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Playing SAFe
Games - WSJF
Roni Tamari â Lead Agile Coach @ AgileSparks
SAFe City Simulation was created by Mark Richards
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
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Time
$
$$$
Source: Henrik Kniberg
How to prioritize?
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Typical Prioritization
https://magsol.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/debate.jpg?w=640
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Introducing Cost of Delay (COD)
âIf you only quantify one thing,
quantify the cost of delayâ
â Don Reinertsen
http://leanmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000013884892Large.jpg
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Other things being equalâŚ
Duration Cost of Delay (COD)
Feature 1 1 $1,000
Feature 2 10 $1,000
Feature 3 100 $1,000
When Cost of Delay is equal, which would you do first?
Duration Cost of Delay (COD)
Feature 1 10 $100
Feature 2 10 $1,000
Feature 3 10 $10,000
When Duration is equal, which would you do first?
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If COD and Duration are
differentâŚ
Duration Cost of Delay
(COD)
WSJF
Feature 1 1 $100 100
Feature 2 10 $10 1
Feature 3 100 $1 0.01
Highest WSJF
value should
be done first
Do the Weighted Shortest Job First:
Cost Of Delay
Duration
WSJF =
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The SAFe Proxy for WSJF
Using relative estimation
Copyright:ImagebyStockUnlimited
http://uwf.edu/media/university-of-west-florida/offices/student-affairs/sexual-violence/risk_reduction.jpeg
http://blog.business-trader.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/biz-opportunity.jpg
Cost Of
Delay
==
+ +
Duration
WSJF
Business
Value
Time
Criticality
Value
Risk Reduction (RR)
or
Opportunity
Enablement (OE)
Value
Size
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Enough theoryâŚ
Letâs practice!
⢠You are building a city (SAFe City) a few
hours away from nearest major city
⢠You will make money by building houses
and shops and selling them
Source: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
tp://www.totalchoirresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Theory-into-practice.jpg
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Guidelines
⢠Generating cash flow will be a
primary consideration
⢠9 major development
opportunities identified for the
city
⢠You have an estimate on
potential returns and effort
involved
Source: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
tp://under30ceo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Cash-Flow.jpg
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Guidelines
These opportunities are âEpicsâ, you will
apply Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)
to prioritize them
Source: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
tp://under30ceo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Cash-Flow.jpg
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Sample Epic
Source: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Instructions
1. Begin by reviewing all Epics as a group.
2. Find the Epic with the lowest Business Value (this will be â1â).
Determine the relative Business Value of each Epic using relative
estimation (use this scale: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20).
3. Find the Epic with the lowest Time Criticality (this will be â1â).
Determine the relative Timing Criticality of each Epic using relative
estimation.
4. Find the Epic with the lowest Risk Reduction and Opportunity
Enablement (this will be â1â).
Determine the relative Risk Reduction and Opportunity Enablement
value of each Epic using relative estimation.
5. Finish your maths and line the cards up from highest to lowest
WSJF score (highest score should be the first to be developed).
Timebox: 25 minutesSource: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Debrief
Source: Mark Richards, SAFe City Simulation version 2.0
http://www.agilenotanarchy.com/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
⢠The outcomes
⢠Using Value Streams to
frame investment strategy
⢠The importance of vision
⢠The purpose of the Cost of
Delay model in supporting
objective alignment
⢠Adaptation of the SAFe
starting point
⢠Planning poker as a
collaborative tool
⢠Revealing Assumptions
s://gmat.economist.com/sites/gmat.economist.com/files/u49/89f9d48d0c64f54ff51de032776df04a.jpg
âAlmost all of the methods typically employed [for prioritisation] in large organisations end up resembling the Eurovision competition. This is essentially prioritisation by politics, horse-trading and to some extent popularityâ - Josh Arnold
WSJF is a lean method for determining backlog prioritization (job sequencing/scheduling) using the cost of delay and remaining job size.Â
WSJF ignores sunk costs, which is a key economic principle of lean.
Big important items will need to be divided into smaller pretty important items.
In SAFe, this algorithm is applied at the Value Stream and Program levels (on epics and features) to continuously update priorities based on current business context, value, development facts, risk, and effort considerations.