Aina Alive: Agile Portfolio Management: Transforming Business Strategies into Client-Centric Outcomes (UA)
1.
2. 1. What is APM (Agile Portfolio Management)? Key
Components of APM.
2. The Initiative Prioritization and Decomposition
Process
1. What is APM Portfolio Kanban? (APM Workflow;
…Value Statement Card)
2. Strategy Decomposition
1. APM and Execution Group Ceremonies
2. APM Process
5. The Key Components of APM
that Translate Strategy into
Outcomes:
Client Insights: Continuously
gathered to steer the CX (Customer
Experience) strategy and ensure our
focus remains on Client-centric
solutions.
Business Outcomes: Defined by
leadership to prioritize the right
value for Clients and align the
organization's efforts accordingly.
Continuous Portfolio Prioritization:
Implemented at various levels of the
delivery model, ensuring the most
impactful outcomes drive the
prioritization of high-value
initiatives, Business Capabilities, and
Product Features.
Design & Delivery: Ensures
alignment of Delivery with evolving
business strategies and outcomes,
keeping Journey and Platform teams
focused on delivering optimum
value to Clients
6.
7.
8. The Initiative
Prioritization and
Decomposition
Process
1. Portfolio Establishment: Based on current-state
processes, channels, and roles, forming the Initiatives
backlog.
2. Initiatives in APM Funnel: Entered into the APM funnel,
transitioning in maturity from concept to committed work
based on stage requirements & OKRs. The APM triage
team (VPs, AVPs, IT SMEs, Business SMEs) and the APM
Board oversee this process.
3. APM Portfolio Kanban Board: Committed work moves
into the Journey/Platform funnel through Journey Feature
Backlog Refinement (for Digital Client Experience Journey)
or Platform Feature Backlog Refinement (for System
Admin Platform).
4. Initiatives Breakdown: Collaborative efforts by Journey
Leadership team(s) and/or Platform Leadership team(s)
result in the breakdown of Initiatives into Capabilities and
Features. These Features are then pulled into the
respective Journey Feature Backlog(s) and/or Platform
Feature Backlog
12. Generic APM Workflow
All big ideas are
welcome here!
New business
opportunities;
Cost saving
opportunities;
Marketplace
changes;
Problems with
existing
solutions;
New solutions
for existing
problems
Initiative value
statement;
Confirm
alignment of
Initiative to
Strategic
Theme;
Business
commitment
confirmed;
Refine
understanding;
Determine
priority
Initiative lean
business case
created with
cost/effort
estimate;
Success criteria
for the Initiative
defined;
High-level
discussion re:
areas of impact;
Refine priority;
Go/no-go
decision
Initiatives
approved by the
execution
group;
Continuous
prioritization of
approved
Initiatives
Initiative Owners,
Journey Owners and
supporting expertise
(e.g Arch & Eng,
Research &
Analysis)
decompose
Initiatives into
Journey Capabilities;
Ownership
transitions to
Journey Owners;
Journey Leadership
teams begin delivery
roadmap planning;
Initiative tracking
continues;
WIP limited by
downstream
capacity
Funnel Review Analysis
Portfolio
Backlog
Initiative in
Progress
Uncommitted Light Touch Deep Dive Approved Planning/Executing
13. Table 2. APM Portfolio Kanban Policies
Status Funnel Review Analysis Portfolio
backlog
Platform
Alignment
Done
Entrance criteria Initiative title Initiative title;
Business Sponsor
Initiative Value
Statement Card is
complete
Lean Initiative
Business Case is
complete;
Go/no go decision
has been made to
deliver the Initiative
Initiative has been
approved for
investment based on
project business
value ;
Journey and Platform
capacity is such that
new capabilities can
be developed
Capabilities and
Features are
delivered by Journey
and Platform teams;
Delivered Initiative
has met the
Acceptance Criteria
and Definition of
Done
Exit criteria Business Sponsor:
who will support the
initiative, or who is
asking for this to be
done
Initiative Value
Statement: who, what
and why;
Related Strategic
Theme or OKR: it is
understood at a high-
level how this
initiative maps to
documented
strategies or OKRs;
In Scope: areas of
impact;
Out of Scope: what
won’t be impacted;
Outcome Hypothesis:
what we think will
happen
Lean Initiative
Business Case is
complete;
Go/no go decision
has been made to
deliver the Initiative
Initiative has been
approved for
investment based on
project business
value;
Journey or Platform
capacity is such that
new capabilities can
be developed
Initiative has been
decomposed into
Capabilities and
Features and aligned
to respective Journey
and Platform
backlogs;
Capabilities and
Features are
delivered by Journey
And Platform teams;
Delivered Initiative
has met the
Acceptance Criteria
and Definition of
Done
18. Strategy Decomposition
Strategic Theme (what
outcomes do we want to
achieve?) 24-36 months
12-18 months
Initiative Initiative
Capability 6-9 months Capability
Feature Up to 3 months Feature
Story Story Up to 2 weeks Story
Portfolio Backlog
Journey Backlog
Squad Backlog
Epic Up to 2 months Epic
19. Table 5. APM Strategy Decomposition
Backlog Backlog Item Description Time Horizon Ownership Example(s)
Portfolio
Backlog
Strategic
Theme (OKRs)
Organization’s vision (what outcomes do we want to
achieve)
Who are we building this for?
