Launch More ARTs and Value Streams

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Consolidate gains and produce more change.

—John Kotter

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You can think of the next stage of the Implementation Roadmap as analogous to a train picking up steam and heading down the tracks at an accelerated pace. The larger business opportunity has arrived, enabling the enterprise to ‘consolidate gains and produce more change’ by launching more Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and Value Streams [1]. This allows the business to start realizing the fuller benefits of SAFe, effectively shifting to the next higher gear of the transformation.

Details

A compass-like structure divided into four segments is shown.

The first Program Increment (PI) Planning event, ART launch, and PI deliverables provide initial, measurable, and substantial business benefits. Business and development are now aligned to a common vision and mission; everyone has agreed to a new way of working and has adopted a common method, language, and cadence, as well as synchronized events; new roles and responsibilities are established; and a new level of employee engagement has emerged as teams take responsibility for planning their own future. Most importantly, the first PI deliverables have illustrated the effectiveness of adopting SAFe.

In addition, the first ART creates an effective pattern and the initial institutional ‘muscle memory’ needed to implement additional ARTs in the Value Stream. In this next critical move—launch more ARTs and value streams—the enterprise can start to realize an even greater return on its investment: faster time-to-market, higher quality, higher productivity, and increased employee engagement. These are the rewards that only a full and effective implementation of scaled Lean-Agile practices can deliver.

Launch More ARTs

By now, SAFe Program Consultants (SPC)s, the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE), and other stakeholders have the experience needed to launch more ARTs in the next selected value stream. After all, the more ARTs, the greater the return. The pattern is the same. Simply repeat the critical moves that worked the first time:

However, a cautionary note is warranted. The same attention and effort must be devoted to the next few ARTs as was paid to the first. Otherwise, there may be a tendency to assume that ‘everyone knows how to do this now.’ That kind of comfort level is unlikely to be in place so early in the transformation, and the stakeholders in the lead will need to give as much love and care to each subsequent ART as they did to their first.

Implement Large Solution Roles, Artifacts, and Events

As we described in the chapter Identifying Value Streams and ARTs, some value streams can be realized by a single ART. They already have the people, resources, and cross-functional skills needed to Release on Demand without additional coordination, integration with other ARTs, or added governance. In contrast, for larger value streams, some or all of the additional roles, events, and artifacts of the SAFe Large Solution Level will be required (Figure 1).

A snapshot of the SAFe Large Solution Level is displayed.

Figure 1. Large Solution Level

This is also true for high-assurance systems, where more rigor in system definition (Solution Intent) and other activities is likely to be required. In this case, the next stage of the rollout for these value streams will need to establish these additional practices.

Because these responsibilities, artifacts, and activities are new to the enterprise, the leaders, the SPCs, and the LACE will again play an active role. Their tasks may include the following:

Launch More Value Streams

Launching the first full value stream is a major milestone in the transformation. Outcomes are improving. People are happier. The new way of working is being ingrained into the habits of the organization. The culture is evolving as well.

However, the job is far from done in the large enterprise. The other value streams may be entirely different businesses, operating units, or subsidiaries. They may be located in different countries, offer markedly different solutions and services, and have different chains of command that may converge only at the highest corporate level.

As a result, even the spread of good news to other value streams may not evoke an automatic embrace of SAFe across the enterprise. Many may think, “What worked there may not work here.” So, in a sense, each new value stream represents the same challenge and opportunity to incorporate all the change management steps described so far. Likewise, each new value stream will need to go through the same series of steps that got you to this point, as illustrated in Figure 2.

A diagrammatic representation of how each value stream executes a portion of the SAFe Implementation Roadmap.

Figure 2. Each value stream executes a portion of the SAFe Implementation Roadmap

Accordingly, as the enterprise ponders the next big steps—where the change, impact, and business benefits will be the greatest—it’s a good time to roll out the ‘Invitation-Based Implementation Approach.’ This approach is intended to generate the necessary buy-in and ‘shape the path’ that allows key stakeholders to assume the leadership roles they will need to succeed in the new way of working [2].

