SAFeA 4.5 Reference Guide - Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises

The Must-have Reference Guide for SAFe® Professionals

"There are a lot of methods of scale out there, but the Scaled Agile Framework is the one lighting up the world."

-Steve Elliot, Founder/CEO AgileCraft

 

"Since beginning our Lean-Agile journey with SAFe, Vantiv has focused its strategic efforts and its execution. We have improved the predictability of product delivery while maintaining high quality, and have become even more responsive to customers-resulting in higher customer satisfaction. And just as important, employee engagement went up over the past year."

-Dave Kent, Enterprise Agile Coach, Vantiv

Fully updated to include the new innovations in SAFe 4.5, the

SAFe® 4.5 Reference Guide

is ideal for anyone serious about learning and implementing the world's leading framework for enterprise agility. Inside, you'll find complete coverage of the scaledagileframework.com knowledge base, the website that thousands of the world's largest brands turn to for building better software and systems.

SAFe was developed from real-world field experience and provides proven success patterns for implementing Lean-Agile software and systems development at enterprise scale. This book provides comprehensive guidance for work at the enterprise Portfolio, Large Solution, Program, and Team levels, including the various roles, activities, and artifacts that constitute the Framework.

Education & Training Key to Success

The practice of SAFe is spreading rapidly throughout the world. The majority of Fortune 100 companies have certified SAFe professionals and consultants, as do an increasing percentage of the Global 2000. Case study results-visit scaledagileframework.com/case-studies-typically include: 

• 30 - 75% faster time-to-market


• 25 - 75% increase in productivity


• 20 - 50% improvements in quality


• 10 - 50% increased employee engagement

Successful implementations may vary in context but share a common attribute: a workforce well trained and educated in SAFe practices. This book-along with authorized training and certification-will help you understand how to maximize the value of your role within a SAFe organization. The result is greater alignment and visibility, improved performance throughout the enterprise, and ultimately better outcomes for the business.

Preface x

About the Authors xii

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction to the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) 1

Part 1: The SAFe Foundation 13

Lean-Agile Leaders 15

Core Values 21

Lean-Agile Mindset 27

SAFe Principles Overview 35

SAFe Implementation Roadmap Overview 39

SAFe Program Consultant 43

Part 2: The SAFe Implementation Roadmap 47

Reaching the Tipping Point 49

Train Lean-Agile Change Agents 53

Train Executives, Managers, and Leaders 57

Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence 63

Identify Value Streams and ARTs 69

Create the Implementation Plan 83

Prepare for ART Launch 89

Train Teams and Launch the ART 99

Coach ART Execution 105

Launch More ARTs and Value Streams 109

Extend to the Portfolio 119

Sustain and Improve 125

Part 3: The SAFe Principles 133

Principle #1: Take an economic view 135

Principle #2: Apply systems thinking 141

Principle #3: Assume variability; preserve options 145

Principle #4: Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles 147

Principle #5: Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems 151

Principle #6: Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths 155

Principle #7: Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning 159

Principle #8: Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers 163

Principle #9: Decentralize decision-making 167

Part 4: The Team Level 171

Team Level 173

Agile Teams 177

Dev Team 183

Product Owner 187

Scrum Master 193

Built-In Quality 197

ScrumXP 203

Story 209

Iterations 219

Iteration Planning 223

Iteration Goals 229

Iteration Execution 233

Iteration Review 241

Iteration Retrospective 245

Team Backlog 249

Team Kanban 253

Part 5: The Program Level 259

Introduction to the Program Level 261

Agile Release Train 265

Business Owners 275

Product and Solution Management 281

Release Train Engineer and Solution Train Engineer 287

System and Solution Architect/Engineering 291

Program and Solution Backlogs 297

Features and Capabilities 305

Enablers 311

Nonfunctional Requirements 317

Weighted Shortest Job First 325

Program Increment 329

Innovation and Planning Iteration 335

Develop on Cadence 341

Release on Demand 345

Architectural Runway 353

PI Planning 361

PI Objectives 371

System Demo 379

Inspect and Adapt 383

Program and Solution Kanban 391

DevOps 397

Continuous Delivery Pipeline 405

Continuous Exploration 413

Continuous Integration 419

Continuous Deployment 427

Part 6: The Spanning Palette 433

Metrics 435

Shared Services 457

Communities of Practice 461

Milestones 467

Roadmap 475

Vision 481

System Team 487

Lean UX 491

Part 7: The Large Solution Level 497

Introduction to the Large Solution Level 499

Solution Train 503

Customer 509

Supplier 513

Economic Framework 519

Pre- and Post-PI Planning 523

Solution Demo 531

Solution 535

Solution Context 539

Solution Intent 545

Compliance 553

Model-Based Systems Engineering 561

Set-Based Design 567

Part 8: The Portfolio Level 575

Introduction to the Portfolio Level 577

Enterprise 581

Value Streams 587

Strategic Themes 593

Lean Budgets 599

Epic 609

Epic Owners 615

Enterprise Architect 619

Lean Portfolio Management 623

Portfolio Backlog 631

Portfolio Kanban 635

Value Stream Coordination 639

Part 9: Advanced Topics 643

Agile Architecture 645

Agile Contracts 653

Agile HR with SAFe 661

CapEx and OpEx 673

Enterprise Backlog Structure and Management 683

Essential SAFe 691

Features and Components 695

Invitation-Based SAFe Implementation 701

Refactoring 709

SAFe Requirements Model 715

Six SAFe Practices for S-Sized Teams 717

Spikes 723

Test-First 727

The Role of PI Objectives 733

Part 10: Glossary 737

SAFe Glossary 739

Bibliography 749

Index 755