This document summarizes a presentation about how the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) can be beneficial for design teams if implemented properly. The presenters discuss common myths about SAFe, such as the ideas that it is not agile, that design only happens on demand, and that it treats work as an assembly line. However, SAFe can help if teams focus on lean, agile principles like iterative design, collaborative cross-functional teams, and making work meaningful. Design is an integral part of the solution-making process rather than a separate phase. With the right attitudes and staffing, SAFe can provide benefits while respecting design's differences.

1. Hold on to Your Hats: The Scaled
Agile Framework (SAFe) Might
Actually Be a Good Thing for Design
Speakers: Jennifer Fabrizi & River Brandon of Travelers

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3. GOOD FOR DESIGN

4. Jen Fabrizi
Design Director, Strategy & Research
Travelers
River Brandon
Design Director, Design System Product Owner
Travelers

5. Jen Fabrizi
Design Director, Strategy & Research
Travelers
River Brandon
Design Director, Design System Product Owner
Travelers
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of Travelers.
Not EXPERTS

6. WHY ARE WE HERE?

7. #OwnTheFramework

8. WHAT IS SAFe?

9. RUN AWAY

10. BACK TO BASICS

11. LEAN, AGILE, LEAN UX
• Dedicated, accountable, cross-functional teams
• Collaborative, iterative, responsive
• User-centric, hypothesis-driven, measurable
• Continuous, on-demand, value-oriented

12. • Manage across portfolios and orgs
• Create and sustain platforms
• Use Kanban and Scrum for
different needs, and stay in sync
SAFe CAN HELP US

13. IF IT’S NOT LEAN,
IF IT’S NOT AGILE,
IT’S NOT SAFe

14. RIDING THE
RELEASE TRAIN
Busting design myths in Scaled Agile

15. “WE’RE AGILE.”*
MYTH #1
* EXCEPT FOR UX

16. “WHERE’S THE UX?”

17. BEWARE
THE TRAP OF
“SHARED SERVICES”

18. YOU’RE ON THE TEAM

19. HANG YOUR HAT ON…

20. FOR THE
INTE-GREAT-ER
GOOD

21. FUNNEL RESEARCH ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIO
BACKLOG IMPLEMENTING DONE
PORTFOLIO KANBAN
WE HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT
ALL BIG IDEAS
WELCOME
DESIGN HAPPENS HERE!

22. FUNNEL RESEARCH ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIO
BACKLOG IMPLEMENTING DONE
PORTFOLIO KANBAN
WE HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT
FUNNEL ANALYSIS BACKLOG IMPLEMENTING VALIDATING DEPLOYING
PROGRAM KANBAN
DESIGN HAPPENS HERE!

23. A HYPOTHESIS IS WORTH A THOUSAND REQUIREMENTS

24. LAYING DOWN TRACKS
ENABLERS
EPICS FEATURES STORIES> >

25. TYPES OF ENABLERS
Exploration
Enablers
Architecture
Enablers
Infrastructure
Enablers
Compliance
Enablers

26. FUNNEL RESEARCH ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIO
BACKLOG IMPLEMENTING DONE
PORTFOLIO KANBAN
EXPLORATION ENABLERS
• Support research and
prototyping to understand
user needs and explore
solution options
• Can be epics, features, or
stories
• Are managed through the
portfolio and program
Kanbans
FUNNEL RESEARCH ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIO
BACKLOG IMPLEMENTING DONE
PORTFOLIO KANBAN
FUNNEL ANALYSIS BACKLOG
IMPLEMENTIN
G VALIDATING DEPLOYING
PROGRAM KANBAN

27. BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES
• Make it your job to learn SAFe
• Collaborate to define how much is
enough
• Listen, empathize, act

28. DESIGN ON DEMAND
MYTH #2

29. ORDER’S UP!

30. REQUIREMENTS ARCHITECTURE DESIGN BUILD TEST RELEASE MEASURE
REQ
UIRE
MEN
TS
ARC
HITE
CTU
RE
DESI
GN
BUIL
D
TEST
RELE
ASE
MEA
SUR
E
FASTER, WATERFALL!
#Tragile
REQ
UIRE
MEN
TS
ARC
HITE
CTU
RE
DESI
GN
BUIL
D
TEST
RELE
ASE
MEA
SUR
E
REQ
UIRE
MEN
TS
ARC
HITE
CTU
RE
DESI
GN
BUIL
D
TEST
RELE
ASE
MEA
SUR
E
#WaterScrumFall #WaterFail

