Scaled Agile SAFe-DevOps - SAFe DevOps Practitioner Exam SDP (6.0)

gemba walks are an important competency in support of the Collaborate and Research activity of the DevOps Health Radar. Collaborate and Research is the process of creating alignment on what needs to be built, synthesizing Solution ideas into ART Backlog Features, and utilizing WSJF to prioritize a DevOps backlog. Gemba walks are a technique where the product team observes how stakeholders execute the specific activities in their operational value streams to identify opportunities for relentless improvement. Gemba walks help the product team understand the customer needs, market problems, and solution requirements from the perspective of those who deliver value to customers. Therefore, gemba walks are essential for collaborating and researching with stakeholders and validating or invalidating hypotheses.

The correct answer is B. Flow Efficiency measures the percentage of time spent on value-added activities in the Value Stream. A Value Stream is a sequence of activities that deliver value to the customer, from concept to cash. Value-added activities are those that directly contribute to the customer value proposition, such as coding, testing, and deploying. Non-value-added activities are those that do not directly contribute to the customer value proposition, such as waiting, handoffs, rework, and approvals. Flow Efficiency is calculated by dividing the total time spent on value-added activities by the total flow time, which is the time elapsed from when a work item enters the Value Stream to when it is delivered to the customer. Flow Efficiency is a metric that helps to identify and eliminate waste and delays in the Value Stream, and to optimize the flow of value to the customer. Flow Efficiency can be improved by applying the principles and practices of DevOps, such as reducing batch size, limiting work in progress, implementing pull systems, managing queue lengths, reducing handoffs, implementing Work in Process (WIP) visualization, and implementing Work in Process (WIP) feedback

The purpose of a minimum viable product is to validate the hypothesis. A minimum viable product (MVP) is an early and minimal version of a new product or solution used to prove or disprove an epic hypothesis. An epic is a significant solution development initiative that requires the definition and approval of an MVP. An epic hypothesis is a statement that describes the expected outcome, benefit, and value of an epic. The MVP is the smallest possible solution that can be used to test the epic hypothesis with real customers or users, and to gather feedback and data. The MVP helps reduce the risk of investing in a solution that nobody wants or needs, and enables faster learning and adaptation. The MVP is not the final product or solution, but rather a starting point for further development and improvement

According to the SAFe DevOps Practitioner 6.0 study guide and handbook, test data management is one reason for test data management. This means that test data management helps teams ensure that the application under test has a consistent and reliable state, by automating the provisioning of data from various sources and formats. The handbook states that "Test data management is the process of automating provisioning of data to an application in order to set it to a known state before testing begins."1 Therefore, test data management enables teams to perform end-to-end testing with confidence and accuracy.

After the team maps the steps of the current state value stream during value stream mapping, the next two steps are to measure the performance at each step and calculate the activity ratio. Measuring the performance at each step involves collecting data on cycle time, lead time, process time, wait time, defect rate, and other relevant metrics. This helps to identify the sources of waste, delays, and inefficiencies in the value stream. Calculating the activity ratio involves dividing the total process time by the total lead time and multiplying by 100. This gives the percentage of time that is spent on value-adding activities versus non-value-adding activities. The activity ratio helps to quantify the flow and identify opportunities for improvement

Agile Release Trains (ARTs) should release on demand, which means releasing new functionality immediately or incrementally based on business and customer needs. Release on demand is the final aspect of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) in SAFe DevOps, which enables the delivery of value to the end user as fast as possible, based on market demand. The decision of what and when to release is a critical economic driver that requires careful consideration of the customer needs, market rhythms, and economic outcomes. Release on demand is decoupled from the Continuous Deployment activity, which automates the migration of new functionality from a staging environment to production, where it is made available for release

The purpose of Value Stream Mapping is to create an action plan for continuous improvement. This tool is used to visually map the flow of steps, delays, and information required to deliver a product or service from start to finish. By identifying and understanding these elements, organizations can pinpoint inefficiencies and areas for improvement in their processes, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and value delivery.

According to the SAFe DevOps Practitioner 6.0 study guide and handbook, one potential outcome of the Verify activity of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline is to analyze regression testing results. This means that the Verify activity involves checking the functionality and performance of the Solution after a deployment, and comparing it with the expected results. The handbook states that "Verify is the activity of checking the functionality and performance of the Solution after a deployment, and comparing it with the expected results."1 Therefore, one of the possible outcomes of this activity is to analyze how well the Solution meets the quality standards and customer requirements.

The lead time for a particular step in a value stream is the time from when the work is ready from the previous step to work completion. It includes both the process time and the wait time at that step. Lead time is an important metric to measure the efficiency and flow of a value stream, as it indicates how long it takes for a unit of work to move through a step. Reducing lead time can help eliminate waste, improve throughput, and increase customer satisfaction1