Evolution of project management
We have moved from waterfall planning to agile iteration planning. The beginning of the change came with the appearance of wave planning, which, although in a "waterfall" framework, allowed for adjustments as the project progressed. Adjustments that are reminiscent of iterations in agility. Wave planning is still used in some frameworks, but that is not the focus of this discussion.
The transition to agile involves a change in the orientation of the planning "triangle."
This implies empowerment and commitment of the teams... principles of course covered by SAFe
What is SAFe?
Many companies have agile teams working on separate projects. Having agile teams does not mean that the entire company is agile. This is where SAFe comes in. SAFe is a framework that brings together practices to make a coherent whole and brings cohesion and alignment between teams: the Scaled Agiled Framework.
It is based on four values:
- The intrinsic quality of what we produce (whatever the department), from the start and not at a later stage.
- Alignment: although teams may have specific goals, they must all be aligned with the overall goal of the organization.
- Transparency: openness and trust for successful teams.
- Program execution: delivering value in line with alignment.
SAFe is also built around ten principles:
- Adopt an economic viewpoint (whether at the strategic or tactical level)
- Implement systems thinking (to improve value, the entire system must be improved)
- Assume technical and market variability, leave room for possible beneficial options
- Build progressively in an agile way (short cycles that bring value or learning)
- Base milestones on objective assessment and evaluation of operational systems
- Limit the amount of work in progress (close to Lean values: little work in progress, monitor backlog size, etc.)
- Enforce cadence and synchronize efforts between teams
- Reinforce the intrinsic motivation of employees: encourage autonomy, develop a sense of competence, give meaning (mission)
- Decentralize decision making (especially for frequent decisions without significant financial impact)
- Organize around value (importance of value chains)
In addition, SAFe relies on seven competencies :
What is an agile train?
An organization can have several autonomous and organized agile teams. However, to avoid a loss of alignment, it is important that they are synchronized with each other (thanks, among other things, to the cadence, the mission and the backlog common to all teams). An ART (Agile Release Train) is therefore this set of agile teams that, when joined together, form a delivery train.
The roles within the train
Release train engineer: sort of scrum master of scrum masters
Product Manager: define and prioritize the backlog at the program level (vs. at the team level for the P.O.)
System Architect: advises and guides the technical teams on best practices at the architecture and engineering levels.
System Team: facilitates the work of the teams that deliver value and oversees the environments.
Business Owner: senior management, who will have their say at regular intervals.
How PI Planning works
The PI planning is an event (or ceremony) whose goal is to align all the teams of the train.
PI = Program increment
A PI planning lasts two days and is held every 8 to 12 weeks.
It brings together all the people involved (teams, scrums masters, RTE, Business Owners, P.O., P.M....) and who will contribute to the delivery train.
This ceremony concludes with the production of a realistic plan that will ensure alignment and commitment from the teams.
Conclusion
The goal of implementing SAFe in the organization is to benefit from the improvements observed at the team level (agile), but this time at the level of the entire organization, including suppliers and partners.
However, too often, organizations that started with innovation and a networked organization, as they grew, favored a certain stability and therefore a greater hierarchy... at the expense of agility and innovation. SAFe aims, at worst, to find a middle ground, but preferably to be able to combine the benefits of stability and agility.
The promises of SAFe are: more motivated employees, better productivity, shorter time to market and fewer quality defects.
To go further:
Safe: Leading SAFe® Certification