Also, given the scope of the effort ahead, now is a good time to reflect on earlier principles and apply Principle #6: Visualize and limit Work in Process (WIP), reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths. We’ll see these principles at work in the SAFe Implementation Railway.

The SAFe Implementation Railway

A while ago, we had the opportunity to visit the folks at Northwestern Mutual. They were in the midst of one of the larger and most significant SAFe rollouts to date. We spent some time with the technical transformation team (similar to the LACE), sharing experiences and learning from each other. The Northwestern Mutual team showed us how they had managed their transformation rollout. The highlight was a 10-foot-long Big Visible Information Radiator (BVIR). We mean really big, as illustrated in Figure 3.

A photograph of a 10-foot-long SAFe Implementation Railway board is shown.

Figure 3. The SAFe Implementation Railway board (‘cow board’) at Northwestern Mutual (Reproduced with permission of Northwestern Mutual.)

We were greatly impressed by their Lean-Agile Mindset, the way they applied SAFe principles and practices, and the structured way they executed the implementation—so impressed that we asked if we could share their experience. They graciously agreed. One outcome was that Sarah Scott presented their work as a case study at the 2016 SAFe Summit. Further, we’ve taken those learnings and generalized their experience into guidance for what we call the SAFe Implementation Railway, depicted in Figure 4.

A diagrammatic representation of the SAFe Implementation Railway module.

Figure 4. The SAFe Implementation Railway

The Four States of the Railway

The railway operates as a Kanban board that contains a series of four major states, with one state—the tracks—having multiple steps for each ART. Each of the four major states is described next.

(Note: At Northwestern Mutual, the funnel state also features the barn, a holding place for a small herd of what the team labels ‘impediment cows,’ which are explained later in this chapter.)

This state is WIP limited, ensuring adequate LACE and SPC support.

As the name indicates, the arrival of each train at its sustain and improve state is not the end of its journey. Such an event is only a milepost. Once it arrives, each train’s relentless improvement journey begins.

The Tracks

The tracks are where most of the transformational work takes place. Each station on the track represents a state of maturity for an ART. While the number and definition of the stations can be adapted to each enterprise’s context, we offer an example in Figure 5.

An illustration emphasizing the stations on the railway tracks.

Figure 5. Stations on the railway tracks

The stations are as follows:

Data captured: The number of practitioners in each ART, including the PI cadence (start and end date) for each ART.

Data captured: The PI cadence (start and end date) for each ART and the number of people trained for each role.

Data captured: The date of first PI planning and the total time (cycle time) for a train in this state.

Data captured: The start and end dates for each ART, the estimated date of second PI planning event, the estimated coaching end date, and the first PI predictability measure.

Data captured: The PI predictability measure, the PI performance metrics, and the date of the second PI planning event.

Data captured: The start and end dates for each ART in this state and the PI predictability measures.

Managing Impediments

This plan seems straightforward, assuming the training, change management, and cultural underpinnings are all there. Unfortunately, many impediments will naturally occur during the rollout. In their own words, here’s how Northwestern Mutual had some fun with their series of challenges:

“In the context of both Northwestern Mutual and SAFe, whenever a train was facing a major problem, we took a cow out of the barn and placed it on the track. It was obvious, fun, and reinforced our culture. Most importantly, it immediately drew attention to the problem.”

Moving Forward

Clearly, this portion of the roadmap represents the largest amount of work in a successful SAFe implementation. It requires leadership, urgency, persistence, and actively removing impediments. As the culture starts to shift to the new values and norms, patience is also essential.

With value streams and trains now running on a consistent basis, it’s time to move on to the next critical move in the SAFe Implementation Roadmap: Extend to the Portfolio.

LEARN MORE

[1] Kotter, John P. Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press, 1996.

[2] Heath, Chip, and Heath, Dan. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. Crown Publishing Group, Kindle Edition.