SAFe® 4.5 distilled : applying the Scaled Agile Framework® for lean enterprises

**SAFe(R) The World's Leading Framework for Enterprise Agility**__"Philips is continuously driving to develop high-quality software in a predictable, fast, and Agile way. SAFe addresses this primary goal, and offers these further benefits: reduced time-to-market, improved quality, stronger alignment across geographically distributed multi-disciplinary teams, and collaboration across teams to deliver meaningful value to customers with reduced cycle time."__--Sundaresan Jagadeesan, SW CoE Program Director, Philips To succeed in today's adapt-or-die marketplace, businesses must be able to rapidly change the way they create and deliver value to their customers. Hundreds of the world's most successful companies-including Intel, Capital One, AstraZeneca, Cisco, and Philips-have turned to the Scaled Agile Framework(R) (SAFe(R)) to achieve agility at scale and maintain a competitive edge.__**SAFe(R) 4.5 Distilled: Applying the Scaled Agile Framework(R) for Lean Enterprises**__explains how adopting SAFe can quickly improve time to market and increase productivity, quality, and employee engagement. In this book, you willUnderstand the business case for SAFe: its benefits, the problems it solves, and how to apply it Get an overview of SAFe across all parts of the business: team, program, value stream, and portfolio Learn why SAFe works: the power of SAFe's Lean-Agile mindset, values, and principles Discover how systems thinking, Agile development, and Lean product development form the underlying basis for SAFe Learn how to become a Lean-Agile leader and effectively drive an enterprise-wide transformation__Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.__ About This E-Book 2 Title Page 3 Copyright Page 4 Dedication Page 5 Contents 6 Preface 12 Why SAFe? 13 About This Book 13 Acknowledgments 16 About the Authors 18 Abbreviations Used in This Book 20 PART I: Overview 22 1 Business Need for SAFe 24 Why Do Businesses Need SAFe? 24 The Challenge of System Development 24 Applying New Bodies of Knowledge 26 Improving System Development Outcomes 28 The Business Benefits of SAFe 28 Summary 31 2 SAFe Overview 32 The Big Picture 32 The Configurations 32 The Spanning Palette 41 The Foundation 42 Summary 43 PART II: Mindset, Principles, and Leadership 44 3 Lean-Agile Mindset 45 Overview 45 Thinking Lean 46 Applying the Agile Manifesto at Scale 52 Summary 53 4 SAFe Principles 55 Why Focus on Principles? 55 Principle #1: Take an Economic View 55 Principle #2: Apply Systems Thinking 59 Principle #3: Assume Variability; Preserve Options 62 Principle #4: Build Incrementally with Fast, Integrated Learning Cycles 63 Principle #5: Base Milestones on Objective Evaluation of Working Systems 65 Principle #6: Visualize and Limit WIP, Reduce Batch Sizes, and Manage Queue Lengths 66 Principle #7: Apply Cadence; Synchronize with Cross-Domain Planning 69 Principle #8: Unlock the Intrinsic Motivation of Knowledge Workers 71 Principle #9: Decentralize Decision-Making 73 Summary 74 5 Lean-Agile Leaders 75 Exhibit the Lean-Agile Mindset 75 Lead the Change 75 Know the Way and Emphasize Lifelong Learning 76 Develop People 76 Inspire and Align with Mission. Minimize Constraints 79 Decentralize Decision-Making 79 Unlock the Intrinsic Motivation of Knowledge Workers 79 Evolve the Development Manager Role 80 Adopt a Servant-Leadership Approach 80 Evolve the Partnership with Human Resources Management 81 On the Future of Leadership 81 Summary 82 PART III: Essential SAFe 83 6 The Agile Release Train 85 Overview 85 ART Organization 86 Develop on Cadence. Release on Demand 88 Vision 90 Features 91 Program Backlog 92 Roadmap 92 Agile Teams Power the Train 93 User Stories and the Team Backlog 95 Summary 98 7 Planning a Program Increment 99 Overview 99 Preparation for the PI Planning Event 100 Day 1: Create and Review Draft Plans 102 Day 2: Finalize Plans and Commit 106 Summary 114 8 Iterating 115 Overview 115 The Iteration Cycle 115 Building Quality In 122 Improving Team Flow with Kanban 124 Summary 127 9 Executing the Program Increment 128 Overview 128 Introducing the Continuous Delivery Pipeline 128 Enabling Continuous Delivery with DevOps 134 Enabling Continuous Delivery with Architectural Runway 136 Managing Continuous Delivery with the Program Kanban 137 Supporting Continuous Delivery with Program Events 138 Summary 141 10 Inspect and Adapt 142 Overview 142 PI System Demo 142 Quantitative Measurement 143 Retrospective and Problem-Solving Workshop 144 Inspect and Adapt at the Large Solution Level 147 Summary 148 PART IV: Large Solution SAFe 149 11 Large Solution SAFe Overview 151 Overview 151 The Solution Train 151 Solution Intent 153 Capabilities and the Solution Backlog 154 Solution Epics 155 Economic Framework 155 Applying Large Solution Elements to Other Configurations 157 Summary 157 12 Defining Large and Complex Solutions 159 Overview 159 The Solution 159 Solution Intent 160 Solution Context 164 Summary 167 13 Solution Train Execution 168 Overview 168 Pre-PI Planning 168 ART PI Planning 170 Post-PI Planning 170 Frequent Solution Integration 172 Solution Train Sync 173 Solution Demo 173 Solution Train Inspect and Adapt 173 Summary 174 PART V: Portfolio SAFe 175 14 Lean Portfolio Management 177 Introduction 177 Strategy and Investment Funding 178 Agile Portfolio Operations 179 Lean Governance 181 Summary 182 15 Strategy and Investment Funding 183 Introduction 183 Connect the Portfolio Strategy to the Enterprise Strategy 184 Establish Portfolio Flow 190 Summary 195 16 Agile Portfolio Operations 196 Introduction 196 Support an Agile PMO, LACE, and RTE and Scrum Master Communities of Practice 196 Coordinate Value Streams 200 Sustain and Improve 202 Summary 202 17 Lean Governance 204 Introduction 204 Forecast and Budget Dynamically 204 Measure Portfolio Performance 206 Capitalization of Agile Software Development 208 Governance via Agile Contracts 210 Coordinate Continuous Compliance 212 Summary 212 PART VI: Implementing SAFe 214 18 The Guiding Coalition 217 Introduction 217 Step 1. Reach the Tipping Point 217 Step 2. Train Lean-Agile Change Agents 219 Step 3. Train Executives, Managers, and Leaders 219 Step 4. Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence 220 Summary 221 19 Designing the Implementation 223 Introduction 223 Step 5. Identify Value Streams and Agile Release Trains 223 Step 6. Create the Implementation Plan 231 Summary 234 20 Implementing Agile Release Trains 235 Introduction 235 Step 7. Prepare for the ART Launch 235 Step 8. Train Teams and Launch the ART 240 Step 9. Coaching ART Execution 243 Summary 244 21 Launching More ARTs and Value Streams; Extending to the Portfolio 245 Introduction 245 Step 10. Launch More ARTs and Value Streams 245 Step 11. Extend to the Portfolio 247 Leading the Transformation 249 Summary 250 22 Sustaining and Improving 252 Introduction 252 Foster Relentless Improvement and the Lean-Agile Mindset 252 Implement Agile Human Resources Practices 253 Advance Program Execution and Servant Leadership Skills 254 Measure and Take Action 255 Improve Agile Software Engineering Practices 256 Focus on Agile Architecture 256 Improve DevOps and Continuous Delivery 257 Reduce Time-to-Market with Value Stream Mapping 257 Summary 258 Conclusion and Moving Forward 260 Glossary 262 Index 272 Credits 316 Online Chapters 326 Cover Page 326 Title Page 328 Copyright Page 329 Contents 330 Preface 331 About This Supplement 331 Acknowledgments 333 About the Authors 334 1 What’s New in SAFe® 4.6 for Lean Enterprises? 335 Introducing SAFe 4.6 for Lean Enterprises 335 The Five Core Competencies of the Lean Enterprise 335 SAFe for Government 342 SAFe Configurations 343 Summary 344 2 Lean-Agile Leadership Competency 345 Why Lean-Agile Leadership? 345 Lean-Thinking Manager-Teachers 345 Summary 350 3 Team and Technical Agility Competency 351 Why Team and Technical Agility? 351 Team Agility 351 Technical Agility 352 Summary 356 4 DevOps and Release on Demand Competency 357 Why DevOps and Release on Demand? 357 Organizing Around Value Delivery 358 Building the Continuous Delivery Pipeline 360 Everything Is Continuous 362 DevOps Enables Continuous Delivery and Release on Demand 363 Measuring and Advancing DevOps and Release on Demand 364 Summary 365 5 Business Systems and Lean Systems Engineering Competency 367 Introduction 367 Why Business Solutions and Lean Systems Engineering? 367 Summary 373 6 Lean Portfolio Management Competency 374 Why Lean Portfolio Management? 374 Implementing Lean Portfolio Management 375 Strategy and Investment Funding 375 Agile Portfolio Operations 376 Lean Governance 378 Summary 380 7 SAFe for Government 381 SAFe for Government 381 Why SAFe for Government? 381 Brief History of SAFe Adoption Across Government 381 SAFe Adoption in Government Is Growing 382 Lean-Agile Adoption Challenges in Government 383 The Solution: SAFe for Government 382 Summary 384 Glossary 387 SAFe(R) The World's Leading Framework for Enterprise Agility "Philips is continuously driving to develop high-quality software in a predictable, fast, and Agile way. SAFe addresses this primary goal, and offers these further benefits: reduced time-to-market, improved quality, stronger alignment across geographically distributed multi-disciplinary teams, and collaboration across teams to deliver meaningful value to customers with reduced cycle time." --Sundaresan Jagadeesan, SW CoE Program Director, Philips To succeed in today's adapt-or-die marketplace, businesses must be able to rapidly change the way they create and deliver value to their customers. Hundreds of the world's most successful companies-including Intel, Capital One, AstraZeneca, Cisco, and Philips-have turned to the Scaled Agile Framework(R) (SAFe(R)) to achieve agility at scale and maintain a competitive edge. SAFe(R) 4.5 Distilled: Applying the Scaled Agile Framework(R) for Lean Enterprises explains how adopting SAFe can quickly improve time to market and increase productivity, quality, and employee engagement. In this book, you will Understand the business case for SAFe: its benefits, the problems it solves, and how to apply it Get an overview of SAFe across all parts of the business: team, program, value stream, and portfolio Learn why SAFe works: the power of SAFe's Lean-Agile mindset, values, and principles Discover how systems thinking, Agile development, and Lean product development form the underlying basis for SAFe Learn how to become a Lean-Agile leader and effectively drive an enterprise-wide transformation Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details. "Adopting SAFe can quickly improve time to market and increase productivity, quality, and employee engagement. In this book, you will understand the business case for SAFe: its benefits, the problems it solves, and how to apply it; get an overview of SAFe across all parts of the business: team, program, value stream, and portfolio; learn why SAFe works: the power of SAFe's Lean-Agile mindset, values, and principles; discover how systems thinking, Agile development, and Lean product development form the underlying basis for SAFe; learn how to become a Lean-Agile leader and effectively drive an enterprise-wide transformation"--Publisher's description