A must-know for anyone heading into a Scaled Agile interview, this question is frequently asked in interview questions on SAFe Agile.   Alignment is one of the core values in SAFe.  As per ScaledAgileFramework.com - “Like cars out of alignment, misaligned companies can develop serious problems. They are hard to steer, and they don’t respond well to changes in direction. Even if it’s clear where everyone thinks they’re headed, the vehicle is unlikely to get them there. While empowered Agile Teams are good, the responsibility for strategy and alignment cannot rest with the combined opinions of the teams, no matter how good they are. Instead, alignment must rely on the Enterprise business objectives. Here are some of the ways how SAFe supports alignment:  It starts with strategy and investment decisions at the Portfolio, is reflected in Strategic Themes and the Portfolio Backlog. In turn, this informs the Vision, Roadmap, and backlogs at all levels of SAFe. Continuous Exploration gathers the inputs and perspectives from a diverse group of stakeholders and information sources to ensure that the items in the backlogs contain economically prioritized and refined work ready for teams to implement. All work is visible, debated, resolved, and transparent.  It is supported by clear lines of content authority, starting with the portfolio and then resting primarily with the Product and Solution Management roles and extending to the Product Owner role.  PI Objectives and Iteration Goals are used to communicate expectations and commitments.  Cadence and synchronization are applied to ensure that things stay in alignment, or that they drift only within reasonable economic and time boundaries.”