What are the levels of SAFe?
- Essential (a.k.a. Program, System)
- (Large) Solution
- Portfolio
- Full
What the 2 main types of Value Streams are there?
Operational value streams – Contains the steps and the people who deliver end-user value using solutions created by the development value streams
Development value streams – Contains the steps and the people who develop solutions used by operational value streams
What are the 4 types of Operational Value Streams?
Fulfillment value streams represent the steps necessary to process a customer request, deliver a digitally-enabled product or service, and receive remuneration. Examples include providing a consumer with an insurance product or fulfilling an eCommerce sales order.
Manufacturing value streams convert raw materials into the products customers purchase. Examples include consumer products, medical devices, and complex cyber-physical systems.
Software product value streams offer and support software products. Examples include ERP systems, SaaS, and desktop and mobile applications.
Supporting value streams include end-to-end workflows for various supporting activities. Examples include the lifecycle for employee hiring and retention, supplier contracting, executing the annual budget process, and completing a full enterprise sales cycle.
What is an Epic?
- container for a Solution development initiative large enough to require analysis, definition of a MVP, and financial approval before implementation
- Implementation occurs over multiple PIs and follows the ‘build-measure-learn’ cycle
What is a Capability?
- higher-level Solution behavior that typically spans multiple ARTs
- Prioritized using weighted shortest job (WSJF)
- Includes benefit hypothesis and acceptance criteria
- Structured to fit in single PI
- Split into Features for implementation
What is a Feature?
- a service that fulfills a stakeholder need
- Includes a benefit hypothesis and acceptance criteria
- Sized/split to be delivered by a single ART in a PI
- Product Management responsible for business features
- System Architects own Enabler Features
What is an Enabler?
- support activities needed to extend Architectural Runway and provide future business functionality
- Captured in all levels of backlogs
- Created/managed by System Architect
- Managed in backlogs/subject to:
- Estimating
- Visibility & tracking
- Work in process limits
- Feedback
- Presentation of results
- Different forms of Enablers – Infrastructure, Exploration, Architecture, Compliance
What types of Work Items exist in each backlog?
- Portfolio backlogs contain Epics and Enablers
- [large] Solution backlogs contain Capabilities and Enablers
- Program Backlogs contain Features and Enablers
- Team Backlogs contain Stories and Enablers
What are the types of enablers?
Exploration enablers – These support research, prototyping, and other activities needed to develop an understanding of customer needs, including the exploration of prospective Solutions and evaluating alternatives.
Architectural enablers – These are created to build the Architectural Runway, which allows smoother and faster development.
Infrastructure enablers – These are created to build, enhance, and automate the development, testing, and deployment environments. They facilitate faster development, higher-quality testing, and a faster Continuous Delivery Pipeline.
Compliance enablers – These facilitate managing specific compliance activities, including Verification and Validation (V&V), documentation and signoffs, and regulatory submissions and approvals.
What are Strategic Themes?
- Differentiating business objectives that connect a portfolio to Enterprise strategy
- Primary purpose is to drive portfolio innovation and differentiation
- Developed collaboratively -> Enterprise executives-> Enterprise Architect, Lean Portfolio Management, Portfolio Stakeholders
Why Is Vision Important?
- Provides a unifying ‘why’ for major decisions
- Sets direction for future work
- Ensures teams are aligned on a shared goal
- Allows teams and individuals to make localized decisions
At what level(s) are Vision(s) written?
Generally:
- Portfolio
- Solution
But any level can create a vision.
What is a Portfolio Canvas?
- A business model canvas adapted to charter and describe the structure and purpose of a SAFe portfolio
- Describes how a portfolio of Solutions creates, delivers, and captures value for an organization
- Helps define and align the portfolio’s Value Streams and Solutions to the portfolio vision
What is a Value Stream?
- Includes activities from recognizing an opportunity through release and validation
- Contains the steps, flow of information & material, and the people who develop the solutions used by the operational value stream
- 2 types- operational and development
- Operational – the sequence of activities needed to deliver a product or service to a customer
- Development – the sequence of activities needed to convert a business hypothesis into a technology-enabled solution that delivers customer value
What is an Agile Release Train?
- Virtual organization of 5-12 teams
- Has all capabilities (software, hardware, firmware, etc) needed to define, implement, test, deploy, release and operate Solutions
- Goal of achieving continuous flow of value
- Synchronized on common cadence of a Program Increment (PI)
- Aligned to common mission via Program Backlog
What is a Solution Train?
- Organizational construct for large/complex Solutions requiring coordination of multiple ARTs & suppliers
- Aligns with shared business/tech mission using Solution Vision, backlog, roadmap & aligned PI
What are the types of ARTs?
- Stream-aligned ART – organized around flow of work/ability to deliver value directly to customer/end user
- Complicated subsystem ART- organized around specific subsystems- specialized/expertise
- Platform ART- organized around delivery/support of platforms that provide services to other teams
- Enabling ART- organized to assist other teams w/ specialized capabilities/help them become proficient in new technologies
What is a Solution Vision?
- Defines the reason/direction behind a chosen Solution
- Addresses questions:
- What will the new solution do?
- What problem does it solve?
- What benefits does it provide?
- For whom does it benefit?
- What performance (NFRs) will it deliver?
What is the Solution Context and what does it influence?
- The environment in which the Solution operates
- Customer personas inform Solution Context
- Asks where the Solution will be deployed and used/accessed (e.g. public cloud, on-prem data center, field hardware, cyber-physical system)
- Influences-
- Solution Vision
- Solution Intent
- Solution backlog
- NFRs
- Continuous delivery pipeline flow
- Release on demand timing
What is Solution Intent?
- The repository for storing, managing, and communicating the knowledge of current and intended Solution behavior
- Records and communicates requirements, design, and system architecture decisions
- Facilitates continuous exploration and analysis activities
- Aligns the customer, dev team, and suppliers to a common purpose
- Supports compliance, contractual agreements, traceability, high assurance
- Context diagrams are often part of defining Solution Intent
How is the Solution Intent Created?
- Product and Solution Management, Solution Architects, and Systems Engineering are responsible for highest-level, system-wide decisions- teams and suppliers add context/detail
- System decomposition
- Interfaces
- Traceability
- Structure and organization
How does Solution Intent change over time?
- Moves from Variable to Fixed Solution Intent
- Initially you want to preserve flexibility
- Validate assumptions continuously through repetitive learning cycles (PI’s)
- Drive exploration w/ Enablers
- Converge on well-defined (fixed) behaviors
What is an Iteration Review?
- critical method for gathering immediate, team-level feedback;
- occurs every iteration;
- presented by teams doing the work to teammates and interested stakeholders;
- shows real measure of team value, velocity, and progress during the prior iteration
What is a System Demo?
- gathering immediate, system-level feedback of full system;
- occurs every iteration and at end of PI;
- presented by ART Product Manager and Product Owners to sponsors, stakeholders, and customers;
- shows real measure of system value, velocity and progress to learn/adjust
