Planning, roadmap, and dependency management using Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe, and Azure DevOps
Is your team having difficulties with getting Azure DevOps to work with SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)? You’re not alone in this struggle!
With @Scale you can now bring SAFe to Azure DevOps smoothly and efficiently!
@Scale brings the concepts from the SAFe practices to Azure DevOps. We add digital tools to help estimate, plan, and visualize work across multiple teams and projects in your organization.
It is easy to get started since @Scale follows the same look and feel as Azure DevOps.
Also, everything you do in @Scale stays in Azure DevOps, so you don't have to worry about integration, security, or data protection in a separate service.
Key benefits
- Scaled Agile planning for cross functional teams.
- Seamless integration with Azure DevOps.
- Visualization of work across Azure DevOps projects and teams.
- Prioritize the work using visual tools for WSJF.
- Roadmap visualization to show the delivery flow.
- Dependency management using a program board that shows constraints and critical paths with a clear visualization of dependencies.
- Objectives and Risk management to keep focus on the most important things.
- Key metrics to show insights into what matters in your SAFe planning.
Testimonials
"We began our journey following the Microsoft prescribed configuration for SAFe. Once we >installed this extension our old structures were no longer required!”
"The installation and configuration of this extension was smooth and without impact to our existing configuration. The extension widely make use of the existing structures of Azure DevOps, The extension with digital Program Board, PI Objective and Risk tracking has been a great help after being forced out of the office and on to 100% digital facilitation."
- Christoffer Bolding Christensen, Energinet
We bring SAFe to Azure DevOps!
With the @Scale extension, your Azure DevOps project will be enriched to include artifacts and tools from scaled agile ideas, such as the Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe.
Dependency management using a program board
Working together at scale requires increased visibility into what others are doing. @Scale adds an interactive program board to make documenting and sharing that information easier.
- Quickly document planning. The program board lets you easily add features directly to the board or map them from an existing backlog.
- Share increment overview. With a digital program board, anyone can look at the result from the increment planning.
- Visualize dependencies. The program board shows dependencies between features and it's really easy to add new ones by dropping cards on each other to make a connection.
Planning
When working at scale repeatable tasks can easily become significant chores, so in the spirit of lean principles we want to automate what we can to remove waste.
- Definition of context. In @Scale you define who works together so relevant information can be kept in focus for the teams. In SAFe we define the agile release trains, ARTs, as the logical unit of connecting who works on what when.
- Order teams. Set the order or the teams to match how you want them displayed on the board.
- Add dependent teams. Dependent teams can be added to the ART if you want to track dependencies between delivery teams and shared teams.
- Automatic creation of Program Increments and Sprints. Tools should support and not be in the way, in agile there are a lot of recurring tasks that @Scale tries to automate.
Objectives
Goal setting is key to keeping focus on the most important things. In @Scale you can set goals at PI level or per team by using Objectives. Set the planned business value (BV) when planning the increment and follow up during the execution. Use Scale for
- Documenting PI and Team PI Objectives. An important part of measuring performance and delivery precision is to set objectives for the PIs and then measure the outcome.
- Measure achievement and delivery. Use business value to measure outcomes and monitor progress using Feature completion by linking objectives to features.
Risks
Risk management is an important part of the planning work. During PI planning the teams state risks and impediments to the RTE. @Scale provides a board where the team efficiently manages risks, both during the planning and later to track the risks during the increment.
- Visualize and manage risks. During the PI planning risks are easily shared by using the risk board. Later during the ROAM exercise the teams and business owners find ways to manage the risks before committing to the plan for the next increment.
- Customize columns. Create a board that suits your team. Use the ROAM acronym, custom states or risk levels - the risk board can be customized to your way of working.
Analytics - Flow Metrics
Quick insights into project statuses are essential, Get insights and drive your Scaled Agile planning to new heights with our Flow Metrics. This analytics hub is designed to give you a detailed understanding of your project's health and efficiency, showcasing:
Flow Distribution:. Tracks the spread of work types, ensuring balance and identifying workflow inefficiencies.
Flow Load. Monitors active, new, and closed work items to optimize capacity and maintain a manageable work in progress (WIP).
Flow Predictability:. Compares planned versus actual delivery to enhance forecasting and improve reliability.
Flow Velocity:. Measures the completion rate of work items per iteration, supporting consistent and sustainable pace.
Flow Time:. Assesses the time from work item commitment to delivery, targeting process improvements for speed.
Flow Efficiency:. Evaluates the percentage of time that work items are being actively worked on versus the time they are idle, focusing on minimizing downtime and enhancing overall throughput.
Process configuration
Alignment of agile teams is important when working at scale, but it can be time-consuming to maintain. @Scale extends Azure DevOps with process enhancements to make it easier to get started and keep going. In @Scale we've also added tooling for additional planning concepts and artifacts introduced by SAFe, such as release trains, program increments, and objectives.
- Custom Azure DevOps SAFe process template. We bring a SAFe process template to Azure DevOps so you don't have to spend time coming up with one on your own.
- Automating configuration of Azure DevOps projects. It should be easy to get started so we provide a guided configuration process that automatically adds the artifacts used in the SAFe framework, for instance, release trains, program increments, and objectives.
