1

Agile is not

EnoughMICHAEL PETER MPETER88@GMAIL.COM - AGILE DC 2016 - OCTOBER 24, 2016

2

Ag

end

a

01 Agile 02 Enterprise 03 Value

t o d a y :

3

01A

GIL

E

AG

ILE

IS

NO

T E

NO

UG

H

By Klean Denmark - Daily Sprint Meeting, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19838566

4

AgileL O O K L I K E A T S C A L E ?

Agile Manifesto:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive

documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

W h a t d o e s

5

Agile Team

By Lakeworks - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3526338

6CUSTOMER:

I HIRED PEOPLE TO HELP ME BUILD A SYSTEM - WHY CAN’T THEY GET IT RIGHT?

WHY DOESN’T THE PRODUCT MEET EVERYONE’S NEEDS?

WHY DON’T THEY KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON?

WHAT ARE ALL THESE SCHEDULE CONFLICTS AND DELAYS?

WHY DO THEY KEEP PULLING ME INTO BACKLOG GROOMING - CAN’T THEY SEE THE PRIORITIES?

7

VRM (Self Service) VRM (IAM)

VRM (CRM/KM/UD)

Claims & Benefits

VRM (Self Service)

Benefits Assistance Services (BAS)(Part of VRM Self Service Workstream; Supporting Outreach)

VIP (Veterans Information Portal)

Performance Analysis & Integrity (PA&I)

Education Assistance

Compensation Services & Pension and Fiduciary Service

Loan Guaranty (LGY)

PO SSA db

US Treasury

Financial Institutions (Lenders/Banks)

[i1017] Loan Appl details

[i1180]Zip code/addr chk

[i1177]Soc sec# cross-check result

VADIR(VA/DOD Identity

Repository)

Veterans Service history Information

DoD DEERS database@DMDCDoD (VIS)DoD COMPASS

[i1107] Service record/ history (every 30 min data push)

[i1140] Apply (using self-service application)on-line New Claims for Benefits

VIS (Veterans Information Solution)

[i1004] Benefits eligibility Rules cross check

(yes/no) result

[i1101] Veterans Demographic

Info(Batch File)

[i1081] Info on benefits for edu purposes (Weekly)

BEP (Benefits Enterprise Platform) (J2EE JPA, Weblogic

etc Thin-Client Middleware platform)

[i1163], [i1162]

DoD Loan Guaranty Service (LGS)

Web/Portal (Production) ApplicationsWebLGY

(Web Loan Guaranty)

TASR (The Appraisal System Replatformed)

Replatformed from TAS:7/24/10))

CPTS(Centralized Property Tracking System)

[i1069]VMI (Vet Mortgage Insurance

[i1015] Operational

Data

[i1199]School approval info (Basic allowance for housing,

Highest In-state tuition)

VA-ONCE(VA On-line Certification

of Enrollment)EducationalEnrollment Info

[i1018]Claimant Payment

Info

[i1080] Receive ret chk data & update individual benefit pymt rec; Chg to fin org bank routing # occurred previous month

Claimant

[i1120]Benefit PaymentCheck

VBA Analyst

[i1059] OLAP/Reports(various types: about Veterans, VBA performance eg backlog etc)

[i1045] Record of all accounting Transactions(CH1606,1607,30,31,32,35 processed on a daily basis, CH33 Master Record/Payment info

COVERS/COVERS FTS(Control of Veterans

Records System Folder Tracking System)

Detailed Claims FileTracking info (Regional office, Desk, role)

[i1026]

[i1029] Claim Pkg

Development

[i1008]Developed Claim package

[i1188]New

claims application

[i1032]Receive claim award info

[i1161] CUD C&P data

[i1037]Read C&P data

[i1001]Claim award info

Document CaptureTechnician

[i1165] Scanned originalVeteran benefits claims and/or pension maintenance docs

Customer Service/VRM Person

[i1166]ClaimsStatus info

Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E)

Insurance

[i1023]Access Authentication

[i1191]CH 31participant & record tracking info

[i1000] Initial verification of eligibility for claims (cross-check) data

[i1058] Query BDN data

[i1047] Demographic info on veterans

[i1013]

[i1092] Payment Information(status, last day pay)

[i1079] Request to cut check for benefit payment(name, address and $ amt due a claimant on an award)

[i1043]Claimant Payment

Info

DMDC (Web)

[i1125] Veterans demographic Info (incl branch)at time of enlisting

[i1062] (create if new/update if exist) Veteran demographic data

[i1063] CH 31 participant

Info.

