Scrum SAFe-POPM - SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager POPM (6.0)

One of the questions that helps Product Management create a Vision is what problem(s) will the Solution solve for the customers and stakeholders. The Vision is a description of the future state of the Solution under development, and it reflects the needs and expectations of the customers and stakeholders1. The Vision also provides the context and purpose for the features and capabilities of the Solution2. Therefore, Product Management needs to understand the problem(s) that the Solution aims to address, and how it will deliver value and benefits to the customers and stakeholders3.

References:

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•Solution Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is a Product Vision Statement? | Definition and Overview

A Kanban board is a visual tool that helps teams manage the flow of work from start to finish. It shows the steps of the team’s workflow, the work items in each step, and the work-in-process (WIP) limits for each step1. A Kanban board demonstrates where a team has too much work-in-process (WIP), which is the number of work items that are being worked on at any given time. Having too much WIP can cause delays, bottlenecks, and waste in the value stream2. By using a Kanban board, teams can identify and resolve the sources of excessive WIP, and optimize their flow and throughput3.

References:

•SAFe Team Kanban - Scaled Agile Framework

•Applying Kanban in SAFe - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is a Kanban Board, and How Do You Use It? - How-To Geek

Release on Demand is the process that makes value available to customers when it’s needed. It is the final aspect of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which represents the workflows, activities, and automation needed to guide new functionality from ideation to an on-demand release of value1. Release on Demand allows the business to release the solution to the end users or customers in acontrolled or staggered manner, based on the market and business needs2. Release on Demand enables the enterprise to respond quickly to customer feedback, optimize the timing and frequency of releases, and reduce the risk associated with each release3.

References:

•Continuous Delivery Pipeline - Scaled Agile Framework

•Release on Demand - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is Release on Demand? | Definition and Overview

Market dynamics are one of the influences on Solution and PI Roadmaps, which are visual tools that forecast and communicate the planned deliverables, milestones, and investments over a time horizon12. Market dynamics are the external factors that affect the demand and supply of a product or service in the market, such as customer needs, competitor actions, regulatory changes, technological trends, and economic conditions3. Market dynamics influence Solution and PI Roadmaps in the following ways:

•They help identify the market problems or opportunities that the solution aims to address or capture12.

•They help prioritize the features and capabilities that deliver the most value to the customers and stakeholders12.

•They help align the solution delivery with the market rhythms and events, which are the periodic or one-time occurrences that have a significant impact on the solution adoption or performance12.

•They help validate the assumptions and hypotheses about the customer and the solution through feedback and learning12.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (A, B, and D) are not influences on Solution and PI Roadmaps, but rather elements or outcomes of the roadmaps.

•Value Streams are the primary constructs for understanding, organizing, and delivering value to the customer. Value Streams are the basis for defining the solution vision, strategy, and roadmap4.

•Customer-centric Features are the work items that represent the benefits or outcomes that the solution provides to the customer or user. Customer-centric Features are the main content of the Solution and PI Roadmaps5.

•ART capacity is the amount of work that an Agile Release Train (ART) can handle in a Program Increment (PI). ART capacity is a factor that determines the feasibility and scope of the Solution and PI Roadmaps.

One of the factors that can increase the effectiveness of Backlog Refinement is to schedule the event on a regular cadence. Backlog Refinement is the process of reviewing, updating, and prioritizing the backlog items to prepare them for future iterations or sprints1. By scheduling the event on a regular cadence, such as once or twice per week, the team can ensure that the backlog is always accurate, relevant, and ready for planning2. A regular cadence also helps the team to avoid cramming too much work into a single session, which can lead to lower quality and reduced collaboration3.

References:

•Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework

•Backlog refinement - How I learned to love agile business analysis …

•Essential Checklist for Effective Backlog Refinement (and What To Avoid …

One step when determining initial team capacity during PI Planning is to subtract one point for every team member’s vacation day, public holiday, or training day. This step helps the team to adjust their capacity based on the actual availability of each team member for the upcoming Program Increment (PI)1. By accounting for the time-based capacity adjustments, the team can plan their work more realistically and avoid overcommitting or underdelivering2.

References:

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

•How to Improve Your Agile Team’s Capacity Planning - Method

Product Management is the role that ensures that the Agile Release Train (ART) has the Vision and Backlog needed to engage in PI Planning successfully. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the Vision, which describes the future state of the solution and its features1. Product Management also develops and maintains the Program Backlog, which contains the features and enablers that the ART will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to discover, prioritize, and refine the backlog items and present them to the ART during PI Planning3.

References:

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

The next action for improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective is to enter them as Stories in the Team Backlog. By adding these improvement items as Stories, they become part of the team’s ongoing work and are prioritized alongside other tasks and user stories for future iterations or sprints1. This way, the team can track and implement the improvement actions and measure their impact on the team’s performance and quality2.

References:

•Iteration Retrospective - Scaled Agile Framework

•What happens to improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective? - Service Centre List

One characteristic of writing effective PI Objectives is describing the value that the objectives will deliver to the customers and stakeholders. PI Objectives are a summary of the business and technical goals that the Agile Release Train (ART) intends to achieve in the upcoming Program Increment (PI)1. They are not just a list of features or stories, but rather a statement of the outcomes and benefits that the features or stories will provide2. By describing the value, the PI Objectives help align the teams and stakeholders to a shared vision and mission, and provide a basis for measuring the progress and performance of the ART3.

References:

•PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework

•Your Guide to Writing Great Iteration and PI Objectives - Scaled Agile

•How to Write PI Objectives - ValueGlide