Setting the stage in Prague
Prague, the historic and vibrant capital of the Czech Republic, provided the perfect backdrop for the SAFe® Summit. The Hilton Hotel provided a conducive environment for knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration. The event brought together a diverse range of professionals, including agile practitioners, consultants, and leaders from various industries, all driven by a shared passion for scaling agile practices. It is often said that North America leads the way when it comes to using Agile at Scale but this event demonstrated that there is an abundance of interest in Europe and a great number of talented people that are encouraging organizations to scale up and reap the benefits of agile working in large, often global and industrial contexts.
The concept of flow within agile frameworks
This was one of the focal points during the summit. Presentations, interactive sessions, and discussions shed light on how organizations can optimize the flow of value from ideation to delivery. Experts underlined the significance of three things:
- Continuous value delivery
- Eliminating bottlenecks
- Fostering collaboration across teams and departments
What’s new about this? Well, although eliminating waste, minimizing handoffs, and keeping value flowing are all part of scaled agile methodologies, we often overlook the benefits of delivering incrementally along what can be a long road to completion. Measuring and adapting as we go along are vital and OKRs are instrumental. Setting objectives with measurable key results keeps your teams on track to deliver meaningful increments of change. As author Mike Orzen emphasizes, “Continuous inspection and adaptation is essential for maintaining a high-performance value stream.”
Attendees learned about practical strategies to enhance flow and create a more seamless development process. Agile at Scale consultants at Valiantys emphasize this in client work and were pleased to hear more examples of the outcomes that other consultants have had using similar best practices.
AI and agile
The intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agile methodologies is an emerging field that captured the attention of our consultants at the summit. Experts delved into the potential of AI to augment agile practices, facilitating improved decision-making, data-driven insights, and enhanced productivity. Sessions explored real-world examples of AI integration in agile environments, such as intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and natural language processing. The discussions ignited stimulating conversations on how organizations can leverage AI to unlock new possibilities and drive innovation in their agile journeys. This is a relatively recent topic in the context of scaling frameworks and participants latched onto it as a tool for accelerating delivery. There were notes of caution along the way but the overriding emphasis in the discussions was how AI can be harnessed effectively and responsibly. At Valiantys, we are building our own understanding of this area, aiming to harness the powers of AI while establishing effective guardrails for its use.
Insights from agile and Atlassian consulting
Valiantys is well known for the depth of expertise and pioneering work of our consultants. At the SAFe® Summit we shared our experiences, best practices, and insights with fellow professionals. We engaged in enlightening conversations on agile adoption, scaling challenges, and the role of tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Trello in supporting agile practices. The exchange of ideas and expertise reinforced the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement in successful agile transformations. The experiences shared gave weight to these theories and underlined the criticality of keeping all these things front of mind at all times. It can be a juggling act, but participants shared some inspiring examples of how the effort to balance these things pays off in the results clients achieve.
The end is also the beginning
The SAFe® Summit in Prague was an exhilarating event that united agile practitioners, consultants, and enthusiasts from around the globe. As we immersed ourselves in the world of flow and AI, we gained invaluable knowledge and perspectives on optimizing agile practices for scalable success. The topics covered will undoubtedly shape the future of agile methodologies and pave the way for organizations to embrace the transformative power of flow and AI.
We look forward to implementing the learning in our agile and Atlassian consulting. By empowering organizations to navigate the currents of agile with confidence, embrace continuous value delivery, and leverage AI as a catalyst for innovation, we have the great privilege of sharing our passion and igniting organizations that are on their journey toward products that really serve their customers. We are, as ever, eager to embark on an exciting journey toward agile excellence with you, so please get in touch to discuss how we can help – it could be the start of something amazing.
And looking ahead, there’s a second SAFe® Summit this year, in Tennessee this August. We will be attending that conference too and will bring you news directly from the event.
To be informed when the article on the next SAFe® Summit is published, or to find out about other articles covering Agile at Scale, sign up to our newsletter.
Providing a tiny, however, inclusive story
What would you expect of a traditional, international hotel chain? Microworld of its own? Keeper of traditions? The simple detail of having gender-neutral restrooms was pleasing. Agile specialists are open-minded, pioneering, and champions of change. In more ways than one, the SAFe® Summit embraced that philosophy. Change happens: and it’s worth celebrating. Happy Pride Month.
