Presented at Agile2017. Practical tips & real life traps to watch out for when launching and leading AWESOME Agile Release Trains using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).

1. Em Campbell-Pretty
Partner, Context Matters
@PrettyAgile
www.prettyagile.com
au.linkedin.com/in/ejcampbellpretty/
em@contextmatters.com.au
On Track: The ART of
Avoiding a Train Wreck
http://bit.ly/PrettyAgileSlides

2. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/kMafv

3. © Scaled Agile, Inc. © Scaled Agile, Inc.
Foundations of the
Scaled Agile Framework®
(SAFe®
) 4.5
V4.5.0

4. Practical Tips
& Real Life Traps
for Launching and Leading
AWESOME
Agile Release Trains

5. Getting to know you…

6. SAFe Training?
Experience with SAFe?
SPCs/SPCTs

8. Agile Release Train
PI Planning
System Architect
SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
Feature
Program Increment (PI)
Program Management
Inspect & Adapt (I&A)
Release Train Engineer (RTE)

9. Leadership is
the foundation

10. https://flic.kr/p/g8Jkrn

12. ≠

13. “Information is not
knowledge. The only
source of knowledge
is experience.”
-Albert Einstein

15. Image Source https://flic.kr/p/do7GmV
Beware of wolves in SPC’s clothing

16. Those who can read and don’t are
only marginally better off than those
who can’t.
- Verne Harnish

17. Let's start at the very beginning….

18. 1.25© Scaled Agile, Inc. 1.25© Scaled Agile, Inc.
Train Everyone.
Launch Trains.

20. Read more at: http://www.scaledagileframework.com/train-teams-and-launch-the-art/
Copyright © 2010-2017 Scaled Agile, Inc.
Request permission to use text and graphics: http://www.scaledagile.com/permissions-form/
The one-week, all-in ART Quickstart approach

21. Agile
Leadership
is a Team
Sport
Image source: https://flic.kr/p/asm29v

22. Release Train Engineer (RTE)
Product Manager
System Architect
+ Line Managers
ART Leadership

24. The 4 ingredients for a
successful train launch:
• Leadership Mindset
• Ready Features
• Real Agile Teams
• The knowledge with
which to execute

25. Ready Features
Image source: https://flic.kr/p/TpYm2C

27. Definition of Ready
Image source: https://flic.kr/p/bkYBij
What would you include
in a Feature definition of
ready for PI Planning ?

28. Feature Definition of Ready
q Short description
q Benefit Hypothesis
q Acceptance criteria
q High level solution
q Obvious dependencies
q High level estimate
q SMEs
q ….

29. Build the Feature readiness kanban

31. The 4 ingredients for a
successful train launch:
• Leadership Mindset
• Ready Features
• Real Agile Teams
• The knowledge with
which to execute

32. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/7uPAJu

33. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/9bk1ib

34. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/Wn3b6m

35. Cross Functional
teams of 7 ± 2
Feature Teams
of 7 ± 2

37. “Self-selection is a facilitated process of
letting people self-organize into small,
cross-functional teams. Based on the
belief that people are at their happiest and
most productive if they can choose what
they work on and who they work with…”
- Sandy Mamoli & David Mole, Creating Great Teams
http://bit.ly/SAFeSquadification

38. Tue | Wed Thurs| Frid Mon
Train
Formation
Day
• Self
Selection
• Team
Product Box
• Working
Agreements
Read more at: http://www.scaledagileframework.com/train-teams-and-launch-the-art/
Copyright © 2010-2017 Scaled Agile, Inc.
Request permission to use text and graphics: http://www.scaledagile.com/permissions-form/

43. The 4 ingredients for a
successful train launch:
• Leadership Mindset
• Ready Features
• Real Agile Teams
• The knowledge with
which to execute

44. Train Everyone!
…but my teams are already agile…
…but I don’t have the budget to train
EVERYONE…
…you mean everyone expect the vendor
teams and contractors, right?

46. Launch Trains!

47. Teams work on their real
work in their real teams
Everyone hears the
same message from the
same trainers
Teams start to bond

48. Read more at: http://www.scaledagileframework.com/pi-planning/
Copyright © 2010-2017 Scaled Agile, Inc.
Request permission to use text and graphics: http://www.scaledagile.com/permissions-form/

50. Good is the enemy of great.
- Jim Collins

51. But what about
geographically
distributed trains?

52. Tips for geographically distributed ART Launches
Try to bring everyone to a single location
If you can’t:
- Minimise the number of locations
- Ideally run in parallel with trainers and facilitators at
each location
- Share the scheduling pain across locations
- Invest in high quality video conferencing for PI
Planning and have a plan for how you will use it

54. PI Execution

55. PI ExecutionPrepare for
PI Planning

56. 10% of team
capacity held
for next PI
Feature
readiness

58. ART Sync
Read more at: http://www.scaledagileframework.com/program-increment/
Copyright © 2010-2017 Scaled Agile, Inc.
Request permission to use text and graphics: http://www.scaledagile.com/permissions-form/

59. Daily
Cocktail
Hour
Continuous
Human
Integration

60. Inspect
& Adapt

61. Bubble Up

62. Leadership
Relentless
Improvement
Kanban

64. 10% of team
capacity held
for
innovation &
learning

65. http://bit.ly/AgileBookClub

66. http://lfal.co/LearningHourROI@LlewellynFalco

67. PI Execution

69. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/pcECpU

71. Em Campbell-Pretty
Partner, Context Matters
@PrettyAgile
www.prettyagile.com
au.linkedin.com/in/ejcampbellpretty/
em@contextmatters.com.au
http://bit.ly/PrettyAgileSlides