A user story is a short description of a small piece of desired functionality written from the user’s

perspective and in their language. A user story has three primary components, each of which begin

with the letter ‘C’: Card, Conversation, and Confirmation. The card is a written or digital note that

captures the essence of the user story using the format: “As a (who), I want (what), so that (why).”

The conversation is the ongoing dialogue between the team and the customer or product owner to

elaborate and refine the user story details. The confirmation is the set of acceptance criteria and

tests that verify the user story is done and meets the customer’s expectations12. Reference: What is

User Story? - Visual Paradigm, The Anatomy of a User Story | Scrum Alliance | Includes Template

Iteration planning for Kanban teams is different from Scrum teams in that Kanban teams do not

estimate their velocity, do not commit to service level agreements, and do not plan the Iteration in

detail. Instead, Kanban teams use a flow-based process that allows them to pull work items from the

backlog as they become available and deliver value continuously. However, Kanban teams still

operate within the ART iteration cadence and often publish Iteration goals to align with the ART

vision and objectives, as well as to communicate their priorities and dependencies to other teams

and stakeholders. Reference: SAFe Team Kanban, Agile Iteration Planning Effectively

The modified Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers that starts with 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40,

100, and so on. It is used when estimating the relative size and complexity of backlog items, such as

stories and features, using story points or normalized estimation. The modified Fibonacci sequence

reflects the uncertainty in estimating larger items, as the gap between the numbers increases as the

numbers get bigger. This means that the larger the item, the less precise the estimate, and the more

likely it is to be split into smaller items. The modified Fibonacci sequence also helps to avoid the false

sense of accuracy that comes from using linear scales, such as hours or days, which may not account

for the variability and unpredictability of the work. Reference: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe®

Practitioner, Story, Feature, Estimating

Iteration planning, Iteration review, and backlog refinement are examples of team events, which are

events that occur within the Agile team to plan, execute, and improve their work. Team events are

aligned with the Iteration cadence, which is typically two weeks. Team events include:

Iteration planning: A meeting where the team reviews the team backlog, estimates the stories, and

commits to the Iteration goals

Daily stand-up: A 15-minute meeting where the team members synchronize their work, share their

progress, and identify any impediments or dependencies

Backlog refinement: An ongoing activity where the team and the Product Owner collaborate to refine

the team backlog, split features into stories, write acceptance criteria, and prioritize the work

Iteration review: A meeting where the team demonstrates the completed stories to the Product

Owner and other stakeholders, and collects feedback and validation

Iteration retrospective: A meeting where the team reflects on their performance, identifies what

went well and what can be improved, and agrees on action items to implement in the next Iteration

Team events are different from PI events, which are events that occur at the program level and

involve all the teams and stakeholders of an Agile Release Train (ART). PI events include:

PI planning: A two-day event where the ART aligns on a common vision, mission, and goals for the

upcoming Program Increment (PI), and creates a plan for delivering value

System demo: A meeting where the ART demonstrates the integrated solution to the Business

Owners and other stakeholders, and collects feedback and validation

Inspect and Adapt (I&A): A one-day event where the ART reviews the PI results, identifies the

strengths and weaknesses, and creates an improvement backlog for the next PI

Team events are also different from sync events, which are events that occur at the large solution

level and involve multiple ARTs and Solution Trains that are working on a complex solution. Sync

events include:

Solution demo: A meeting where the Solution Train demonstrates the integrated solution to the

Customers and other stakeholders, and collects feedback and validation

Pre- and Post-PI planning: Meetings where the Solution Train aligns on a common vision, mission,

and goals for the upcoming PI, and coordinates the dependencies and risks across the ARTs

Solution I&A: A meeting where the Solution Train reviews the PI results, identifies the strengths and

weaknesses, and creates an improvement backlog for the next PI

Team events are also different from program events, which are events that occur at the portfolio

level and involve the Portfolio Management and other strategic roles. Program events include:

Portfolio sync: A meeting where the Portfolio Management reviews the portfolio vision, strategy, and

roadmap, and aligns the value streams and ARTs on the portfolio priorities and objectives

