About
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a set of proven, integrated principles, practices, and competencies for achieving business agility using Lean, Agile, and DevOps.
DTS will be using SAFe to help further a culture of planning and coordination across teams.
SAFe Video Coaching Series
For assistance with your SAFe transformation, training or coaching needs, please reach out to us at safetransformation@utah.gov
SAFe for DTS
DTS is implementing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) as our project and service delivery methodology across the organization. SAFe is a set of industry best practices and organizational tools that will help teams plan work, manage change, and coordinate efforts.
Watch this short video for a high-level overview of the Scaled Agile Framework: SAFe in Five Minutes
Schedule
As part of this phased transformation journey, we have split the division into 3 cohorts with Cohort 1 going live Jan 2023 followed by Cohort 2 in Apr 2023 and final cohort in July 2023.
| IT Director | Cohort | Date |
| Aaron Jeter (BOPP) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Aaron Jeter (UDC) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Adam Radel (UDOT) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Chad Thompson (DPS) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Collin Peterson (DWS) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| George McEwan | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Mark Poncelet (PMO) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Wes Miles (GOV, VA, CCE, GoUtah) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Wes Miles (UID) | Cohort 1 | Jan-23 |
| Bri Lifferth | Cohort 2 | Apr-23 |
| Dan Frei (Finance) | Cohort 2 | Apr-23 |
| Kevin Lopez | Cohort 2 | Apr-23 |
| Patrick Funk | Cohort 2 | Apr-23 |
| Tricia Cox (DHHS) | Cohort 2 | Apr-23 |
| Bill Boudreau (DAF) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Bill Boudreau (DEQ) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Bill Boudreau (DNR) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Jared Jensen | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| John Barrett | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Matt Peters (UGRC) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Paul Kearsley (DOC) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Paul Kearsley (ULC) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Phil Bates | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Shancie Nance | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Steve Coons (TAX) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
| Tim Cornia (DABS) | Cohort 3 | Jul-23 |
Benefits
The best practices and success patterns of SAFe help large numbers of Agile teams communicate, work together, and plan effectively. It takes the team-level practices that make Agile teams so successful, such as those in Scrum, Extreme Programming, DevOps, and Lean, and scales them up so that teams of teams can benefit in the same way that team members do.
At DTS, we are focusing on the aspects of SAFe that empower us to:
- Facilitate a culture of continuous planning and build quarterly plans that increase visibility and promote alignment
- Identify dependencies and risks early so that they can be addressed before they impact our work
- Manage resources so that we can plan the right work and the right amount of work
- Continuously improve and adapt our processes to meet the needs of our teams and the Agencies we serve
Training and Impact
We have chosen to adopt a small portion of the Scaled Agile Framework initially. This will allow us to get the maximum gain with minimum impact to the work we do and how we do it. We have worked hard to prepare resources to help you with the transformation to SAFe.
- Over 200 managers and supervisors from all the teams across DTS, as well as key personnel in our partner Agencies will receive professional, role-based training in the SAFe framework to become subject matter experts in the framework. This training covers far more of SAFe than we will implement. Not only will they be experts in how we are implementing SAFe in DTS, they will also have a broad understanding of the framework to aid in continuous improvement.
- The Project Management Office is providing resources, tools, and in-person coaching for teams as they transition into SAFe. The PMO coaches meet regularly with leaders from every team to help them prepare for and succeed with the upcoming changes.
- Short video coaching modules have been produced by professional trainers that describe the key activities you will be participating in. These cover all of the SAFe principles and practices that you will engage in when your cohort launches. And unlike the SAFe articles and resources you can find online, these have been customized to meet the unique needs of our organization.
Here is an overview of what will change when your team begins to work in the SAFe framework.
Teams will come together for a one- to two-day quarterly planning session. Called Program Increment (PI) Planning in SAFe, the purpose of this planning session is to identify the work that the teams will perform over the upcoming quarter. The teams will discuss this work as a group so that they can identify and address dependencies and risks. By the end of PI Planning, the teams will commit to the work that they can successfully complete over the next 12 weeks.
Teams will adopt a shared cadence. In SAFe, all teams work in two-week sprints that start and end at the same time. Each quarter has five two-week sprints, followed by an innovation and planning sprint. The PI Planning event occurs in that sprint, ensuring that you have a quarterly plan ready to go when the next quarter begins.
Teams will conduct a PI Retrospective. Just like the sprint retrospective that occurs at the end of every two-week sprint, SAFe encourages a Program Increment Retrospective that looks back over the work of the previous quarter. In this event, you will work with other teams to measure how well the teams performed as well as how the teams may wish to adjust or improve the SAFe processes.
Supporting Documentation
- SAFe in Five Minutes
- Learn about SAFe at DTS with our SAFe Video Coaching Series
- Read about the full Scaled Agile Framework at scaledagileframework.com
- Questions? Email safetransformation@utah.gov
