Scaled Agile

One of the main goals for LV= GI has been the need to accelerate the pace of getting their products to market. It was essential for them to get in front of opportunities, be proactive and stay ahead of the curve. To survive in a hugely competitive marketplace, they must also keep moving in the right direction to remain a front runner.

In August 2017, Skandia began their transformation to a Scaled Agile way of working using SAFe® with the support of Ivar Jacobson International (IJI). Prior to the programme, Skandia's work culture was very much a centralized, plan driven over analytical approach. Since the introduction of the Scaled Agile Framework from IJI, they have changed to a 'let’s get going', experiment, trim and adjust approach that has impacted the entire business in very positive ways.

With more and more people working from home, many organisations that have adopted SAFe® are having to adapt their processes in order to accommodate completely dispersed teams.

Better quality and better predictability of delivery The entire product division talking the same language using the same concepts More responsive delivery with the ability to demo features to clients as the teams are developing them

This year has bought us a new major revision of SAFe® with an emphasis on business agility and, as a consequence of this, an additional 10th Principle. Our familiar SAFe® Principle Cards have been updated as well as the specialisations which put the principles in the context of the roles within SAFe®.

With more and more people working from home, many organisations that have adopted SAFe® are having to adapt their processes in order to accommodate completely dispersed teams.

With more and more people working from home, many organisations that have adopted SAFe® are having to adapt their processes in order to accommodate completely dispersed teams.

Reduced time to identify inter-dependencies and deliverables from months to days Able to prioritize IT operations alongside business goals Learned to develop effectively as a team

In this article I base my observations and opinions on my experience of applying the Use Case 2.0 Practice and Behavior Driven Development’s Gherkin language, within an online products division of a major US Bank that is undergoing an Agile transformation. “I’m not dead yet,” Is a classic line from the movies that Monty Python fans will instantly recognize. I start with this because I could win a lot of money betting on the response from Agile practitioners when I tell them I am using Use Cases in an Agile environment to great benefit. “Use Cases? They’re dead and buried!” “That’s RUP! (Rational Unified Process). They aren’t agile.” “What are you thinking? Use Cases are dinosaurs.” “You should know better, Bernie.” Rarely, I get a response from an experienced coach who will not poke fun, but seek the powerful questions such as, “Now why do you think that’s a good idea?”, and a valuable conversation ensues.

A short series of articles on crafting effective, well-formed objectives as part of the SAFe® Program Increment (PI) / Big Room Planning activity. A series of four related articles: 1. Why do we need PI Objectives when we have Features? 2. Writing good PI Objectives 3. PI Objectives and the PI Planning Process 4. PI Objectives Beyond PI Planning: Reaffirming and Monitoring Your Commitments