Scaled Agile SP-SAFe-Practitioner - SAFe for Teams SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner

 Providing autonomy is one approach to unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers. Autonomy means giving knowledge workers the freedom and responsibility to make decisions about their work, such as how to do it, when to do it, and who to do it with. Autonomy fosters a sense of ownership, empowerment, and self-determination, which are essential for creativity and innovation. Autonomy also supports the Lean-Agile principle of decentralizing decision-making, which enables faster and better outcomes. SAFe provides several mechanisms to enable autonomy for knowledge workers, such as self-organizing and self-managing Agile teams, ARTs and Solution Trains, Communities of Practice, and Innovation and Planning Iterations. References: = Unlock the Intrinsic Motivation of Knowledge Workers, Decentralize Decision-Making, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner

Customer Centricity is a mindset that focuses on creating positive experiences for the customer through the full set of products and services that the enterprise offers. Customer-centric organizations deliver whole-product solutions designed with a deep understanding of customer needs. This results in greater profits, increased employee engagement, and more satisfied customers in the private sector. Nonprofits and the public sector (governments) can achieve the resiliency, sustainability, and alignment needed to fulfill their mission1. The purpose of Customer Centricity is to understand the customer’s needs and deliver solutions that meet or exceed them. References: 1: Customer Centricity - Scaled Agile Framework

 Pair work is a practice where two knowledge workers collaborate over the same asset in real time, providing feedback and quality assurance to each other. It comes from pair programming, a technique defined by the Extreme Programming (XP) agile development framework, where two developers work together on the same code. Pair work can be applied to other domains and disciplines, such as testing, design, business analysis, and more. Pair work can improve the quality, speed, and creativity of the work, as well as enhance the learning and collaboration of the team members. References: Pair Work (Pair Programming) - businessagility.institute, Built-In Quality - Scaled Agile Framework

cumulative flow diagram (CFD) is a graphical tool that shows the status of work items for a given period of time. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the number of work items. The CFD is composed of different colored bands, each representing a different stage of the workflow (such as “to do”, “in progress”, “done”, etc.). The CFD helps visualize the flow of work, identify bottlenecks, and monitor cycle time and throughput1. A cumulative flow diagram focuses on two main curves: the arrival curve and the departure curve. The arrival curve is the top edge of the “to do” band, and it shows the rate at which new work items are added to the system. The departure curve is the top edge of the “done” band, and it shows the rate at which work items are completed and delivered. The difference between the arrival curve and the departure curve represents the amount of work in progress (WIP) in the system2. By comparing the arrival curve and the departure curve, one can assess the stability and predictability of the system. Ideally, the arrival curve and the departure curve should be parallel and close to each other, indicating a smooth and consistent flow of work. If the arrival curve is steeper than the departure curve, it means that more work is entering the system than leaving it, which can lead to increased WIP, longer cycle time, and lower quality. If the departure curve is steeper than the arrival curve, it means that more work is leaving the system than entering it, which can lead to reduced WIP, shorter cycle time, and higher quality3. References: Cumulative Flow Diagram - Scaled Agile Framework, Cumulative Flow Diagrams - Kanbanize, Cumulative Flow Diagram - LeSS

Systems thinking is a holistic approach to solution development, incorporating all aspects of a system and its environment into the design, development, deployment, and maintenance. It requires leaders and teams to understand the solution, the enterprise, and the value stream as a system. One of the principles of systems thinking is that optimizing a component of the system does not optimize the whole system. In fact, it may even harm the system performance, as it may create bottlenecks, conflicts, or waste in other parts of the system. Therefore, systems thinking encourages looking at the system as a whole and finding the best trade-offs and synergies among the components. References: Principle #2 - Apply systems thinking - Scaled Agile Framework, What ‘systems thinking’ actually means - and why it matters today | World Economic Forum, What is Systems Thinking? - Critical Thinking Secrets

A team’s commitment at the end of PI Planning is based on the PI Objectives that they have defined and negotiated with the Business Owners and other stakeholders. PI Objectives are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals that reflect the expected business and technical outcomes for the upcoming PI. A team does not commit to uncommitted objectives, which are stretch goals that may or may not be achieved depending on the actual capacity and velocity of the team. Uncommitted objectives are not included in the vote of confidence or the business value assessment. References: PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe® for Teams - Know Your Role on an Agile Team | Scaled Agile, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner - scaledagile.com

Design Thinking is a methodology that helps teams solve complex problems and create innovative solutions that meet the needs and desires of the users. One of the benefits of Design Thinking is that it produces solutions that are actionable, meaning that they can be implemented and tested in the real world. Actionable solutions are based on a deep understanding of the problem, a wide range of possible ideas, and iterative prototyping and testing. Actionable solutions are also aligned with the vision, values, and goals of the organization and the stakeholders. References: What is Design Thinking?, Design thinking, explained, What is design thinking?

According to the Lean-Agile Leadership competency of SAFe, management must commit to quality and take responsibility to change the system for a successful Agile transformation. This means that leaders must lead by example, learn and model the Lean-Agile mindset, values, principles, and practices, and lead the change to a new way of working. They must also empower and engage individuals and teams to reach their highest potential, and create a culture of relentless improvement and innovation1. Management cannot delegate or outsource the responsibility of leading the Agile transformation, as they are the ones who have the authority and influence to change and improve the systems that govern how work is performed2. References: 1: Lean-Agile Leadership - Scaled Agile Framework2: What Must Management Do for a Successful Agile Transformation?

The Portfolio Kanban is a method to visualize, manage, and analyze the flow of portfolio epics from ideation to implementation1. It brings structure to analysis and decision making around epics by defining the states and Work in Process (WIP) limits for each state, as well as the entry and exit criteria1. The Portfolio Kanban also helps prioritize and sequence the epics based on the Lean business case and the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) technique1. The Portfolio Kanban enables the Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) to align the portfolio strategy and investment funding with the implementation capacity of the value streams2. References: Portfolio Kanban, Lean Portfolio Management

 ROAM is an acronym that stands for Resolve, Own, Accept, and Mitigate, and it is a framework for making risks visible and actionable in SAFe. During the final plan review, teams present their PI plans and risks to the other teams and stakeholders, and then use the ROAM board to categorize and prioritize the risks. Resolved risks are no longer a threat, owned risks are assigned to a team member for further action, accepted risks are acknowledged but not addressed, and mitigated risks are reduced by a plan. ROAM helps teams collaborate and align on how to handle risks effectively and transparently. References: SAFe Roam Board for Risk Management | Miro, Managing Risks with ROAM in Agile - Planview Blog