Lean budget guardrails: A set of policies and guidelines that govern the allocation and spending of

the portfolio budget across the value streams and ARTs

Portfolio Kanban: A system that visualizes and manages the portfolio work items, such as epics and

capabilities, and ensures that they are aligned with the portfolio strategy and value

delivery Reference: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Team Events, PI Events, Sync

Events, [Program Events]

Release Governance is the process that guides the final approval for a release in SAFe. It involves a

set of roles and responsibilities that ensure the quality, compliance, and fitness for purpose of the

solution before it is released to customers. Release Governance also coordinates the timing and

frequency of releases based on market demand and business needs. Release Governance is part of

the Release on Demand aspect of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which is the fourth and last

element in the four-part pipeline of Continuous Exploration, Continuous Integration, Continuous

Deployment, and Release on Demand. Reference: Release on Demand - Scaled Agile

Framework, SAFe for teams 93% Flashcards | Quizlet, Release on Demand - SAFe 4.5 Reference

Guide: Scaled Agile Framework …

One of the steps for setting initial velocity is to assess the team’s capacity, which is the amount of

time available for the team to work on the backlog items. The team members assess their

availability, acknowledging time off and other potential duties that may reduce their capacity, such

as meetings, training, support, etc. The team then calculates their capacity by multiplying the

number of team members by the number of hours per day by the number of days in the Iteration.

The team’s capacity is used as an input for estimating the initial velocity, which is the amount of

work the team can complete in an Iteration. Reference: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe®

Practitioner, Capacity Allocation, Velocity

The portfolio’s Strategic Themes and SWOT and TOWS analysis are critical inputs to exploring

alternatives for the future state. LPM uses the current state portfolio canvas as a starting point to

explore the different ways in which the portfolio could evolve in alignment with the strategic themes.

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, and TOWS stands for Threats,

Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Strengths. These are tools for identifying and analyzing the internal

and external factors that affect the portfolio. SWOT and TOWS help LPM to brainstorm potential

portfolio future states and prioritize the most promising ones. Reference: Portfolio Vision - Scaled

Agile Framework, Portfolio Vision - Scaled Agile Framework

Agile Product Delivery is one of the SAFe Core Competencies of Business Agility that includes the

Customer Centricity and Design Thinking dimension. Agile Product Delivery is a customer-centric

approach to defining, building, and releasing a continuous flow of valuable products and services to

customers and users. It requires a close collaboration between the business and IT, and a focus on

delivering solutions that meet the current and future needs of the customers and users. Customer

Centricity and Design Thinking are key aspects of Agile Product Delivery that help enterprises

understand their customers and users better, empathize with their problems and goals, and co-create

solutions that delight them. Customer Centricity and Design Thinking also enable enterprises to

validate their assumptions and hypotheses, and pivot when necessary to achieve the desired

outcomes. Reference: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Agile Product

Delivery, Customer Centricity, Design Thinking

SAFe recommends using a second operating system to deliver value by creating a dual operating

system that consists of a Network and a Hierarchy. The Network is optimized for speed and

adaptability, while the Hierarchy is optimized for efficiency and stability. The Network is composed of

development value streams (DVSs) that are realized by product-focused Agile Release Trains (ARTs).

The ARTs are cross-functional teams that work together to deliver software products on a regular

schedule. The Hierarchy provides the necessary support and governance for the Network, such as

operations, HR, finance, and compliance. By using a second operating system, SAFe enables business

agility by allowing the organization to organize and reorganize around the flow of value, while

maintaining the benefits and stability of the existing hierarchical structure. Reference: Business

Agility, Principle #10 – Organize around value, How Does SAFe Enable Business Agility Through A

Second Operating System, How does safe provide a second operating system that enables business

agility

= The four core values of SAFe are alignment, built-in quality, transparency, and program execution.

They represent the fundamental beliefs that are key to SAFe’s effectiveness and guide the behaviors

and actions of everyone participating in a SAFe portfolio. Alignment ensures that everyone is

working toward a common direction and strategy. Built-in quality ensures that every element of the

solution meets the appropriate quality standards. Transparency fosters trust and collaboration

among all stakeholders and enables fast and effective decision making. Program execution ensures

that the value is delivered to the customers in the shortest sustainable lead time. Reference: = Core

Values - Scaled Agile Framework, Scaled Agile Framework: Understand SAFe and Its 4 Core Values

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