When one Scrum team isn't enough, organizations reach for a scaling framework. Three dominate the conversation: SAFe, LeSS, and DAD. They have very different philosophies.
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) is the most widely adopted. It adds layers on top of Scrum: Team, Program, Solution, Portfolio. It introduces new roles (Release Train Engineer, Solution Architect, Business Owner) and events (PI Planning, System Demo, Inspect & Adapt). SAFe is comprehensive and prescriptive — it tells you exactly how to run a multi-team product organization. Critics argue it reconstructs waterfall planning with agile vocabulary.
LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum) takes the opposite position: use Scrum itself, add almost nothing. Multiple teams share one Product Backlog and one Product Owner. LeSS argues that most "scaling problems" are actually organizational design problems — and adding more process on top of broken organizational design makes things worse, not better.
DAD (Disciplined Agile Delivery) is a toolkit rather than a framework. It presents choices at each decision point and explains the trade-offs of each option. PMI acquired DAD, so it integrates with PMI's broader certification ecosystem.
My take: the scaling framework matters less than the organizational maturity to use it honestly. SAFe implemented badly produces theater — lots of PI Planning ceremonies with no real ownership. LeSS implemented badly is just Scrum with too many teams sharing a backlog nobody can maintain.
Exam tip: For PSPO, understand that Scrum itself doesn't prescribe how to scale. SAFe, LeSS, and DAD are all valid options. The exam may test which framework fits which context — not which is "best."