SAFe 4.0 Sneak Peek 2!

Hi Everyone,

Since our last update, the team has been working on the next revision of the Big Picture, V4.0. In so doing, we have taken every opportunity to test assumptions and learn new insights from our practitioners in the field: SPCs, Agile coaches, and leaders who deal with different aspects of scaling development within large enterprises. Multiple SPC testing sessions in Boulder, CO, Herndon, VA, and Sydney, Australia are the latest examples. These sessions helped us finalize the current draft of the BP for SAFe 4.0. Thanks to all who contributed!

As a result, we have developed a more modular – and more expandable – version of the Big Picture. And as many of you know from our prior releases of SAFe LSE, the Expanded view  incorporates the LSE-developed content and provides guidance for teams building larger cyber-physical systems and really big software solutions. The Expanded view is below:

The Collapsed view provides guidance for cases when the value streams can be delivered by a single ART (50–125) people.

Obviously, there are other changes as well. These include:

• New treatment and inclusion of Kanban systems at Portfolio, Value Stream and Program levels. Designed to be somewhat self-explanatory, but time will tell
• The addition of the Enterprise icon; highlighting the connection of the program portfolio to the enterprise strategy
• The inclusion of the Customer and Solution Context
• Program and Solution epics
• A new treatment for Solution Intent that now shows the dynamic nature of fixed and variable aspects. It will also serve as a launching pad for discussions of adaptive requirements and design, set-based development, and agile contracts
• Value Stream Coordinator – a VS equivalent of the RTE
• Solution Architect – multiple ART value streams typically require architectural governance and guidance
• Update to Engineering and Quality Practices include the “XP” inspired attribution
• Communities of Practice – this important construct, orthogonal to cross-functional teams, has been used in SAFe, but now has its now object for better articulation
• “Release Any Time” – better wording (we hope) to explain the fact that Releases do not have to occur on the cadence
• Explicit representation of the value stream, solution and customer in the collapsed view. Obviously, value streams always exist,  regardless of the the size of the solution.
• The new “spanning palette”, which illustrates for example, how Metrics, Vision,  Roadmap and Milestones (new object) occur at multiple levels
• The newer third dimension (grey background), which will be used to navigate to Lean Values, SAFe Principles, and Implementation content. Lean-Agile Leaders have been repositioned there as well.
• New softer color palette

We plan to release a Preview version of SAFe 4.0 in August. General Availability is scheduled for November, 2015. As you can see from the BP, SAFe 4.0 is largely a superset of 3.0. Therefore, starting this fall, our SPC certifications will certify in both SAFe 4.0 and SAFe 3.o. SAFe 3.0, and all the associated courseware, will be supported throughout 2016.

In the meantime, we appreciate comments and thoughts on the current version. With every increment, we evolve one step forward, together.

Thank you and stay tuned for new updates!

—The SAFe Framework Team: Dean, Alex, Richard, Inbar