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Communicating and refining the Vision to the Agile Release Train (ART) during PI Planning supports the SAFe Core Value of Alignment. Alignment is one of the four core values of SAFe thatguides the behaviors and actions of the people who work under the framework1. Alignment means that everyone understands the strategic direction, the value streams, and the solution intent, and how their role and work contribute to them2. PI Planning is a crucial event in SAFe where all the teams within the ART come together to plan their work for the upcoming Program Increment (PI)3. During PI Planning, the Product Management presents the Vision, which describes the future state of the solution and its features4. The Vision helps align the teams and stakeholders to a shared mission and goal, and provides the context and purpose for the PI objectives.

References:

•SAFe Core Values - Scaled Agile Framework

•Alignment - Scaled Agile Framework

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

A Kanban board is a visual tool that helps teams manage the flow of work from start to finish. It shows the steps of the team’s workflow, the work items in each step, and the work-in-process (WIP) limits for each step1. A Kanban board demonstrates where a team has too much work-in-process (WIP), which is the number of work items that are being worked on at any given time. Having too much WIP can cause delays, bottlenecks, and waste in the value stream2. By using a Kanban board, teams can identify and resolve the sources of excessive WIP, and optimize their flow and throughput3.

References:

•SAFe Team Kanban - Scaled Agile Framework

•Applying Kanban in SAFe - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is a Kanban Board, and How Do You Use It? - How-To Geek

A story map is a tool that visualizes features representing a workflow. A story map is a two-dimensional arrangement of user stories that shows the relationship between the user activities and the features that support them1. A story map helps the team to understand the user journey, prioritize the features based on value and dependencies, and plan the releases and iterations2.

References:

•Story Mapping - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is User Story Mapping? | Definition and Overview

Product Management is the role that has content authority for the ART Backlog. The ART Backlog is a Kanban system that captures and manages the features and enablers that the Agile Release Train (ART) will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)1. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the vision, value proposition, and features of the solution, as well as prioritizing and refining the backlog items2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to ensure that the ART Backlog reflects the needs and expectations of the customers and aligns with the strategic direction of the portfolio3.

References:

•ART and Solution Train Backlogs - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

Journey mapping is one method for designing the end-to-end customer experience. It is a visual representation of the steps, emotions, and pain points that a customer goes through when interacting with a product or service. It helps to identify the customer needs, expectations, and goals, as well as the gaps and opportunities for improvement in the current experience. Journey mapping also helps to align the stakeholders on the customer perspective and prioritize the features and solutions that will deliver the most value and satisfaction123

References:

•The expanding role of design in creating an end-to-end customer experience

•End to End Customer Experience: Know and Control its 3 Elements - HEFLO BPM

•How Design thinking Can Shape end to end Customer Experience

Product Management is the role that ensures that the Agile Release Train (ART) has the Vision and Backlog needed to engage in PI Planning successfully. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the Vision, which describes the future state of the solution and its features1. Product Management also develops and maintains the Program Backlog, which contains the features and enablers that the ART will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to discover, prioritize, and refine the backlog items and present them to the ART during PI Planning3.

References:

•Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

•PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

Capacity allocation is an allocation of work by work item type for an upcoming planning period1. It helps the Agile Teams to balance their investments across different types of backlog items, such as new features, enablers, defects, and technical debt2. One benefit of capacity allocation is that it prevents different types of backlog items from being compared against each other based on their relative value or priority, which can be misleading or subjective3. Instead, capacity allocation allows the teams to focus on delivering value and quality in each work item type, without compromising the other2.

References:

•Capacity Allocation - Scaled Agile Framework

•Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework

•How Does SAFe Handle Capacity Planning and Resource Management? - Value Glide

The next action for improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective is to enter them as Stories in the Team Backlog. By adding these improvement items as Stories, they become part of the team’s ongoing work and are prioritized alongside other tasks and user stories for future iterations or sprints1. This way, the team can track and implement the improvement actions and measure their impact on the team’s performance and quality2.

References:

•Iteration Retrospective - Scaled Agile Framework

•What happens to improvement items identified during the Iteration Retrospective? - Service Centre List

A solution is defined as a product, service, or system delivered to the customer in SAFe. A solution can be a small mobile application built by a single Agile Release Train (ART) or a large automotive system of systems built by a network of Development Value Streams (DVSs) in a supply chain1. A solution may also be an insurance or banking product offered by a financial institution. Solutions can be the products a company sells or the internal products they use to run the business. They may provide direct value to an end-user or may be a component of a larger solution1.

References:

•Solution - Scaled Agile Framework

Product Management works with System Architect to prioritize Enablers, which are backlog items that extend the architectural runway of the solution under development or improve the performance of the development value stream1. System Architect provides technical guidance and enablement to the Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and helps identify and define the enablers needed to support the features and capabilities2. In collaboration with System Architect, Product Management negotiates capacity allocations that balance the concentration of business and enabler features in the ART backlog3.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (B, C, and D) are not the role that Product Management works with to prioritize Enablers, but rather roles that have different responsibilities or collaborations with Product Management.

•Development Manager is a role that supports the Development teams in building quality solutions and fosters a culture of technical excellence and innovation4. Development Manager may work with Product Management to provide feedback on the feasibility and effort of the features and enablers, but not to prioritize them.

•Product Owner is a role that represents the customer and stakeholders to the Development team and defines and accepts the work items in the Team Backlog. Product Owner may work with Product Management to align on the product vision and roadmap and to decompose the features and enablers into stories, but not to prioritize them.

•Solution Management is a role that is responsible for defining and delivering complex solutions that require multiple ARTs and Solution Trains. Solution Management may work with Product Management to coordinate the dependencies and interfaces between the solutions and the products, but not to prioritize the enablers.