Can Agile Programmes Utilising SAFe Agile Define a Critical Path?
What is a Critical Path?
Critical Path theory operates under the premise that to achieve project success, a specific and optimal sequence of tasks must be fol lowed. This prescribed arrangement of activities can be represented in a logical network. By analysing the resulting schedule, the critical! path, overall project duration, sub-critical paths and slack/ float can be determined. As the project progresses, this schedule model enables accurate calculations of actual progress and the potential impact of any delays.
Critical Path information is essential for ensuring timely project completion. The critical path provides crucial insights into the current status, future trajectory and the anticipated outcomes of the project. If any of these indications are unsatisfactory, it signals the need for corrective action.
The Critical Path itself represents the longest sequence of activities in the project plan that must be completed on time to meet the project’s deadline or to achieve a milestone. Consequently, any delay in a critical path activity will inevitably lead to a corresponding delay in the overall project timeline, unless subsequent critical path activities are completed earlier than initially planned. Moreover, the Critical Path defines the minimum duration required for project completion.
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Time Sensitivity
Government projects often have strict timelines driven by various factors, such as policy changes, public expectations or committed event dates. The Critical Path helps determine if delays could occur in meeting these time-sensitive commitments.
Risks and Contingency Planning
In Commonwealth Government projects, the consequences of delays can be significant, affecting public services or critical initiatives. Identifying the critical path helps in anticipating potential risks and developing contingency plans to address any unexpected issues that could threaten project timelines.
Inter-Agency or Industry Dependencies of Tasks
Commonwealth Government projects can be complex and involve multiple stakeholders with interrelated tasks. Understanding the critical path helps in coordinating efforts among other departments, agencies or Industry to ensure a cohesive approach to meet project objectives.
Another main consideration for why a large-scale Commonwealth project initiatives (specifically those categorised as New Policy Proposals) should have a Critical Path is the Department of Finance’s Gateway Review. The Gateway Review emphasises risk management through an auditing process, reviewing what could negatively impact the initiative and the realisation of its associated objectives.
It is essential that risks are identified and actively managed in order to reduce their likelihood of happening or their impact on the policy or programme. The Gateway Review conducted by the Department of Finance considers audited projects, regardless if they utilise SAFe agile or not, to be high risk if they do not track a Critical Path.
Can Commonwealth Initiatives utilising SAFe Agile have a critical path?
On large scale Commonwealth initiatives utilising SAFe agile, there is often a perception that a Critical Path cannot be defined due to the nature of the framework being used for delivery. This is due to SAFe’s emphasis being placed on iterative and incremental development, where Features and functionalities are continuously delivered in sprints and programme increments. This approach focuses on adapting to changing requirements and customer feedback rather than planning an entire project upfront, making it challenging to define a static Critical Path. Large-scale projects in SAFe often involve multiple agile teams working in parallel. These teams will most definitely have internal dependencies on each other completing specific….critical path.
However, the answer is yes, Commonwealth Initiatives utilising SAFe Agile can, and should, have a critical path.
It is important to note that having a Critical Path does not contradict the principles of agile. Instead, it complements them by providing a view of the project’s critical aspects at that specific point in time, enabling better planning, coordination and decision-making throughout the project’s lifecycle.
As Winston Churchill once said, “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” This reiterates the importance of continual planning as per the agile principles, therefore consistently generating updated Critical Paths at that point in time, based on the plan at that point in time.
How does one apply and determine a critical path to a SAFe agile initiative?
In an agile project, optimal sequencing of tasks is critical to ensure efficiency, adaptability and continuous delivery of value to customers. Unlike traditional plan-driven project management methods, where all tasks are planned and sequenced upfront, agile projects embrace flexibility and iterative development.
The constraints on task sequencing can vary significantly for a project, ranging from minimal restrictions where tasks can be completed in flexibly (soft constraint heavy) to highly constrained project, where only few optimal approached exist to perform the work (hard constraint heavy).
Some considerations for optimal task sequencing in an agile project are:
- User Story Prioritisation and Dependency Determination: Identifying and managing dependencies between user stories at the team delivery level should be conducted at the scrum team delivery level. Due to the nature of agile delivery, with possible changes of requirements, it is not considered high priority to have these reflected in detail. Tasks that depend on the completion of others should be generally sequenced in order;
- Feature Prioritisation and Dependency Determination: Identify and manage dependencies between Features at the programme delivery level. Features that depend on the completion of others should be managed in detail and reflected in the Integrated Master Schedule; and
- Risk Management: Identify high-risk tasks or uncertainties and consider sequencing them early In the project to validate assumptions and mitigate risks sooner (only if the build sequence allows for this).
above the story level within the I MS. If there is a requirement to track a more detailed level of work, the Feature scope must be defined with greater granularity to accommodate the desired level of tracking and IMS logic. The implementation details of the Features are captured by Stories, which are more efficiently managed by Scrum teams outside the I MS using the agile development tool.
How can you estimate durations for the Critical Path if Story Points are not to be based on time?
The use of Story Points in Agile project management is a topic of ongoing debate. Many Agile practitioners argue that story points should be based on the complexity of the work rather than a direct reflection of time. This is due to the focus being on delivering value incrementally and adapting to change, so Story Points are considered to help teams achieve this goal by providing a r,elative, abstract measure of complexity that supports Agile practices.
However, estimating Story Points in terms of time allows for a more accurate prediction of when a particular Feature or project can be completed. Time-based estimates provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of the expected delivery date, enabling effective project planning and resource allocation.
Most importantly, when a project is being delivered where procured contracts are based on time commitments, using time-based estimates can help ensure compliance and accountability in meeting the committed deadlines.
It is also important to note that for a critical path to inform the longest duration of the project by defining which tasks can be delayed without affecting a committed date (through the calculation of slack/ float for each Feature in this instance), the estimates must be based off a quantitative time measurement.
Summary
As a scheduler with experience in delivery for the Commonwealth Government, I believe that Critical Paths should be calculated for programmes utilising SAFe Agile. While agile principles emphasise flexibility and adaptability, the context of Commonwealth Government projects often demand strict adherence to timelines and regulatory requirements. A well-defined Critical Path enables us to identify dependencies, predict project timelines and efficiently manage resources, ensuring timely and successful delivery.
Although SAFe Agile promotes relative complexity-based estimations, we must consider that Government initiatives have unique mandatory requirements that demand a high level of predictability and control. Therefore, a fit-for-purpose framework that incorporates……
