The basics of the Scaled Agile Framework revolve around its core values. Scaled Agile Framework, as you know, is a popular framework that many businesses use these days. Its incremental and repetitive nature makes it one of the best choices for businesses. In this framework, the iterative or short repetitive processes make sure that the requirements and risks are not predicted in advance. Rather, they are done within a shorter time frame of between 1 and 4 weeks. So, the plans are done in line with the changes in the requirements of businesses. 

The Core Values of Scaled Agile Framework

The Scaled Agile Framework stands upon different key elements. The four core values of SAFe are crucial among them. They are the basic principles of this framework. These core values are essential for ensuring the successful implementation of the framework. They help guide the decisions of all key players in an organization. The four core values of the Scaled Agile Framework are:

1. Built-in Quality
2. Transparency
3. Alignment and
4. Program Execution

You can learn about the SAFe core value of built in quality from this post.

Built-in Quality – A Basic Understanding

From Lean comes the concept of Built-in Quality, it is one of the core values of the Scaled Agile Framework. The responsibility of this core value is to ensure that the quality standards are rightly met. Also, this core value instills confidence in the quality of solutions that a SAFe organization offers. Also, it permits the organization to make changes and operate its systems regularly.

You cannot deny the fact that inspection does not improve or guarantee the quality of a product. The reason is that it is done too late. The quality is already in the product be it good or bad. You cannot inspect the quality of the product or service. Rather, it should be built-in. 

Built-in Quality in SAFe is a combination of procedures. These procedures help ensure that the yields of Agile teams in technology and business niches meet the set quality standards all through the process of creating value for customers. Read on to learn more about this core value of the Scaled Agile Framework.

More Details on Built-in Quality in SAFe

You know that SAFe is followed by many organizations mainly to achieve agility in this competitive business world. Only when an organization’s quality responds to market changes, it can stay ahead of the competition. 

The quality of the products of any business automatically drives value to it. Also, this value will determine the pace at which the teams can deliver their solutions. Indeed, the products produced vary from one business to another. However, they are likely to involve some common components. Examples include contracts, marketing materials, images, configurations, scripts, hardware and software designs.

Products that are developed on stable foundations and follow the right standards can easily adapt to changes. When it comes to large solutions, built-in quality is even more important. The reason is that even small defects can carry cumulative effects on the overall product quality. Similarly, inappropriate assumptions might lead to consequences that cannot be accepted.

Built-in quality needs not only continuous commitment but also training. Nevertheless, the advantages warrant the money any business spends on it. Here is the list of benefits businesses can get with built-in quality:

• Better capability to meet compliance needs, scale and innovate
• Improved system performance
• Better delivery predictability and speed
• Improved customer satisfaction

Teams can continuously learn with quicker feedback from customers, improving the frequency of delivery, automation of workflow and improved collaboration. The Scaled Agile Framework applies built-in quality across 5 important niches. Each of them carries a set of quality practices. They differ from commonly applicable generic practices to those particular to one or more domains. These domains include:

1. Cyber-physical systems
2. Hardware
3. IT Systems
4. Software Applications
5. Business Functions

Importance of Built-in Quality in SAFe

To meet the faster pace of technological advancement these days, organizations will have to improve the speed of release. However, the quickness at which they deliver fresh features relies on the quality of the solution. The reason is that teams can spend more time when developing processes. They can do this to make sure of the quality of standards at every stage. As a result, they can spend less time on reworking. They are relieved of making corrections to the products later on. The Agile manifesto suggests that ongoing attention to technical excellence and better design improves speed.

In the Agile Framework, products go through multiple iterations. The quality should be built in at each stage of the development process. When they do this, Agile teams can make sure that they do not introduce fresh errors with every change they make.

Scaled Agile Framework suggests that large-scale organizations should not treat quality as an afterthought. If they do so, they will put themselves into many risks. The risks include bugs and too many issues. These can turn so integrated into the solution that it gets hard to fix or rework without overhauling the whole features at a huge cost.