31. #KillHandoffs

32. Hang your hat on…

33. XD IT
PM
ZONE OF HAPPINESS
AWESOME
RESULTS

34. XD IT
PM
GREAT EXPERIENCES
NOT MADE HERE

35. #Besties
DESIGN AND PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

36. INVITE EVERYONE

37. MAKE THE SOLUTION
MAKE THE DECISIONS
CO-CREATE
DOCUMENT DECISIONS

38. CO-CREATE
DOCUMENT DECISIONS

39. #ShowYourWork

40. BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES
• Step into the void
• Address fears
• Practice confidence and authority

41. MACHINE FOR DELIVERY
MYTH #3

42. TOILING IN THE
FEATURE FACTORY

43. GIVE WORK MEANING
WORK IS SOCIAL

44. WORK IS SOCIAL
MAKE WORK HUMAN

45. Real
World
Information
FeedbackDecision

46. Real
World
Information
FeedbackDecision
Mental
Model
Decision-Making
Rules

47. Real
World
Information
FeedbackDecision
Mental
Model
Decision-Making
Rules
DOUBLE-LOOP LEARNING

48. HANG YOUR HAT ON…

49. CONTINUOUS DELIVERY PIPELINE
Hypothesize Build Measure
Learn
Continuous
Exploration
Continuous
Integration
Continuous
Deployment

50. IDEAS CAN COME
FROM ANYWHERE
INNOVATION

51. INNOVATION
RELAX, WE HAVE
TIME FOR THAT

52. INNOVATION
1% INSPIRATION,
99% PERSPIRATION

53. BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES
• Treat design work like it’s
knowledge management
• Get your head out of your laptop
• Show, don’t tell

54. DESIGN IS DIFFERENT
MYTH #4

55. I’M SPECIAL!

56. THE DESIGN
OF EXPERIENCE

57. THE
DESIGNOF
EXPERIENCE

58. HANG YOUR HAT ON…

59. Culture of shared
responsibility
Lean flow to
accelerate delivery
Recovery enables
low-risk releases
Automation of
continuous delivery
pipeline
Measure everything
SAFe DevOps

60. Culture of shared
responsibility
Lean flow to
accelerate delivery
The UX is
what we make
together
Recovery enables
low-risk releases
Automation of
continuous delivery
pipeline
Measure everything
SAFe DevOps
Design work
is part of making
the solution
Common design
toolchain and cycles of
activity
Resilient design
enables learning
and adjusting
UX OKRs
SAFe
DesignOps

61. DESIGN STAFFING
PORTFOLIO
Epic Owners
PROGRAM (RELEASE TRAIN) SCRUM TEAM
Product MgmtSys Arch
RTE
Product OwnerDev Team
Scrum Master
Enterprise Arch
Lean Portfolio
Mgmt

62. Epic Owners Enterprise Arch
Lean Portfolio
Mgmt
DESIGN STAFFING
PORTFOLIO PROGRAM (RELEASE TRAIN) SCRUM TEAM
Product MgmtSys Arch
RTE
Product OwnerDev Team
Scrum Master
Design Strategy & Research
1+ PER PORTFOLIO
Design Lead and Researcher
1 EACH
Product/UI Designers
1 PER SCRUM TEAM*
DMO
Design Management Office
PEOPLE - PROCESS - TOOLS

63. Epic Owners Enterprise Arch
Lean Portfolio
Mgmt
PORTFOLIO PROGRAM (RELEASE TRAIN) SCRUM TEAM
Product MgmtSys Arch
RTE
Product OwnerDev Team
Scrum Master
#SpheresOfInfluence #YMMV

64. BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES
• Take design seriously
• Be business-minded
• Share ownership

65. IN SUMMARY
• Embrace SAFe but don’t drink the KoolAid
• Some flaws with SAFe are inherent in the framework
• Some flaws with SAFe are because of a mismatch
between representations and intent
• Some flaws with SAFe are due to immaturity with the
framework and how it’s being used

66. #OwnTheFramework#LikeABoss

67. QUESTIONS?

68. Scaled Agile Framework
Scaled Agile Framework
Scaled Agile Incorporated
SAFe certification and training
Agile Methods
Agile Alliance
Lean UX
Lean UX Book
Lean UX and the SAFe PI Life Cycle
REFERENCES
L.A.F.A.B.L.E
Mountain Goat Software Blog
Design studio image
Courtesy of Dark Horse GmbH
Animated GIFs
https://giphy.com/

69. Thank You!
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