Why are we building this?
Strategic Themes (OKRs)
capture the organization's
aspirations for the next 18-36
months
Execution Group Growing market share by establishing
Company X as an industry leader in
digital capabilities and service offerings
Initiative Strategic themes are defined as Initiatives within a
Portfolio Backlog and are prioritized based on
economic value;
The goals for each portfolio initiative are aligned with
Strategic Theme vision and business objectives
Initiatives have 6-18 month time
horizon
Execution Group Standardize retirement services across
both Web & Mobile platforms to
improve service accessibility and client
experience
Platform
Backlog
Capability Capabilities align to broad, functional journey
segments (ex. Eligibility, enrolment) and articulate the
capacity, materials, and expertise required to perform
core functions
A Capability outcome must align with the parent
Initiative objective
Capabilities have a 3-9 month
horizon
Journey/Platform
Leadership Team
Retirement Platform: Mobile enrolment
in retirement products and services
Feature Feature outcomes (quarterly objective) is aligned with
the Capacity outcome;
Features begin to articulate delivery requirements and
set solutions scope (ie Features begin to show the
“how”)
Features should have a 3 month
horizon
Journey/Platform or
Hub Leadership
Team
Squad 4:
Plan or Product Enrolment;
Payroll contribution rate election
Product
Backlog
Epic/User
Story
User Stories align to team-level outcomes (Sprint
Goals);
Sprint goals are aligned to quarterly objectives;
User stories articulate low-level requirements that can
Squad Product
Owner
Squad 4:
Plan enrolment display screen
20. Table 6. APM and Execution Group Ceremonies
Group Ceremony Description Cadence
Strategy
Group
Strategy Group Planning Definition of multi-year vision and strategic intent Annual (over last quarter)
Strategy Group Review Event held to review current-state of a multi-year roadmap Bi-annual
Other Tactical follow-up on risks and issues, with a focus on impediment removal Ad hoc
Execution
Group
Execution Group Planning Establish long-term strategic alignment, including operations, architecture and technology,
and define the group’s mind to long-term objectives and key-results
Annual
Quarterly Review Articulation of progresses and measurements Quarterly OKRs as measured against annual
OKRs, an overview of burn rate and spending of block funding and leadership discussion on
Executive guidance and support required to drive annual OKRs
Quarterly (within two weeks
following end of the quarter)
Execution Group Retro Reflection on the BU-level DE ways of working with a focus on opportunities for improvement Quarterly
Execution Group Sync Executive review and resolution of risks and issues; review of Initiative Portfolio board via
Agile Portfolio Management process
Every two weeks
APM Prep Preparation to discuss value statement cards and business case development progress and
impediments
Weekly
Client
Journey or
Business
Platform
Platform Sync Discussion of progress and impediments related to the delivery of capabilities and features
and journey/platform OKRs
Weekly
Platform OKR Review Platform OKR Review is a monthly review of progress on OKRs delivery and planning of
OKRs for the next quarter
Monthly
Platform Capability & OKR
Refinement
Definition of OKRs and ongoing prioritization and refinement of capabilities for next quarter in
the platform backlog
Monthly
Platform Retro Reflection on the platform’s ways of working and capability management process with a focus
on opportunities for improvement
Monthly
Squad Daily Standup Discussion of progress and impediments related to the delivery of iteration/sprint objectives Daily
Sprint Planning Definition and commitment to iteration/sprint backlog and objectives One per iteration/sprint
Backlog Refinement Prioritization and refinement of requirements in the product backlog Weekly
Sprint Demo & Review Review of delivered sprint backlog and objectives ad, where possible, a demonstration of
delivered solutions
Once per iteration/sprint
Sprint Retro Reflection on the squad’s ways of working and delivery process with a focus on opportunities
with for improvement
Once per iteration/sprint