E1_–_E7_ + _LSI_–_L54_ + \\  & P1: Comparing and contrasting methods \\  & P2: Balancing organizational structure and method \\ \cline{1-1}  & P3: Top-down instead of bottom-up approach \\ \cline{1-1}  & P4: 100\% adherence to the method \\ \cline{1-1}  & P5: Lack of evidence-based use \\ \cline{1-1}  & P6: Organizational aspects \\ \cline{1-1}  & P7: Inefficient prioritization and management \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 7: Identified challenges in SAFe and the level in which they occur. Figure 5: Identified disadvantages of implementing AI during SADM implementation. of abstract terminology. The lack of detailed explanations can pose a significant challenge for organizations attempting to transition to SADMs. **E2: Readiness and willingness for change--**To transition to agile methods successfully, organizations and employees must be open to change. While employees may embrace changing software processes, they might not be ready to adopt specific methods. Frameworks like SAFe and LeSS [3] offer structures and processes, but often lack guidance on assessing overall readiness for agile transformation at scale [9]. In their research, the authors of [7] found considerable skepticism towards adopting agile development. Many developers have long been accustomed to the traditional sequential (waterfall) approach, making the shift to a completely new way of working uncomfortable and prone to organizational challenges. Approximately 20% of papers in [7] highlighted the absence of an agile process evaluation mechanism as a significant concern. In [14; 34], we come across the appearance of employees' resistance, since there is an ever-growing concern that AI-assistants will replace them fully (instead of adapting to implementing them in their workflows). **E3: Maintaining developer autonomy--**Autonomy in scaled environments is being recognized as an increasingly significant challenge. However, SADMs furthermore deteriorate this issue, introducing additional constraints and inflexibilities. According to the authors of [9], there have been instances where developers' proposals for tool and process improvements were rejected due to perceived incompatibility with the new method's implementation. Furthermore, cultural and linguistic difficulties were noted in [7], particularly when development teams are spread across different countries. **E4: Customer process/method inconsistency--**Implementing a (new) SADM presents a significant challenge, since it is more difficult to transform the organization's predetermined processes and structures. In certain cases, as noted in [9], companies have had to establish collaborative agreements with clients, outlining how they will work together to produce software within a specific development framework.