[10] While SAFe continues to be recognised as the most common approach to scaling agile practices (at 30 percent and growing),[11][12][page needed],[13] it also has received criticism for being too hierarchical and inflexible.
[14] It also receives criticism for giving organizations the illusion of adopting Agile, while keeping familiar processes intact.
SAFe delivers many of the same principles, such as cross-functional teams, to the groups that handle the more abstract levels of responsibility and planning (product and portfolio).
SAFe was criticized for this because it represented an anti-agile or waterfall element, but was in line with lean 90-day increments which make 13 weeks, and if doing two-week sprints you need six of them plus a one-week planning or hardening cycle.
[22] In SAFe version 5.1, there are four configurations: essential, portfolio, large solution and full:[23] Scaled Agile provides certifications that cover different areas and knowledge levels.