SAFe-POPM SAFe Product Owner-Product Manager (POPM) Question and Answers

An Operational Value Stream (OVS) is the sequence of activities needed to deliver a product or service to a customer1. Examples include manufacturing a product, fulfilling an order, admitting and treating a medical patient, providing a loan, or delivering a professional service1. An OVS is the system that delivers value to the customer and generates revenue for the enterprise2. In SAFe®, OVSs are the primary focus of the Customer Centricity competency, which aims to understand and meet the needs and expectations of the customer3.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (A, C, and D) are not systems that deliver a product or service to a customer, but rather systems or concepts that support or enable the delivery of value.

•A Kanban System is a method of visualizing and managing the flow of work in a value stream4. A Kanban System can be applied to any type of value stream, whether operational or developmental, to improve efficiency, quality, and predictability4.

•A Development Value Stream (DVS) is the sequence of activities needed to convert a business hypothesis into a digitally-enabled solution that delivers customer value. A DVS is the system that develops and supports the solutions used by the OVSs. In SAFe®, DVSs are the primary focus of the Agile Product Delivery competency, which aims to continuously explore, integrate, deploy, and release value.

•A Dual Operating System is a concept proposed by John Kotter that describes the need for organizations to balance the traditional hierarchical structure with a more agile and networked structure. A Dual Operating System enables organizations to exploit their existing capabilities while exploring new opportunities for innovation and growth. In SAFe®, a Dual Operating System is achieved by applying the Lean-Agile Leadership competency, which fosters a culture of learning and empowerment.

Product Management is the role that ensures that the Agile Release Train (ART) has the Vision and Backlog needed to engage in PI Planning successfully. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the Vision, which describes the future state of the solution and its features1. Product Management also develops and maintains the Program Backlog, which contains the features and enablers that the ART will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to discover, prioritize, and refine the backlog items and present them to the ART during PI Planning3.

References:

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

One input to the Vision is customer feedback. Customer feedback is the information and opinions that customers and stakeholders provide about the solution, its features, and its value proposition1. Customer feedback helps to validate the assumptions, test the hypotheses, and measure the satisfaction of the solution2. Customer feedback also helps to identify the needs, preferences, and expectations of the customers and stakeholders, which are essential for defining and communicating the Vision3. The Vision is a description of the future state of the solution under development, and it reflects the problem(s) that the solution will solve and the benefits that it will deliver4.

References:

•Customer Feedback - Scaled Agile Framework

•Continuous Exploration - Scaled Agile Framework

•Solution Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

A mitigated ART PI Risk is one that has an agreed-upon plan for alleviation, which may involve changing the scope, schedule, or resources of the PI. This reduces the impact or likelihood of the risk, but does not eliminate it completely

Objectives are developed by teams and rolled up to the ART level during PI Planning. Objectives are a summary of the business and technical goals that the teams and the ART intend to achieve in the upcoming Program Increment (PI)1. During PI Planning, each team creates their own team PI objectives, which are then presented and reviewed by the ART and the stakeholders2. The aggregated team PI objectives form the ART PI objectives, which provide a common vision and alignment for the ART3.

References:

•PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

Product Management is the role that has content authority for the ART Backlog. The ART Backlog is a Kanban system that captures and manages the features and enablers that the Agile Release Train (ART) will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)1. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the vision, value proposition, and features of the solution, as well as prioritizing and refining the backlog items2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to ensure that the ART Backlog reflects the needs and expectations of the customers and aligns with the strategic direction of the portfolio3.

References:

•ART and Solution Train Backlogs - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

Program Increments (PIs) are the unit of time used on Solution Roadmaps, which are visual tools that forecast and communicate the planned deliverables, milestones, and investments over a time horizon12. PIs are fixed-length timeboxes, typically 8 to 12 weeks long, that provide a regular and predictable planning cadence for the Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and Solution Trains3. PIs are used on Solution Roadmaps to:

•Align the solution delivery with the PI objectives, which are the SMART goals that define the expected outcomes and benefits for each ART and Solution Train in a PI3.

•Coordinate the dependencies and interfaces between the ARTs and Solution Trains that contribute to the solution3.

•Provide a near-term forecast of the features and capabilities that will be delivered in the next two to three PIs12.

•Incorporate feedback and learning from the previous PIs and adjust the scope and priority of the work items as needed12.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (A, B, and D) are not the unit of time used on Solution Roadmaps, but rather units of time that may be used for other purposes or in other contexts.

•Iterations are fixed-length timeboxes, typically one or two weeks long, that provide a regular and predictable development cadence for the Agile Teams4. Iterations are used to plan, execute, and demo the work items in the Team Backlog4.

•Years are a unit of time that may be used to provide a high-level overview of the roadmap, outlining major milestones, goals, and initiatives that are planned over multiple years2. Years are not used to plan or forecast the solution delivery in detail, as they are too long and uncertain for Agile planning2.

•Days are a unit of time that may be used to estimate the effort or duration of a work item or a task5. Days are not used to schedule or forecast the solution delivery on the roadmap, as they are too granular and variable for Agile planning5.

One of the factors that can increase the effectiveness of Backlog Refinement is to schedule the event on a regular cadence. Backlog Refinement is the process of reviewing, updating, and prioritizing the backlog items to prepare them for future iterations or sprints1. By scheduling the event on a regular cadence, such as once or twice per week, the team can ensure that the backlog is always accurate, relevant, and ready for planning2. A regular cadence also helps the team to avoid cramming too much work into a single session, which can lead to lower quality and reduced collaboration3.

References:

•Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework

•Backlog refinement - How I learned to love agile business analysis …

•Essential Checklist for Effective Backlog Refinement (and What To Avoid …

Capacity allocation is an allocation of work by work item type for an upcoming planning period1. It helps the Agile Teams to balance their investments across different types of backlog items, such as new features, enablers, defects, and technical debt2. One benefit of capacity allocation is that it prevents different types of backlog items from being compared against each other based on their relative value or priority, which can be misleading or subjective3. Instead, capacity allocation allows the teams to focus on delivering value and quality in each work item type, without compromising the other2.

References:

•Capacity Allocation - Scaled Agile Framework

•Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework

•How Does SAFe Handle Capacity Planning and Resource Management? - Value Glide

The next action for improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective is to enter them as Stories in the Team Backlog. By adding these improvement items as Stories, they become part of the team’s ongoing work and are prioritized alongside other tasks and user stories for future iterations or sprints1. This way, the team can track and implement the improvement actions and measure their impact on the team’s performance and quality2.

References:

•Iteration Retrospective - Scaled Agile Framework

•What happens to improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective? - Service Centre List