Preface
We often meet organizations and the conversation starts along these lines:
Organization: “We want to go Agile.”
Us: “Great!”
Organization: “And we want to adopt SAFe®.”
Us: “Even better because we are pretty good at SAFe®. But first, can we ask why you are doing so?”
Organization: (long pause) “Because other big organizations are doing it!”
Generally, that is not a good reason to undertake a significant change within your organization. The goal is not to be Agile or SAFe® but to make your organization more effective using Lean-Agile and to utilize a supporting scaling framework such as SAFe® to support that goal.
We see a lot of ill-informed commentary on various social media platforms about SAFe®, including a video that was described as a “candid and unscripted conversation about SAFe®” with two people that declared that they had no experience of SAFe® and all their thoughts were based on anecdotal evidence. As a consequence, it was littered with misinformation.
So, let’s start here.
SAFe® is not a prescription or a rule book, it is a Framework!
A standard definition of a Framework is as follows: “A framework is a supporting structure around which something can be built.”
Every time we have implemented SAFe® in an organization, we have implemented it differently because each organization is different and the appetite for change and disruption varies significantly.
You can not implement SAFe® in an algorithmic way; you need to implement it in a heuristic way. That is, you have to implement it with your brain switched on! You cannot just follow a book.
That said, there are certain foundations that need to be in place; if you bake a cake, then there are certain ingredients that you must use, while fillings and decoration can certainly vary.
SAFe® is like a wonderful toolbox but you have to know what tools to use in the right circumstances. If I am putting a picture on a wall, I will use a hammer and a nail; I don’t need a chainsaw! And a chainsaw in the wrong hands can be very dangerous.
SAFe® for Lean Enterprises is a knowledge base of proven, integrated principles, practices, and competencies for achieving business agility using Lean, Agile, and DevOps. (© Scaled Agile, Inc.)
Let’s break that down! It is not based on some folks sitting in Colorado and coming up with ideas; the 10 versions since 2011 have all been built on feedback from practitioners (like the authors) and from organizations that have implemented SAFe®.
Moreover, it is underpinned by some genuine thought leadership from Deming, Reinersten, Kotter, Moore, Ward, and many more.
Now that we have got that off our chest, who is this book for?
Who this book is for
This book is not a reference guide it is a handbook. A reference guide would be far too long but critically you have the Framework site, which is the most comprehensive knowledge base of all things SAFe®.
We have aimed this book at those newly qualified SAFe® Practice Consultants (SPCs) who have maybe just completed and passed the 4-day Implementing SAFe® class.
Certified SPCs are change agents who combine their technical knowledge of SAFe® with an intrinsic motivation to improve the company’s software and systems development processes. They play a critical role in successfully implementing SAFe®.
As we all know, there is a world of difference between attending a class and passing an exam to actually implementing SAFe® in an organization.
One of our colleagues used to say “Would I get on a plane with a pilot that has just read a book and passed an exam?” For those that drive, there is a world of difference between passing your theory test and actually learning to drive. And who remembers that first solo drive?
However, this book is not just for newly qualified SPCs. Are you an SPC trying to get SAFe® to work in your organization? Are you a Scrum Master/Team Coach or Release Train Engineer wondering why SAFe® is hard? Are you a Product Owner or Product Management and need to help your teams deliver? Are you an Architect and wondering what your role is? Are you a team member and just want to know why you are doing these crazy events? This is also the book for you.
Whether you are new to SAFe®, or you’ve struggled with how to make it work in the real world, this book is for you. It is also helpful for new Agile Coaches, or teams without the benefit of an experienced Agile Coach.
Are there any prerequisites?
You should have some experience with SAFe®. We’re not going to cover the basics; we’re going to explain why SAFe® says to do it a certain way. If you’ve been through a Scaled Agile Framework® class, or have equivalent experience with working in a SAFe® environment, but still have questions about how to successfully put the concepts into practice or why they are the way they are, then this is the book for you. It’s also useful when you begin to adapt and adjust SAFe® to your particular work environment, and you aren’t sure what you can safely change and what needs to be done “by the book.”
