Publications

A modularized set of interchangeable practices that enable organizations to scale agile smoothly as part of a tailored transformation program that delivers value early and often, and builds a flexible and long-lasting library of practices, able to flex and grow over time in response to changing technology and business challenges.

The Agile Essentials practices provide a basic starter kit toolbox that covers all the common and critical aspects of team-based development. Each practice contains a small number of cards that provide useful, structured advice on how to successfully adopt and apply each practice.

In this short blog Ian Spence looks at how many Features a SAFe® Agile Release Train needs to prepare to be ready for their PI (Program Increment) / big room planning event.

A new, cutting-edge approach can help you harness the principles of disparate software methodologies to accelerate adoption and deliver value. Essence, a modular standard created by the Object Management Group and promulgated by SEMAT (Software Engineering Method and Theory), provides a method-agnostic, common language for re-using software practices. Companies using Essence have seen dramatic cost-savings, process improvements and even new business creation.  Essence enables configuration of the 17 best-known agile methodologies in the market into smaller, foundational atomic “bricks” of re-usable practices. Currently the CA Technologies stack (CA PPM, Agile Central, CDM, Release Automation and Service Virtualization) is one of the unique environments that support all of these re-usable bricks of Agile practices.

Essence  Agility is instrumental in moving software development toward a true engineering discipline.

The IoT with its expected huge number of products will need a multitude of methods. Mandating a one-size-fits-all method was an old dream that never worked in practice. 60 years of having monolithic methods in system development is also enough. Let’s break their tyranny using smarter Essence-based methods.

"I am excited about working with industry partners at SEMAT and leveraging the ESSENCE standard", said Scott Ambler in a recent phone interview, " in order to not just have different types of re-usable domain content built up for use as accelerators in Disciplined Agile Delivery projects, but also to clearly guide the industry on the benefits of specific granular practices that are currently uniquely only present within the Disciplined Agile Delivery method.”

Every agile organisation aims to run successful programmes that demonstrate true value and IT results, presented in a way the business can understand. But many struggle with showing how IT and the business are better, faster, cheaper or that their customers, users and other stakeholders are happier since going agile? The single biggest problem we see organisations continuing to grapple with in their agile transformation programmes is not understanding why they are changing the way they work – not visualising the goal, setting targets, measuring improvements, or demonstrating the benefits generated. The key here is to establish a set of actionable measures to drive the change and inspire the teams. These should explicitly support the principles and values being promoted and challenge the teams to improve.

I was recently asked to help facilitate and to act as coach at a multi-day kick-off event for a new Agile Release Train (ART). The agenda initially looked a lot like that of the SAFe Program Increment (PI) Planning event, but there were immediate differences, the main one being a restricted attendee list due to ongoing team recruitment. The people in the room consisted largely of the SAFe Program level: Release Train Engineer (RTE), Product Management, Product Owner, Architecture, and a few Subject Matter Experts...

Key takeaways in article: *What issues can SEMAT help address within an organisation. *What is the best way to train people in the use of SEMAT so that its understood and used. *Why are the SEMAT cards important? *How can SEMAT be applied to the Enterprise, Programmes and Projects. *How can the use of SEMAT be scaled out across your organisation.