How SAFe Can Be Applied to Technology Migration & Greenfield Initiatives

In this webinar, Em Campbell-Pretty and Adrienne Wilson explore the challenges and strategies for migrating off legacy platforms while continuing to deliver value. The session examines the complexities of outdated technology infrastructures and the political and financial debates surrounding them. Contrasting the dangers of a ‘lift and shift’ approach, they will offer practical insights into how to utilise SAFe practices and incremental, value-driven migration strategies to balance technical debt reduction with delivering business outcomes. View this session to learn how to navigate this intricate process and achieve a sustainable technology transformation.

Transcript

1. Em Campbell-Pretty CEO, SAFe Fellow & SPCT ecp@prettyagile.com w w w.prettyagi l e .com Adrienne Wilson COO, SAFe Fellow & SPCT awilson@prettyagile.com How SAFe Can Be Applied to Technology Migration & Greenfield Initiatives
2. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Two Use Cases
3. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Image: https://flic.kr/p/rupU15 @AgileCanuck @PrettyAgile #notrainwrecks
4. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd What Should We Do About It? The Debate Begins… The “Business” Technology We have to get off this platform because …. Nothing The platform is out of support This is just an excuse for the Technology people to get the ’new shiny thing’ Why do I care? It’s getting more and more unstable We can’t find anyone who knows how to code in assembly (or COBOL or…)
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6. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Show Me the Destination Destination postcards do double duty: They show the Rider where you’re headed, and they show the Elephant why the journey is worthwhile. - Switch, Chip Heath & Dan Heath
7. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Image: https://flic.kr/p/MKsVwK
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10. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd How Do We Do This? Copy and Paste Waterfall Carve out a special team(s) of our best and brightest
11. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Really? Why not? You wont need everything SAFe will give you a better result If you branch, you will have to merge – people and systems Copy and Paste Waterfall Carve out a special team(s) of our best and brightest
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13. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Start By Defining the Epic(s) “Yes, you do need to do this!” “Yes, you do need to include “the business”!” • Creates shared understanding • Provides transparency into the solutions complexity Why Hold an Epic Defintion Workshop? • Foster alignment on the outcomes • Enables more informed prioritisation
14. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Be Clear on the Business Outcome & Don’t Forget the Leading Indicators Pirate Metrics Acquisition Activation Retention Referral Revenue One measurable business outcome per epic that will drive the right outcomes Be Clear on the Business Outcome
15. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Identify One or More Minimal Viable Product(s) Image: https://flic.kr/p/7NKi2S The goal of the MVP is to begin the process of learning, not end it. Unlike a prototype or concept test, an MVP is designed not just to answer product design or technical questions. Its goal is to test fundamental business hypotheses. — Eric Ries, The Lean Start Up
16. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd But How Does an MVP Apply to an Enabler Epic? Image: https://flic.kr/p/iLhSaS We don’t need to do this! We know it works! Mitigate business and solution risk through targeted experiments The assets created in the MVP(s) might be throw away but the learning will not.
17. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Solution On A Page (Or Whiteboard) CRUD Assumptions Questions Simple boxes 1 2 3 4
18. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd CHARGE!
19. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Break It Down….
20. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Goal Actors Impact Deliverables Use Impact Mapping to Break Epics into Features Why are we doing this? Who can produce the desired effect? How should our actors' behaviour change? What can we do, as a delivery team, to support the required impacts?
21. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Applying Impact Mapping to Technology Migration Initiatives
22. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Deliver Business Value While Migrating; A Win: Win Approach “...the only technical debt work that should be prioritized is work that increases future flows through the value stream. Tech debt should never be done for the sake of software architecture alone…” — Mik Kersten Project to Product
23. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Win: Win - Create Business Value Drive Roadmaps
24. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Win : Win - A Team Of Teams With All The Skills Necessary
25. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Steel thread https://flic.kr/p/6c8jhc
26. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Step 1 Write tests for the behavior of the system You Think You Know How Your Current System Works… Step 2 Run them on the legacy system and see how many pass! Step 3 Determine which is correct – the test or the system Step 4 Run and add tests for the New System as you build
27. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Win: Win – Strangler Pattern
28. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Automate Now!!!! Step 1 Write tests for the behavior of the system Step 2 Run them and they will fail Step 3 Write code until tests pass Step 4 Refactor to meet standards, AUTOMATE!
29. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Maintaining a Win-Win Balance Going Forward Image: https://flic.kr/p/9LdVCR
30. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Guiding Investments by Horizon Apply Capacity Allocation Continuous Business Owner Engagement Approving Significant Initiatives Leverage the Guardrails to Achieve Balance Source: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/guardrails/
31. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Reminder On Patterns
32. ©Pretty Agile Pty Ltd Continuously Evolve Live Systems After All It Is Just Good Hygiene According to Randy Shoup: “…both eBay and Google are each on their 5th entire rewrite of their architecture from top to bottom” —Gene Kim et al. DevOps Handbook Image: https://flic.kr/p/x1z7v
33. Em Campbell-Pretty CEO, SAFe Fellow & SPCT linkedin.com/in/ejcampbellpretty/ ecp@prettyagile.com Adrienne Wilson COO, SAFe Fellow & SPCT linkedin.com/in/adriennelwilson awilson@prettyagile.com