Where is the Project Manager in SAFe®? Is a question that I always get asked when delivering Implementing SAFe or indeed Leading SAFe; it is at this point I pause, sit down and have a discussion with the class.
The first question I ask is "Can someone define a Project for me?"
Answer: "It has a start and a finish i.e. it is a temporary organisation".
Collaboration with distributed teams is a challenge for any globalised workforce.
One effect Travelport have seen from implementing SAFE® is that Program Increment (PI) Planning has enabled teams to collaborate more effectively across teams.
This blog is the second in a series of short blogs looking back on Travelport full enterprise-wide transformation using SAFe®.
If you missed the first blog then click <here>
In this blog we look at the power of PI Planning where Dean Leffingwell always says ‘this is where the magic happens’. For Travelport this was ‘the most fundamental change for their commercial teams’.
Program Increment (PI) Planning is a cadence-based, face-to-face event that serves as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART). Aligning all the teams on the ART to a shared mission and promotes the capability to collaborate more effectively across teams.
Watch the video to hear the full story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF0yGq9XCrA&feature=youtu.be
Find out more about Radtac’s scaling agile practice here https://www.radtac.com/scaling-agile
Travelport have seen an increase of predictability in in their system very quickly with the introduction of agile.
During every Implementing SAFe class, I create a reading list of the books and white papers that I reference in addition to the various videos that I show throughout the course; it’s quite a list. But then someone ask what would be you Top 3 if you have to prioritise – well that’s like asking which is your favourite child!
During every Implementing SAFe class, I create a reading list of the books and white papers that I reference in addition to the various videos that I show throughout the course; it’s quite a list. But then someone ask what would be you Top 3 if you have to prioritise – well that’s like asking which is your favourite child!
During every Implementing SAFe class, I create a reading list of the books and white papers that I reference in addition to the various videos that I show throughout the course; it’s quite a list. But then someone ask what would be you Top 3 if you have to prioritise – well that’s like asking which is your favourite child!
Either way here goes! So, in a series of 3 blogs let’s start with my top 3 SAFe Books!
Understanding the SAFe model for simple and more complex implementations
Do I need to have completed a Leading SAFe® class before taking an Implementing SAFe® class
This is a question that gets frequently asked and is worthy of a quick article to answer not only for now but for future enquires too 😀
In the first instance, let’s look at the Scaled Agile, Inc pre-requisites:
“All stakeholders in a Lean-Agile transformation are welcome to attend the course, regardless of experience.
However, the following prerequisites are highly recommended for those who intend to take the SAFe® 4 Program Consultant exam and practice as a Certified SAFe® 4 Program Consultant (SPC):
So, you can see that Leading SAFe® is not a pre-requisite to attending an Implementing SAFe® class. In fact, when I took my Implementing SAFe® class I had not previously attended a Leading SAFe® class.
In addition, I tend to find only about a third of Implementing SAFe® class delegates have attended a Leading SAFe® course.
What is more important is that you do have a background and experience in Agile because the Scaled Agile Framework is based on this body of work.
However, there is a BUT!
*This post is part of the series ‘SAFe Practice Tips’, which aims to offer helpful advice to anyone using SAFe.
Here is the final part of the SAFe PI Planning Tips series where I discuss the Planning Retrospective. This is the final activity of the Program Increment (PI) Planning event. If you haven’t checked out our previous Tips of the SAFe Practice series you can check them out here: Part 1 and Part 2
“The RTE leads a brief retrospective for the PI planning event to capture what went well, what didn’t, and what can be done better next time.” - Scaled Agile Framework
My experience with the PI is that, whilst energising and exhilarating, it also exhausting! By the time you get to the final confidence vote, people are ‘done’! They just want to get home.
