SAFe 4.5 Reference Guide: Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises, Second edition

SAFe 4.5 Reference Guide: Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises, Second edition

by Dean Leffingwell
Released May 2018
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780134892917

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

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.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Preface
  6. About the Authors
  7. Acknowledgments
    1. SAFe Community Contributors
    2. Additional Acknowledgements
  8. Introduction to the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
  9. Part 1: The SAFe Foundation
    1. Lean-Agile Leaders
    2. Core Values
    3. Lean-Agile Mindset
    4. SAFe Principles Overview
    5. SAFe Implementation Roadmap Overview
    6. SAFe Program Consultant
  10. Part 2: The SAFe Implementation Roadmap
    1. Reaching the Tipping Point
    2. Train Lean-Agile Change Agents
    3. Train Executives, Managers, and Leaders
    4. Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence
    5. Identify Value Streams and ARTs
    6. Create the Implementation Plan
    7. Prepare for ART Launch
    8. Train Teams and Launch the ART
    9. Coach ART Execution
    10. Launch More ARTs and Value Streams
    11. Extend to the Portfolio
    12. Sustain and Improve
  11. Part 3: The SAFe Principles
    1. Principle #1: Take an economic view
    2. Principle #2: Apply systems thinking
    3. Principle #3: Assume variability; preserve options
    4. Principle #4: Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles
    5. Principle #5: Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems
    6. Principle #6: Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths
    7. Principle #7: Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning
    8. Principle #8: Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
    9. Principle #9: Decentralize decision-making
  12. Part 4: The Team Level
    1. Team Level
    2. Agile Teams
    3. Dev Team
    4. Product Owner
    5. Scrum Master
    6. Built-In Quality
    7. ScrumXP
    8. Story
    9. Iterations
    10. Iteration Planning
    11. Iteration Goals
    12. Iteration Execution
    13. Iteration Review
    14. Iteration Retrospective
    15. Team Backlog
    16. Team Kanban
  13. Part 5: The Program Level
    1. Introduction to the Program Level
    2. Agile Release Train
    3. Business Owners
    4. Product and Solution Management
    5. Release Train Engineer and Solution Train Engineer
    6. System and Solution Architect/Engineering
    7. Program and Solution Backlogs
    8. Features and Capabilities
    9. Enablers
    10. Nonfunctional Requirements
    11. Weighted Shortest Job First
    12. Program Increment
    13. Innovation and Planning Iteration
    14. Develop on Cadence
    15. Release on Demand
    16. Architectural Runway
    17. PI Planning
    18. PI Objectives
    19. System Demo
    20. Inspect and Adapt
    21. Program and Solution Kanban
    22. DevOps
    23. Continuous Delivery Pipeline
    24. Continuous Exploration
    25. Continuous Integration
    26. Continuous Deployment
  14. Part 6: The Spanning Palette
    1. Metrics
    2. Shared Services
    3. Communities of Practice
    4. Milestones
    5. Roadmap
    6. Vision
    7. System Team
    8. Lean UX
  15. Part 7: The Large Solution Level
    1. Introduction to the Large Solution Level
    2. Solution Train
    3. Customer
    4. Supplier
    5. Economic Framework
    6. Pre- and Post-PI Planning
    7. Solution Demo
    8. Solution
    9. Solution Context
    10. Solution Intent
    11. Compliance
    12. Model-Based Systems Engineering
    13. Set-Based Design
  16. Part 8: The Portfolio Level
    1. Introduction to the Portfolio Level
    2. Enterprise
    3. Value Streams
    4. Strategic Themes
    5. Lean Budgets
    6. Epic
    7. Epic Owners
    8. Enterprise Architect
    9. Lean Portfolio Management
    10. Portfolio Backlog
    11. Portfolio Kanban
    12. Value Stream Coordination
  17. Part 9: Advanced Topics
    1. Agile Architecture
    2. Agile Contracts
    3. Agile HR with SAFe
    4. CapEx and OpEx
    5. Enterprise Backlog Structure and Management
    6. Essential SAFe
    7. Features and Components
    8. Invitation-Based SAFe Implementation
    9. Refactoring
    10. SAFe Requirements Model
    11. Six SAFe Practices for S-Sized Teams
    12. Spikes
    13. Test-First
    14. The Role of PI Objectives
  18. Part 10: Glossary
    1. SAFe Glossary
  19. Bibliography
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: SAFe 4.5 Reference Guide: Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises, Second edition
  • Author(s): Dean Leffingwell
  • Release date: May 2018
  • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
  • ISBN: 9780134892917