[i1064] CH32 Veteran death info request

[i1099] DD214 info[i1137] SMR info

St. Louis SMR Records Ctr(Central loc to store Records)

[i1138] SMR info

DOE(dept of edu)[i1131] SSN to inquire edu

benefits eligibility of Claimant

[i1132] (batch job results) claimant eligibility status/ssn for edu benefits

Claimant(Veteran/Eligible

Dependents)

[i1050] App Loc chg within regional office & date; Retired/reloc recs to be deleted

[i1091] New

Claims Appl data

Armed Services

[i1141]Discharge

info

[i1144] SMR

Hospitals

[i1136] Web HINC & Other inquiries

Veteran

[1142] Letters/ Correspondence on benefits eligibility

VARO

[i1108] Reloc/ Retired Rec

info thru WAPS system(for BIRLS db changes)

VICTARS (Veterans Insurance Claims Tracking and Response System)

Insurance ClaimsTracking info

IPS (Insurance Payment System)

Master system of Records for beneficiaries & policyholders

IGL (Insurance General Ledger)

Insurance relatedFinancial record keeping data

EPW (Electronic Paperless Workflow) (supports Pension Mgmt ctr)

Pension claims Approval workflowdata

[i1071] Insurance data

Veteran

[i1113] Insurance filing/

status check

[i1040]Insurance premium deduction from

Compensation payment (Sunset after last BDN case

moves to Corp DB)

[i1060]

SSADFAS

Federal Reserve

[i1148]Insurance Info

[i1149]

[i1104]Insurance payment

[i1103]Insurance payment

[i1038] CH 31 Suggested Awards

(Transition to FAS as source Spring 2011)

Veteran/Employers(All not just CH31) [i1151], [i1152] Employment/tools info

[i1070] Payment tofacilities/vendors

(for services & materials)

[i1049]

[i1170]

[i1033]

DPRIS (Web enabled)

(Defense Personnel Records Information

Retrieval system)Defense Personnel Profile

SMRTS (Service Medical Record Tracking System

Service Medical/dental (Treatment) records

My HealtheVet.va.gov (Portal)

[i1127] VADIR data

[i1129]

[i1078]

ELR

VCE

[i1102] View BAH data

[i1126] authentication

Historical VA Home Loan records

Property Data including appraisals

[i1111]

[i1112]

VA properties servicing tracking info, sale proceeds info

Note:Authentication for access to these Apps is through VIP

[i1066] Folder loc & date

IHL (Institutions of

Higher Learning)

TIMS (The Image Mgmt System – 1 at

each VA RPO)

Images of Claim docs

[i1095] View docs/images/enroll data

[i1147] Update BAH data

IRS[i1077] Payment Info expected for Claimant

[1119] PaymentChange Request

[i1039] CH1606,1607,30 SSA masterfor matchingVeteran deaths

CARS (Centralized Accounts

Receivable System) Debt Collection/Accounts OverpaymentsAccounts Receivables[i1133] (daily batch job)Info/reports/statistical data on

collection of govt overpayments to Veterans

[i1053] Payment info to FAS

[i1139] Service & Identifying information

[i1074] Policy numbers, Insurance file, etc

[i1135] Veteran Demographic data

[i1109] Stop payment

when terminateor amend applied

to payment

US Mail

[i1171] (All) BenefitsApplication

[i1172]Benefit Application data

[i1065] Scanned Claim Document Image(edu claims only)

VARO(58)/VARPO(4, edu only)

[i1145] Edu Enrollment Info

[i1067] To Claims approval workflow

[i1048] CH33 data to VBA DW

[i1068] Pending Claims Info file (PIF)

