How Baidu Scaled Agile Management for Its Massive Mobile App

1. Baidu App Overview

Baidu App, originally launched as “Handheld Baidu” in 2011 and renamed in 2018, is a long‑standing search and content client that serves as a mobile‑first container for content consumption and services. It aims to evolve from an information gateway to a universal entry point connecting users with the world.

2. Preparation – Understanding Characteristics and Challenges

The team mapped the organization, business architecture, and processes to grasp the app’s scale. The organization spans multiple internal systems and departments, involving six roles and a workforce of over a thousand engineers.

Business architecture is divided into a foundational container, hosting platforms such as Baijiahao and mini‑programs, distribution modes for feeds, search, and community, and vertical content services for text, images, and video.

Key challenges include cross‑team communication overhead, a large number of inter‑dependent “Topics” (e.g., mini‑programs, feed, games, community), and a full‑process flow that touches more than ten subsystems.

3. Planning – Building an Overall Management Solution

The goal is to establish a scalable agile management framework that delivers a closed‑loop process, improves development efficiency, reduces handover costs, and accelerates business value delivery.

Three‑layer management is defined:

Project‑Portfolio layer: prioritises cross‑Topic demands and defines version focus.

Topic‑Group layer: aligns roles and teams across a Topic to manage business value end‑to‑end.

Team layer: governs component‑team activities.

Closed‑loop mechanisms cover demand‑to‑revenue review and version‑to‑post‑mortem review.

Release cadence is organised into three “trains”:

Routine releases every three weeks.

Mid‑cycle small releases for operational events or major incidents.

Streaming releases for non‑routine demands.

Management strategy addresses integration, schedule, scope, quality, stakeholder, communication, risk, and human resources. Each aspect defines roles, processes, Definition of Done (DoD) standards, and metrics to enable quantifiable control.

4. Execution – Concrete Management Tactics

Integration Management – version and Topic closures are achieved by defining responsibilities at the portfolio and Topic levels, establishing process gates, and measuring outcomes.

Topic‑Specific Management – each Topic receives a dedicated sub‑space, with Feature cards capturing Topic workflows and Story cards capturing team tasks. Epic → Feature → Story → Task hierarchy supports both business planning and team‑level execution.

Timeline Management – a fixed three‑week release rhythm creates predictable delivery windows. Demands are front‑loaded to allow visual releases to finish before the next cycle.

Scope Management – three insertion points (pre‑development, during development/testing, post‑freeze) govern how new demands are evaluated, prioritised, and approved.

Stakeholder Management – a communication map identifies contact points for every role and Topic, enabling regular updates and rapid issue resolution.

Communication Management – key events are tracked across layers to maintain a visible, closed‑loop flow and expose risks early.

5. Overall Impact

Implementing the framework enabled a thousand‑person team to collaborate effectively, cut decision‑making time for early‑stage priorities, and achieve full‑cycle closed‑loop management. Release frequency, cycle time, and overall cost efficiency improved noticeably.