Which Of The Following Capacity Strategies Likely Adds Capacity In The Smallest Increments?

Doing is a quantum spring from imagining.

—Barbara Sher

Program Increment

A Program Increase (PI) is a timebox during which an Agile Release Railroad train (Art) delivers incremental value in the form of working, tested software and systems. PIs are typically eight – 12 weeks long. The most common pattern for a PI is 4 development Iterations, followed by i Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration.

A PI is to an Agile Release Train (Fine art) (or Solution Train), as an Iteration is to the Agile Team. Information technology'sa fixed timebox for planning, building, and validating a full system increment, demonstrating value, and getting fast feedback. Each PI applies cadence and synchronization to:

Plan the Art'south next increase of piece of work
Limit piece of work in process (WIP)
Summarize newsworthy value for feedback
Assure consequent, ART broad retrospectives

Due to its scope, the PI provides an advisable timebox for Portfolio Level considerations and 'roadmapping.'

Details

SAFe divides the development timeline into a serial of iterations within a PI. The Big Picture illustrates how a PI is initiated past a PI Planning event and is then followed by four execution iterations, concluding with one IP iteration. This pattern is suggestive only arbitrary, and there is no fixed dominion for how many iterations are in a PI. Experience has shown, however, that a PI elapsing between 8 and 12 weeks works best, with a bias toward shorter durations.

A Solution Train and its associated Agile Release Trains use the same PI cadency, as shown in Effigy 1.

Figure ane. The Solution Train and Agile Release Trains follow the aforementioned PI cadence

The PI represents the outer loop of the Shewhart PDCA cycle equally shown at the top of Figure 1. It combines the value developed past each Agile squad into a meaningful Milestone to objectively mensurate the Solution nether development.

This PI (outer loop) PDCA learning cycle is represented in SAFe by the post-obit ART events and activities:

Plan – The PI Planning event is the plan pace of the cycle.
Do – PI execution is the practice
Check – The System Demo is the cheque
Suit – The Inspect and Conform (I&A) is the adjust

Develop on Cadency, Release on Demand

Continuous execution of PIs provides the rhythm for trains, and the assets they create to grow iteratively and incrementally. Releasing solutions, notwithstanding, is a separate concern, which is covered in the Release on Demand article. While trains determine the all-time product development rhythm, the concern is enabled to deploy releases whenever information technology, or the market, requires.

The planning cadency is often different from the release cadence. Notwithstanding, in some situations, the PI and release cadences are the aforementioned, particularly in big supply chains (see the supply chains word in Enterprise Solution Delivery). Some ARTs may demand to release more or less frequently than the PI cadence. Nevertheless, others will have multiple, contained release cycles for the solution's various components.

Executing the PI

When it comes to PI execution for a single ART, a sequence of events creates a closed-loop system to keep the railroad train on the tracks, every bit illustrated in Figure 2.

Each event is described in the next sections.

PI Planning

Each PI begins with a PI planning event. Since PI planning occurs on a fixed cadency, the entire calendar twelvemonth of events tin be scheduled well in accelerate. By scheduling PI planning events in advance, the Enterprise tin lower the cost of travel and logistics. Information technology also helps people on the train, especially Business organisation Owners, to manage their other commitments to ensure they can be present for these disquisitional events.

During PI planning, the teams estimate what will exist delivered and highlight their dependencies with other Active teams and trains. One effect of the PI planning is a set up of PI Objectives, detailing what the Fine art should have set up to demonstrate at the end of the PI. Of course, Active teams continuously integrate their piece of work and demo it during the Iteration Review and Organisation Demo (or Solution Demo for Solution Trains)

Scrum of Scrums

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) typically facilitates a weekly (or more frequently, every bit needed) Scrum of Scrums (SoS) event. The SoS helps coordinate the dependencies of the ARTs and provides visibility into progress and impediments. The RTE, representatives from each team (often the Scrum Master), and others (where advisable) meet to review their progress toward milestones and PI objectives, and dependencies among the teams. The event is timeboxed for 30-hr and is followed by a 'encounter after' where individuals who want to do a deeper swoop into specific problems can remain behind. A suggested agenda for the SoS event is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Example SoS agenda — Effigy 3. Example SoS calendar

PO Sync

In a manner similar to the SoS, a PO sync is often held for Product Owners and Product Direction. This result typically occurs weekly, or more frequently, as needed. The PO sync is also timeboxed (30 – threescore minutes) and is followed by a meet afterward to solve any problems.