How To Achieve Built-in Quality?

The SAFe core value of built in quality revolves around five key points. They are:

1. Release Quality
2. System Quality
3. Design and Architecture Quality
4. Code Quality
5. Flow

All these key points are linked to each other. Your organization can achieve built-in quality with the help of continuous delivery and test-first methods. To achieve code quality, your organization can follow software engineering approaches. Examples include coding standards, continuous integration and pair programming. Also, the design quality and architecture will help with achieving the best code quality.

When the code gets qualitative, it will contribute to the quality of the overall system. You can increase release quality by following a trustworthy CD/CI pipeline. It will help your organization to stay in flow and complete the overall cycle. You can achieve better ideas to achieve built-in quality from the points discussed below:

Agile teams operate in a fast and flow-based system. These approaches are followed to quicken delivery and release. In traditional approaches, the tests are performed only at the end. However, in Agile, teams engage in a lot of testing early on in the development cycle. The teams following the Agile approach do it even in the middle. The SAFe core value of built in quality ensures that frequent changes made in the Agile development process do not bring up fresh mistakes. It even aids with the achievement of faster and more trustworthy execution.

1. Flow

Organizations that follow Agile work in a fast flow-driven system. They do this to swiftly develop and leverage business opportunities that are of great value. Agile teams make it a practice to create tests for everything. They do this for features, stories and codes. When testing, they follow the test-first approach. It means that the testing is done at the time of creating an item or even before the development process begins. Yes, the testing is done prematurely in the development cycle. 

The good thing about the test-first approach is that it ensures that the tests are not only automated but are also small. Do you know why Agile follows it? When the tests are larger, user-interface-based and of full length, they take a longer time. Agile recommends the test-first approach as the small tests save both time and cost to the organizations.

Tests in Agile are defined for code changes with the help of time-driven development Agile teams also follow Behavior-driven development as feature and story acceptance criteria. They use Lean-UX for a feature-benefit hypothesis. 

Building quality denotes that frequent modifications in the development of Agile application does not cause fresh errors. Also, it involves permitting teams for dependable and quick implementation. Under the flow, Agile teams follow the practices listed below:

• Think test-first
• Speed up feedback with reduced test suites
• Building Continuous Delivery Pipeline

2. Design and Architecture Quality

The purpose of this practice to achieve SAFe core value of built in quality is to spot how the system can meet future and present business needs. When the design and architecture are qualitative, it will become easier to meet test systems and future requirements. Even, it will help organizations meet the non-functional requirements. The practices to be followed under design and architecture quality include:

• Applying design quality to cyber-physical system
• Ensuring quality of design
• Testing with architecture and design

3. Code Quality

All system capabilities are implemented by the system components or code in Agile. The fastness and easiness with which fresh features are added rely on the fastness and dependability on which developers can modify them. Ensuring the code quality is inspired partly by eXtreme programming. Its practices include:

• TDD and unit testing
• Pair work
• Coding standard and collective ownership
• Applying code quality to the cyber-physical system

4. System Quality

When the code and design quality make sure of the quality of system artifacts, system quality ensures that the systems work as expected. It will also ensure that everyone is on the same page and what changes are to be made. To achieve system quality, Agile teams follow the practices listed below:

• Apply system quality to cyber-physical system
• Integrating end-to-end solutions in an ongoing fashion
• Building alignment to reach quick flow

5. Release Quality

The quicker an organization releases, the quicker it can learn and add value. Here, minor changes are recommended. The reason is that minor changes enable frequent, faster and less risky releases.

Conclusion

To achieve business agility, organizations will have to respond to market changes. Products that are built on a stable technical base and that meet the quality standards are easier to modify and adapt. This is why SAFe encompasses built-in quality as one of its core values to meet quality standards. So, organizations can achieve quality even after changes happen with new features.