February 26, 2020
Today we covered Portfolio Management and Leading Change. I was struck by the assortment and quality of the tools. Until today, I didn’t know how to identify an organization’s “tipping point” in its Agile adaption readiness. Now I have a whole set of tools to use in conversation with clients. I’ve also done a lot of value stream mapping, but never had a roadmap that ties the value stream to the teams delivering the value. I could have figured it out on my own or found some tools, but here was everything in one place. I would be foolish not to leverage this help. That then brings me to why I might not.
In passing the instructor mentioned, “People don’t resist change, they resist being forced to change.” Until now I’ve seen SAFe as this monstrous machine offering two options — all, or nothing! This is obviously not true. The SAFe mantra is the same as anywhere else in the Agile community. Use those ideas and tools which bring value to the customer and at their pace. SAFe and what we value most in our Agile community have more in common than I thought possible. The lingo may be different, but the values and principles are the same.
Maybe it’s time to begin a dialogue between the SAFe and Agile communities. I’m actually convinced we are talking about one community, motivated by the same love for transforming the world of work. Our accents may be different, but our hearts are in perfect alignment.
Until tomorrow, I remain fully #safeopen