[i1028]Participant

Info

[i1030]Developed Claim Pkg[i1031]Rated Claim

[i1016] Payment History

[i1096] (12 month goal to field) Vet login for CH33 claim status

[i1094] Update CH33 master record/issue payment info

[i1097] Review CH33 work products & service record

[i1041] Flat file with verification of no chg enrollments(CH31)[i1042] Daily update of active recs for 12 mos

[i1086] Rejects

[i1085] Daily update Pending docs

VA Call center

Student

[i1105] Input based on call

[i1090] Verify enrollment[i1005] Disability cases

[i1022]Claims data

[i1044] Acct transactions reconciliation file

VeteranService Orgs

Acces to VBA apps(via BEA Tuxedo Service)

View only Access to VBA apps (MAP-D etc.) (via BEA Tuxedo service)

[i1075] Payment recs for statistical data by counties(CH1606,1607,30,32,33,35

FAADS(Federal assistance

award data system)@Dept of Commerce

[i1002]Accessauthentication

[i1084] Record of all transaction against CARS controlled receivables & chg to chk amts of payee's w/receivables

[i1073] Receive adjusting receivable transactions

[i1083] personal & fin contribution Info of claimant eligible for CH32

[i1106] Veteran’s personnel info

[i1076] Benefits Payment info

[i1051] BDN data

[i1122] VAF 22-1999-1 for enrollment of student in next sem; Pymt to schools/facilities with Veteran enrollment[i1146]

[i1116]

Claimant

[i1117]Letter(s): (all benefits): COE, Award, Denial letter, Request more Supporting docs

US Mail

[i1118]

[i1087] Updates (Notifications/Letters

SKIPPES (Skills, Knowledge, Insurance Practices &Procedures Embedded inSystems)

Insurance bestpractices/ procedures info

[i1061] (create if new/updates if exist) Veteran demographic data

VBA Rating Specialist

[i1167] Request Regular medical

Exam

[i1168] Medical exam data[i1169]Veterans Medical Data Records

CAPRI (CS & PFS Record Interchange)

(Replaces AMIE II)

PIES(Personnel Info

Exchange System)Veteran Personnel Info.

NPRC(National Personnel

Records Center)

[i1115] 3101 request

[i1114] 3101 dataVACOLS (Veterans Appeals Control System)

Claim appeals tracking info

EVR (Claimant Eligibility

Verification Report)

[i1110] Claimant Earnings info

BVA(Board of

Veterans Appeals)

[i1088, i1089]

Rate Claim

VETSNET(Veteran Services Network (Client/Server Suite)

[i1012]

[i1052]Scanned Document Image data

VCE

[i1158, i1159]

[i1055] CH 31

[i1156], [i1157] Obtain personnel/

benefits info & Apply for benefits

[i1057] CH 31payment data to FAS

[i1020]Veterans Claim/Benefits data

[i1007]Pay award (account) info

VOR(VETSNET Operation

Reports) Data Warehousing

EDW ( Enterprise Data Warehouse)Historical Data from Corp db, BDN, BIRLS

DMC (Debt Mgmt Ctr@ St. Paul, MN)

[i1072] Edu enrollment Info

[i1019] School approval Info(BAH, High in-state tuition)

Checks payment data

Vereran’s Disability Medical Records

VHA System(s)

DoD JPTA(Joint Patient Tracking Appl)DoD (TMDS)

[i1143] Patient dataI1251 – Medical

Info from Theater

[i1082] ServiceInfo

[i1054] CH31

SubsistenceAllowance Info

[i1153], [i1154]

VBApersonnel

[i1150] Web based reports

RightNow Web@Ed srvc callctr)

eBenefits(Web Portal)

[i1174] Pension write-outs

Prudential/Office of

Servicepersons Life Ins[i1175] VGLI Premiums deduction info

[i1192]Claims appl filing

[i1193]Claims filing data

[i1194]Scanned image of claims appl filed

[i1197]Claimant appl data

[i1196]Correspondence data

[i1182](Single Sign On) Access to eBenefits portal

DoD Personnel info

ClaimantVets Change (move) Request to eBenefits

Submit appl thru VBMS

[i1178]Disability InfoC&P Service

[i1187]Unique Id (for SSO)