What this book covers
The book has been divided into three sections:
- Part 1 focuses on the Team level
- Part 2 focuses on coordination at the ART level
- Part 3 concentrates on the Portfolio level
Because it is structured in this way, it does mean that you don’t have to read the book in order. If you are a Scrum Master then maybe Part 1 is all you need to read, although it might be helpful to understand the coordination at the ART level. If you are an RTE, then you definitely need to read Part 2, but having insight at the team level will certainly be valuable. If you are a senior leader or a portfolio Manager, then it will come as no surprise that Part 3 is for you.
Here is a summary of the chapters:
Chapter 1, Thriving in the Digital Age, sets the foundation for why SAFe® and the value it brings to organizations.
Part 1, Agile Teams.
Chapter 2, Building the Team, delves into the structure and key roles of the Agile Teams.
Chapter 3, Agile Team Iteration and PI Execution, looks at the day-to-day operation of these teams.
Chapter 4, Team Backlog Management, looks at why backlogs are important for surfacing, prioritizing, and tracking the work of the team and how they should be managed to be most effective.
Chapter 5, Team Iteration Events, examines how the SAFe® events work best and what happens when we try to do them a different way, or even eliminate them altogether.
Part 2, Agile Release Trains
Chapter 6, Building the Agile Release Train, helps you understand some of the key considerations when you are launching your first ART, recovering an ART, or maturing an ART.
Chapter 7, Release Trains Day-to-Day, looks at making sure ARTs operate correctly so that they are successful.
Chapter 8, ART Backlog Management, looks at what the ART backlog is and how it differs from other backlogs. It also discusses how to create and manage the backlog and ensure it is the right size.
Chapter 9, Events for the Train, looks at the various activities and events that occur each iteration for an ART, including all the Syncs, the ART Board, and the Iteration System Demo.
Chapter 10, PI Events, looks at the several key events that happen as part of the PI boundaries and that only occur once in a PI.
Part 3, Portfolio
Chapter 11, Enterprise Strategy, considers what Enterprise Strategy is and how Enterprise Strategy for an organization needs to adapt in the same fashion that the teams do.
Chapter 12, Building Your Portfolio, looks at the various tools to help build out and define your portfolio and the critical task of Value Stream Identification.
Chapter 13, Establishing Lean Budgets, looks at how we move from traditional Project-Cost Accounting to Lean-Agile budgeting.
Chapter 14, Portfolio Backlog Management, in a similar fashion to the ART Backlog, explores how a Portfolio Backlog should be managed to be most effective.
Chapter 15, Measuring Progress, looks at the metrics that help determine whether the ARTs within your portfolio are performing well and also considers some additional Portfolio Measures as well.
Chapter 16, Leadership Alignment, looks at how to equip your leaders for this new environment.
This book covers some of the common pitfalls that people encounter when they adopt and customize SAFe® for their organization. Whether as development team members, Product Owners or Product Managers, Release Train Engineers, System Architects, DevOps practitioners, or other Stakeholders, this book will help you understand why SAFe® works, and how to customize it for your needs safely.
Remember this is a handbook, not a reference guide, so we only cover 80% of what you will encounter day-to-day. For example, we have specifically not included large solutions because the first rule of scaling is DON’T!
Darren taught Implementing SAFe® back in 2017 with one of the leading lights in SAFe®. At the time, that person had launched 50 ARTs and only 2 were large solutions; one was because it was a genuinely large solution, and in the other case, the organization insisted! We see too many examples of large solutions that are not warranted.
Remember Agile Principle number 10: “Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.”
Scaling brings a level of complication and coordination. If you don’t need to scale, then keep your implementation as simple as possible.
We have tried to cover the most common challenges that you will encounter with our collective experience with a number of pro tips, stories from the real world, and cautions. Our hope is that these will help with your implementations and also provide some great anecdotes if you decide to teach a class.
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Conventions used
There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.
Bold: Indicates a new term or an important word. Here is an example: “We need four things when we look at WSJF:
- User Business Value: How important is this to our businessor customer?”
Tips or important notes
Appear like this.
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