The PO sync may be facilitated by the RTE or a Product Manager. The purpose is to get visibility into how well the Art is progressing toward meeting its PI objectives, to discuss problems or opportunities with Feature evolution, and to assess any scope adjustments. The event may also be used to prepare for the side by side PI (run across beneath) and may include Programme Backlog refinement and Weighted Shortest Job Outset (WSJF) prioritization ahead of the side by side PI planning event.

(Note: Every bit illustrated in Effigy two, sometimes the SoS and PO sync are combined into one result, referred to as an Fine art sync.)

Release Management Meetings

Release direction events provide governance for whatever upcoming releases, likewise as communication to direction. To acquire more, read the Release on Demand commodity.

System Demo

A system demo is a biweekly issue that provides feedback from the stakeholders about the effectiveness and usability of the organisation under development. This demo also helps ensure that integration betwixt teams on the aforementioned ART occurs on a regular basis—at to the lowest degree in one case every iteration. And as "integration points command production development" [i], the system demo is the routine point at which the meaningful, emergent beliefs of the full system or solution tin be evaluated.

Prepare for the Next PI Planning Event

While nosotros note this action equally an event in Figure 2, in reality, preparing for the upcoming PI is a continuous procedure, with three master focus areas:

Direction alignment and organizational readiness for planning
Backlog and content readiness
Facility readiness—the bodily logistics for the event

Since any one of these can interfere with the potential outcome—a specific and committed PI program—conscientious consideration of all three factors is necessary.

Inspect and Adapt

The PI is washed when its timebox expires. Each PI concludes with a concluding system demo called a PI System Demo. This is a newsworthy issue that illustrates all the features that have been accomplished during the PI. This is done equally part of the I&A issue, which is a regular time to reflect, apply problem-solving techniques, and have on comeback actions needed to increase the velocity, quality, and reliability of the next PI. The outcome of the I&A event is a set of improvement features or Stories that tin can be added to the backlog for the upcoming PI planning. In this way, every ART improves every PI.

Solution Train PI Execution

Solution Trains have additional important events and activities, which bring a like focus to the successful development and delivery of big, enterprise solutions. These are described next.

Pre- and Postal service-PI Planning

Pre- and Mail-PI Planning events are used for preparation and coordination of PI planning across multiple ARTs and Suppliers in a Solution Train. The purpose of these events is to create a common Vision and mission, and marshal around a set of features and Capabilities that volition advance the solution.

The pre-PI planning event is used to coordinate inputs (e.k., business organization context, cardinal milestones and Solution Context) for the individual ART PI planning events. The post-PI planning consequence is used to integrate the results from each ART PI planning event, manage identified risks and dependencies, and update the Roadmap for the Solution Train.

At the finish of the post-PI planning result, there should exist a commitment to an agreed set of solution-level PI objectives to exist implemented past the cease of the PI.

Solution Increment and Solution Demo

During the PI timebox, the ARTs build multiple increments of value, which grow into solution capabilities. The new capabilities must be designed, developed, tested, and validated holistically, forth with the existing capabilities of the solution. The solution demo is a disquisitional aspect of the PI learning cycle for a Solution Train. This loftier-profile event allows large solution stakeholders, customers (or their internal proxies), and senior management to view the progress that the Solution Train has made during the PI.

At this outcome, the Solution Train demos its accomplishments for the unabridged PI. Senior managers and stakeholders review the progress in the broader solution context. Information technology may also inform decisions about whether to pivot or persevere with capabilities, likewise equally changes to Lean Budgets for the various Value Streams.

Solution Train Inspect and Adjust

At the end of the PI, an additional I&A event may exist required at the Large Solution Level. Information technology follows the same format every bit the I&A for the ART. Due to the number of people involved, attendees at the Solution Railroad train I&A cannot include everyone from the ARTs, and so the best-suited representatives are selected to accost that context. This includes the chief stakeholders of the Solution Train, as well every bit representatives from the various ARTs and suppliers.

Learn More

[1] Oosterwal, Dantar P. The Lean Machine: How Harley-Davidson Drove Superlative-Line Growth and Profitability with Revolutionary Lean Product Development. Amacom, 2010.

Last update: 17 December 2021

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