The Scaled Agile Frame work (SAFe) incorporates methods, events, principles, and roles that agilists are already familiar with from Scrum, Lean, and XP. But SAFe is also novel, with its own unique concepts, roles, and events like the Inspect and Adapt (I&A), a reflective all hands event that happens every quarter featuring a problem solving workshop.
The thing about SAFe events is, even if you know a bit about them, they can still be super mysterious. It’s like a nursing student who’s only read their textbook or a rock and roll fan who’s never been to a Grateful Dead concert. You really have to be there to get it.
Lucky for you, I have been there! Over ten times as both a participant and a facilitator! Here are a few misconceptions.
People often use the term I&A to mean just the problem solving workshop. Though that is the main attraction of the 4-hour event, you’re missing some of the context setting that happens earlier in the agenda.
First, there’s a demo of the current state of the product, highlighting work done in the past quarter. Next, the group reviews select success and predictability metrics focusing on areas to improve. Then, some do a retrospective during the event time-box to brainstorm and form problem statements. And finally, we get to the problem solving workshop!
