The August 2021 Tech Talk was presented by Kimberly Wade
Abstract:
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is the leading method for scaling lean and agile practices to large solution delivery. Using SAFe allows large organizations with multiple programs and projects to create alignment, synchronization, and transparency at all levels, from top leadership down to individual teams. SAFe also allows leaders to communicate what is most important today, and gives teams the confidence that they’re addressing their highest priorities first. However, using SAFe alone creates challenges, especially in monitoring large deliverables by teams that use Scrum as their sole means of planning and tracking. Among these challenges are: inability to adjust individual labor hours due to lack of insight about actual time spent on tasks; neglecting product quality during development until integration; and inability to roll up overall program status with respect to each individual project’s status. These and other challenges leave SAFe programs without the ability to accelerate team performance using quantitative data. Combining SAFE with multiple methods and tools can help the program to achieve much greater success.
About the Presenter
Kimberly Wade is part of the Lean Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) at NAVAIR. She is passionate about supporting teams as they use lean agile principles and practices to deliver value to their customer. She believes program success begins at the individual team level, and conducts regular training and coaching to ensure team members have the resources they need to be successful. Kimberly has a BS in Organizational and Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University, and has worked at NAVAIR for 6 years as a process and product improvement leader.
