Managing an enterprise Shared Services with Kanban in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) approach combines the simplicity of the Kanban method with the governance that is necessary to run a large enterprise.

SAIKAT DASSPC, KMP, CSP, CSD, CSM, CDA

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What is Shared Services/ Components

Construct

People

Technology

Governance

Shared Services represents :

specialty roles, components and people

Services and support necessary for the success of an Agile Release Train

(ART) or Solution Train but that cannot be dedicated full-time.

These resources may include security specialists, information architects, DBAs,

technical writers, quality assurance, IT operations personnel, and more.

Each ART and Solution Train must plan to engage the resources it needs, when it

needs them.

Component owned by individual component teams

These component teams implemented Agile/Scrum at their own individual team

level, and had to also deliver their components into project integration streams,

multiple project delivery timelines overlapping simultaneously using a common

iteration heartbeat of six week cycles.

Independent Teams: Waterfall and Agile programs are completely independent

Low Dependency : Some dependencies exist but, no constant synchronization

High Dependency: Substantial dependencies exist throughout development,

therefore a high level of interaction and integrtions

What’s required for Alignment

Split the work into small pieces,

Use named columns to illustrate where each item is in the workflow

Visualize

Based on the priority and readiness the team picks pulls the highest priority item to work

Assign Explicit Limits to how many items may be in Progress

Optimize the process to make Lead time as small and predictable as Possible

Pull Work

Manage WIP

Measure

Lead Time

Read more at: http://www.scaledagileframework.com/shared-services/

Copyright © 2010-2017 Scaled Agile, Inc.

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Kanban Fitment in SAFe

• SAFe Kanban is a lean, just-in-time arrangement.• It Helps decision-makers to make tough choices• Gives visibility to priority setting

• Takes a high-level view of the interdependencies of teams• Doesn't waste time on work that no one can start yet• Respects the teams' workloads.

Kanban Fitment in SAFe

Kanban Fitment in SAFe – example (Portfolio Kanban)

Why Kanban in Shared Services in SAFe

New stories/ Work Unit are constantly added to the Scope of work

Integrated with many upstream and downstream systems (neighbors)

Too many stakeholders for source of work as it is a enterprise wide system

No process to engage (Business, IT, QA, neighbors, business operations)

Unclear “Definition of Done” for many backlog items.

Delay in finalizing requirements and business signoff

Team roles & responsibilities overlap

Various skillset involved More time spent on hand over and take out lead to leakages

Work is often started but not always finished or Implemented

Start-Stop phenomenon between work in hand new work

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3 Poor quality leading to high defect rates – lots of rework

Non process to derive the appropriate metrics, realize the budget and forecast

6 Unable to meet the deliverable dates

No visual tools to track the work item from initiation to implementation which added more difficulties

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Business Need Utilization and Rationalization

Governance

Constant task-switching and reduced productivity.

No visibility on other Apps and their delays and impacting changes

4Project resources are distributed across 3 geographic location locations which lead to communication gaps and delays in sharing inputs

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How Kanban Helped

Card were created to track all the ad-hoc requests. To help team visualize spending on unplanned work

Work Agreement ensured that work is not coming from different sources but always channeled through one source.

Creation Column to have only reviewed and prioritized items regularly helped creating healthy backlog

The roles are defined and responsibilities clearly articulated.

Expedite lane helped the team handle requests that come in as blockers for others

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3Reduction in work pressure helped the team to focus on ad-hoc as well as other requests which in turn reduced defect density

6 Well defined explicit Value ensured that the team is not pulling the cards without meeting DODs f previous Columns

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Business Need Utilization and Rationalization

Governance

Team ensured that they are not over burdened with work that they cannot handle by agreeing upon WIP limit

4Kanban Board gave the team a good virtual view of the work the team is handling

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How Kanban Transformation

Training and Enablement Output of STATIK

• Work Item, Work Item Type, Classes of Services

• Kanban Board needed for this program,

• Working agreement, Entry and Exit criteria for each stage and swim lanes,

• Segregated the roles and responsibilities of each roles and their access level

Hours Good sync up amongst

Distributed Teams

For Effective communication teams were collocated only at 2-3 locations

Followed best practices to be Customer Centric

• Daily connect with Business• Regular VC connect• Rewards and Recognition

Connect, Developers Forums

• Rally is used as one shop for everything .

• QC, Remedy, SharePoint are connected to Rally

• Focused Training in SAFe for team and Leader by SPCs

• Team Trained on Kanban by AKTs or KMPs

• Internal group activities were conducted to emphasize team collaboration

Miles Stones Defined

to improve maturity

of Kanban

ALM Tools Communication Agility Mindset

• Agile Roadshow• ABLE Training• Penny, KAKKA games• Fun Retrospection

“Focused workshop Using STATIK”

Great community of Practice was

setup for cognitive learning

Sustain using Kanban Metrics

Suggested Measures

No: of work items in

each state (CFD)

Lead time Cycle time Time elapsed (control chart)

Throughput

Benefits Realized

EfficiencyRealized

Advancement in new product/feature delivery

Critical/High defects completion rate is increased .

Increase in business clarification turn around time

Increase in Throughput

Increase in defect backlog reduction

Reduction in overall aging of work item

BusinessObjectives

Faster implementation of new product feature

Accommodate critical business priorities

Achieve more business values with same budget

Non disruptive product availability

Realize up-front/current business values for given budget

Visibility of each portion of feature delivery.

Ability toForecast

Just enough investment exists to eliminate wasted resources as an idea moves to the next phase

Economic thinking is practiced by using WSJF

Evaluation is based on ROI to analyze the effort that is required and the value

Relative ranking favors lower investment in analysis over precision until later

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Shallow

Depth

Core practices for successful Kanban adoption

1 Visualize

2 Limit Work-in-Progress

3 Manage Flow

4 Make Policies Explicit

5 Implement Feedback Loops

6 Improve Collaboratively, evolve experimentally (using models & scientific method)

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