Resource Management and Capacity Planning go hand in hand because Resource Management involves managing the resource data at a resource level and then assigning people to do the work, while Capacity Planning revolves around planning at a high level whether there is capacity to take on this work. And in SAFe, what we typically do is start with Resource Management and then we go to Capacity Planning. This is because we cannot identify whether we have the capacity to do the work without knowing what actual work needs to be done. In SAFe we do not have this issue however because we build with cross-functional teams and Agile Release trains. So in SAFe, we do Resource Management and Capacity Planning a little differently.
In SAFe, we have usually done a Value Stream at this point and have added the Release Train identification workshop; whereby we’ve identified what the solution is, what we’re delivering to the customer and the systems and people involved. We then ensure that we have aligned our people accordingly and that our Agile teams are reasonably stable so that we don’t have any problems with Resource Management.
As part of Resource Management and allocation in SAFe we conduct Portfolio Management and Product Management to:
🚀 Ensure that the most valuable work flows through.
🚀 Confirm that we have got the maximum value for the organisation and customer.
Next we look at capacity allocation in SAFe whereby we look at capacity at every level. At this stage, there are different types of work that we need to do and with different types of sources of demand. So it’s not just one thing that we do. We make multiple capacity allocations and make this explicit right to the top at the Portfolio Management level. We also identify how much capacity needs to go into keeping the lights on. It is also equally possible that we may identify that we need to dial it down slightly and spend less resources or energy on keeping the lights on.
The aim of capacity allocation is therefore to:
🚀 Provide visibility of how much capacity is required.
🚀 Manage work allocation.
🚀 Allocate capacity for innovation and quality improvement.
🚀 Reduce technical debt.
🚀 Improve current practices and processes.
At the Lean Portfolio Management and Agile Release Train level, we can adjust our capacity allocation based on the demands that we are having within our teams at every Iteration.
Here we may look at:
🚀 How much capacity do we need for improving quality?
🚀 What can we do to reduce technical debt?
The Take Away From Resource Management and Capacity Planning in SAFe?
What is most important is that we are striving to continually do better and achieve optimal quality. It’s like a constant tug and pull of what we need and what we are trying to achieve. In other words, we are continually discovering what our customers need and the capacity required to achieve these goals.
Do you want to know more about how SAFe can help you with effective Resource Management and Capacity Planning?
At Value Glide, through the application of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), we are able to offer agile consulting, agile coaching, and agile training specialists who work with organisations to align business objectives with customer needs and wants.
As deeply experienced agile coaches and practitioners, our team is invested in continuous learning through each client engagement and uses the data and evidence we gather from each implementation to inform our training, coaching, and consulting services.
In a nutshell, empirical process control or empiricism.
If you are thinking of adopting agile within your organisation and have identified SAFe as a great agile framework to adopt, implement and improve your business agility, visit our SAFe Quickstart ART Launch program page or view our SAFe Consulting Services page.
If you have identified a need for an agile coach and SAFe coach to help your organisation adopt and implement SAFe, visit our SAFe Coaching Services page. We are committed to equipping organisations with the tools and knowledge to thrive in this ever-changing digital age, and achieve business agility through the Scaled Agile Framework.
Sounds good to you? Then sign-up today, and learn more about this transformation and revolutionary framework that is changing the game in the world of Agile. It is truly remarkable what can be done when we put our heads together and decide to work as one.
If you want to know more about SAFe and how to lead SAFe, visit our SAFE Training page for a host of options, from Leading SAFe to a SAFe Release Train Engineer course.
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