From complexity to collaboration | How TOPIC integrates teams into SAFe environments

When organizations scale Agile, they often face the same challenge: how do you make multiple teams work together as one? At TOPIC, we see this challenge daily in our Farm-out projects. Our solution? Seamlessly embedding a TOPIC team into the client’s SAFe framework.

Why SAFe matters in complex projects
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) helps organizations apply Agile principles when multiple teams, often from various disciplines and expertise, work on the same product or service. It brings structure, predictability, and transparency so teams can deliver value faster and keep improving. For companies with complex products and many dependencies, SAFe is essential for staying in control of planning and quality.

How we integrate into the client’s SAFe Framework
Our Farm-out teams are part of the client’s Agile Release Train (ART). They operate as independent, high-performing units with their own Scrum Master and experienced developers, and they join all SAFe ceremonies such as PI Planning, System Demos, and Sprint Planning.

Our teams are not limited to only delivering work; they also actively help to process improvements, optimize tooling, tackle complex legacy challenges and advise on solutions. Examples include lowering testing costs by streamlining test scenarios, reducing build times, and enhancing the review process. By working closely with the client’s functional, electronics, software, and other support teams, we build strong connections and a shared focus on quality and continuous improvement.

The Product Owner (PO) comes from the client and sets priorities, while our Scrum Masters keep structure and flow. We also define enablers ourselves to maximize our contribution. This way, our teams aren’t just part of the process; they help strengthen it.

Teams that make a difference
TOPIC's real strength lies in bringing the right people together. We carefully select teams where we not only look at technical skills but also for a cultural match. This way, we create teams that fit seamlessly into the client’s environment and that ensure fast integration, strong ownership and long collaboration.

One day a week the team works on-site with the client. That face-to-face time improves alignment, speeds up decisions, and makes technical collaboration easier. As a result, our people feel integrated and connected to both TOPIC and the client. Which boosts motivation and quality.

Experience in complex environments
Since 2019, we’ve been working with farm-out teams in SAFe environments. What began with a single team has grown into ten fully integrated teams at leading high-tech clients, each bringing their own expertise and fostering knowledge sharing both internally and within the client’s scaled environment. We operate in environments with high complexity and deep interdependencies, where collaboration and flexibility are crucial, something few suppliers can offer.

This unique combination of technical expertise, process insight, ownership and commitment means we don’t just participate; we actively contribute to the overall success.

Stefan Groenen, Project Manager at TOPIC: “Our Farm-out teams take full ownership, unburden clients, and bring valuable expertise to the development process. The best thing is that their high performance comes from genuine motivation and enthusiasm, which makes me incredibly proud.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want to learn more? Curious to discover more about how we integrate TOPIC teams into the client’s development process? Check out our previous blog: Farm-out: combining a hybrid way of consultancy and project execution

Or reach out to Henri Sormani to explore how we can support your organization: contact@topic.nl.

Curious what it is like to work as Scrum Master and Product owner in our Farm-out projects? Read TOPIC’er Willem’s experience in the blog:Leading & Learning with scrum | Willem Oldemans