The Flight Levels Framework, developed by Klaus Leopold, is a conceptual model that helps organizations create flow, alignment, and transparency across all levels. It distinguishes between three flight levels:
• Flight Level 1: Operational teamwork.
• Flight Level 2: Coordination between teams/value streams.
• Flight Level 3: Strategic control and alignment.
Unlike frameworks such as SAFe, Flight Levels is non-prescriptive: it does not prescribe roles or events, but focuses on the interaction between the levels.
Practical relevance
Flight Levels is particularly helpful when organizations have agile teams but no consistent connection between strategy, coordination, and implementation. Typical examples:
• Strategic goals are formulated but not visible at the operational level.
• Teams deliver features, but value streams stall due to dependencies.
• Departments optimize locally, but the overall system remains inefficient.
With Flight Levels, companies can start where the pain is greatest—e.g., at the coordination level, where teams are constantly blocking each other.
Typical misunderstandings
❌ Flight Levels is a new framework like SAFe or LeSS – no, it is a conceptual model without rigid guidelines.
❌ You have to introduce all three levels – in reality, it is often enough to start with one level.
❌ Flight Levels replaces agile methods – it connects them, regardless of whether teams use Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid approaches.
Relevance for organizations
• Holistic view: Strategy, coordination, and teams work on the same value stream.
• Flexibility: No specifications regarding roles or events, fully customizable.
• Method-independent: Works with Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or hybrid forms.
• Pragmatic implementation: Can be rolled out step by step without a "big bang" transformation.
Compared to SAFe or LeSS, Flight Levels is more lightweight and focuses more on alignment than structure.
Real-world example
In a digital business unit of a large corporation, there were agile teams with good results, but the portfolio level was disconnected. Strategic initiatives petered out. By introducing a Flight Level 3 board, corporate goals were made visible, dependencies were prioritized, and implementation became measurable. Within two quarters, the number of "lost" initiatives fell by 40%.
CALADE perspective
At CALADE, we use flight levels as a thinking tool, not as a dogmatic framework. We combine its strengths—alignment, value stream view, flexibility—with aspects of other approaches (e.g., roles and events from SAFe, participatory methods from Living Transformation®). This creates a tailor-made mix that fits every organization: lightweight, practical, effective.
Related terms
• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
• LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum)
• Value Stream
• OKR (Objectives & Key Results)
• Living Transformation®