Testing and Quality in the Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises
Derk-Jan de Grood & Mette Bruhn-Pedersen
Valori & Safe Journey
Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises (SAFe) is becoming the most popular framework used to help large programs and entire companies achieve business agility. It builds on well-known agile-lean principles and methodologies, and puts them together to address challenges not only on team level, but also on program, large solution and portfolio level. Although the framework is described in more details than other comparable frameworks it is not very elaborate on how testing and quality practices fit in. This raises new challenges for testers, Q&A and test managers, test architects, test specialists and people in similar roles together with the entire organisation.
In this eBook Derk-Jan de Grood and Mette Bruhn-Pedersen describe what guidance SAFe actually provides and suggest additional ways testers can contribute with their special knowledge and expertise.
The article is based on an expert session at the 22nd Testing Retreat (2017, Hereford UK). The Testing Retreat is a peer-conference where leaders in the testing and quality profession share their experiences and insights. The participants discussed quality measures and actions that test professionals could take in order to ensure quality when using SAFe throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). We thank all for their valuable contributions.
Key Takeaways:
- Test and QA professionals can add value at all organisational levels in ways that are not described in SAFe.
- Defining a quality strategy is key to handle typical issues with test and QA activities spanning multiple teams and even multiple Release Trains.
- Getting quality and testing anchored on Portfolio Level ensures that quality can be built-in from top to bottom
About Me!
Derk-Jan de Grood works for Valori as senior test manager and agile transition coach. As consultant he helps originations with their Scrum adoptions and embedding the quality strategy. He is an experienced trainer, workshop host and a regular speaker at conferences like Agile Testing Days, the Seoul Testing Conference, EXPO:QA, Freetest and the STAR conferences in Europe and America. He wrote several successful books on software testing and frequently publishes articles and columns for the major magazines. On his own blog he shares his knowledge and experience for everyone to benefit. In 2014 he won the EuroSTAR testing excellence award. In 2016 he published an agile book called “Agile in the real world, starting with Scrum”.
Mette Bruhn-Pedersen works as a tester, test manager, test lead, and agile transformation coach in her company Safe Journey.
She has used traditional and agile approaches to testing on both team and company level. Since 2014 Mette has helped managers, QA & Test leads, agile teams and business stakeholders on their journey from a team-based agile setup to a scaled setup. Following the SAFe Implementation Roadmap and good practices Mette helps define value streams, launch and run Solution and Agile Release Trains. She also conducts training and coaches people on how to transition to new roles and responsibilities.