SDLC blueprint

Handbook

SAFe — connection to the SDLC foundation

This blueprint treats **SAFe as a scaled delivery framework** that plugs into a **shared foundation**: **tracking** (spine + artifacts) and **ceremony intents** (C1–C6). SAFe does **not** replace the

SAFe — connection to the SDLC foundation

This blueprint treats SAFe as a scaled delivery framework that plugs into a shared foundation: tracking (spine + artifacts) and ceremony intents (C1–C6). SAFe does not replace the foundation; it adds multi-team coordination, shared cadence, and portfolio governance on top.

1. SDLC phases A–F (how SAFe maps)

Phase SAFe expression Notes
A — Shape Portfolio Kanban, strategic themes, Lean business case, PI roadmap Product Management + Business Owners drive; System Architect contributes enabler epics
B — Plan PI Planning (program-level), Iteration Planning (team-level) Teams commit to PI Objectives; dependencies surfaced on the program board
C — Build Iteration execution, Daily Stand-ups, ART Sync Each team builds its increment; cross-team integration is continuous
D — Verify System Demo (every iteration), Iteration Review Integrated system demo validates cross-team work; team-level review validates stories
E — Release Release on demand; may decouple from PI cadence Continuous delivery pipeline; release when business value warrants it
F — Operate & learn Inspect & Adapt (I&A), Iteration Retrospective, DevOps feedback I&A drives ART-level improvement; retros drive team improvement

Prescriptive rule: Every PI should touch A through F. Every Iteration within a PI should touch B through E at minimum. A is continuous (backlog refinement, portfolio Kanban). F happens at PI boundaries (I&A) and per iteration (retro).

SAFe teams still maintain the blueprint tracking spine:

Artifact SAFe mapping
Intent / request Epic (business or enabler) in portfolio Kanban; may originate from strategic themes
Spec Feature acceptance criteria, enabler descriptions, architectural runway specs
Plan PI Objectives + program board (ART level); Sprint Backlog + Sprint Goal (team level)
Tasks Stories and sub-tasks on team boards
PRs Implementation slices toward iteration increment
Reviews Code review + DoD checks (team); System Demo (ART); Solution Demo (large solution)
Release Release on demand; continuous delivery pipeline; may align with PI boundary or mid-PI

Prescriptive rule: Do not let the program board replace traceability. Each feature that ships should be linkable to epic, specs, stories, and PRs in your tools.

3. Ceremony intents (C1–C6) ↔ SAFe events

Intent Primary SAFe event(s) Secondary
C1 — Align & decide PI Planning (vision, context, architecture briefing), portfolio sync Backlog refinement, strategic theme reviews
C2 — Plan the slice PI Planning (team breakouts, draft plans), Iteration Planning Feature/story breakdown, dependency mapping
C3 — Execute & unblock Daily Stand-up, ART Sync (Scrum of Scrums + PO Sync) Ad-hoc cross-team coordination, Communities of Practice
C4 — Review & quality System Demo, Iteration Review, I&A (quantitative review) Solution Demo, code review activities
C5 — Reflect & improve I&A (problem-solving workshop), Iteration Retrospective ART-level improvement backlog items
C6 — Knowledge share System Demo (cross-team learning), Communities of Practice PI Planning (architecture briefing), I&A (learnings)

See ceremony foundation and methodology bridge.

4. Role archetypes (blueprint hats on a SAFe ART)

SAFe role Typical archetype emphasis Notes
Product Management Sponsor proxy + Orchestrator (feature prioritization) Owns program backlog; not the same as team-level PO
Release Train Engineer Orchestrator (process at ART level) + Quality advocate (flow efficiency) Servant leader for the ART; facilitates PI-level events
System Architect Implementer (architectural) + Quality advocate (system-level NFRs) Guides cross-team technical decisions; owns architectural runway
Product Owner Sponsor proxy (team-level) + Orchestrator (story prioritization) Owns team backlog; collaborates with Product Management
Scrum Master Orchestrator (process) + Quality advocate (impediments) Serves the team; facilitates team-level events
Developers Implementer (primary) + Quality advocate (shared) Cross-functional; shared accountability for iteration increment
Business Owners Sponsor Accountable for business outcomes; participate in PI Planning and I&A

Detail: Roles, archetypes & methodology titles, SAFe roles chapter.

5. What SAFe adds beyond the foundation

  • Program Increment (PI): fixed cadence of 8–12 weeks (typically 5 iterations) aligning multiple teams.
  • Agile Release Train (ART): long-lived team-of-teams (50–125 people) delivering a shared value stream.
  • PI Planning: two-day face-to-face (or virtual) event for alignment and commitment across all ART teams.
  • Program Board: visualizes features, dependencies, and milestones across teams for the PI.
  • Architectural Runway: intentional infrastructure enabling near-term features without excessive redesign.
  • Lean Portfolio Management: strategic themes, Lean budgets, portfolio Kanban connecting strategy to execution.
  • Continuous Delivery Pipeline: from idea to production with built-in quality at every stage.

6. Anti-patterns (prescriptive "don't")

Anti-pattern Fix
RTE as command-and-control project manager RTE is a servant leader; facilitates, does not dictate team plans
PI Planning as a status report to management PI Planning is collaborative planning by teams, not for management
Skipping System Demo System Demo is essential for cross-team integration validation; never skip it
Teams plan in isolation without dependency mapping Use the program board; surface and manage dependencies explicitly
Treating PI Objectives as contracts PI Objectives are forecasts with committed and stretch; adjust in I&A
Applying SAFe to a single team Use Scrum, Kanban, or XP instead — SAFe is for multi-team coordination

7. References in-repo

Canonical source

Edit https://github.com/autowww/blueprints/blob/main/sdlc/methodologies/safe/foundation-connection.md first; regenerate with docs/build-handbook.py.