HISA

[i1181]VMI (Veteran Mortgage Insurance) Info

[i1195]Apply for

Healthcare Benefit (using

self-service app)

DoD Personnel

MVI (Master Veterans Index)

Veteran Info

Veteran Info

[i1183]Pharmacy benefit filing request

[i1184]Cost sharing benefit request

(As-Planned) (Integrated)CRM-UD (includes KM)

IVR Repository – Contact History(Veterans demographics, payments, claims)

VBRS (Veterans Benefits Reference System)

SBRS (State Benefits Ref System)

IRIS (Inquiry & Routing Information

System)

[i1186]Inquiry Info[i1185]Online Inquiry I

[i1200]Payment & Claim data

VOA (Veterans Online Application) Phase 1

Healthcare (benefit) Application form data

VCC (Veteran Call Ctr)

(prototype)

VetSuccess.gov

(Portal)

VLER (Virtual Lifetime Electronic

Records)

N

RBA-2000(Rating Board

Automation 2000)

TUX

VVA (Virtual VA)Planned migration to

VBMS FILENETVeterans’ applications, Awards, medical & dependency rec images

[i1189]Rating doc info[i1190]Info. to add to rating - Issues, adjudicative actn, laws

Rating VSR/VCE

VBA Finance Analyst

FAS(Fin & Acct Sys)

(Monthly batch process) (CH31 BDN interface & CH33 to

FAS)

TUX

Awards TUX

[i1046]CH32 veteran death info

VBMS(to replace VETSNET)

VHA Personnel (in VA Hospitals/Clinic)

[i1176]Claim folder info

VADS (Veteran Assistance Discharge System)(plan to

replace this with VADIR data feed)

DD214 (discharge info, release date, rank, character of srvc), benefits eligibility

correspondence

CHAMPVA System

Claims Processing Results

[i1198]Enrollment Info (Claim)

[i1121] Veteran/ActiveDuty Personnel,

Benefit & Health data

S

[i1134] Claim Rating Info

VERIS II (Veterans

Examination Request Info

System)

N

BEP

SPP (Share /Search

Participant Profile)(is semi-retired but pulls info)

TUX

St. Paul RBPS (Rule

Based Processing System)(replaces

manual work

BEP

Share(CH 18 Claim

Benefit selection update to GUI)

TUX

S

[i1203]Claims Application info

* Please send all comments, latest version requests and suggestions to: Primary Point of Contact – OBPI: Nilijah Carter, Nilijah.Carter@va.gov, 202-461-1462

Version 10, Date: 1/23/13 OBPI

VBA Performance Data ?C&P Performance Data ?

Private Vendor

Make BDD(Benefits Delivery Discharge)

exam request

Generated Request for BDD exam

FMS

Financial Data(on CS, PFS, Insurance, Edu, VR&E)

STAR(Systematic Technical

Accuracy Review) SystemClaims processing

(of rating, authorization, fiduciary related) data

I

[i1205] Request C&P QA

COWC (Committee on Waivers & Compromises)

Debt Waivers tracking/case data

SEP

As-Is/As-Planned VBA Systems Diagram

VIERS

Veteran Demographics, Military Service History,

Benefits Information, Benefits Eligibility Profile,

Contact History, and Veteran Benefits Handbook

I

[i1049]

VBMS F

VBMS E

INS (Insurance Web System)

Insurance data

Autoform

TUXCWINRS (Corporate WINRS Case Management

Application)

[i1036]

BEP

PCGL(PC generated ltr)Notifications

/Letters

WAVE (Web automated verification

of enrollment)

Enrollment Info

SOC/SSOC (Statement of the

Case/Supplemental SOC)

TUX

Benefits Processing Performance Data at

National/ Regional level

VBA ASPIRE

Fast Track Claims Processing System

(Agent Orange disability)

Rules baseVeteran Eligibility Info

Payment request

Acknowledgement

[i1124] Armed Service history info(SOA service)

SCH 33 (LTS)(CH33 Long Term

Solution)Eligibility, Claimant bio, Military Service history,claims payments, enrollment, benefit transfers (to spouse/ dependent)

[i1093] Claim rates/caps in high level term

S

[i1098]Enrollment

data

S

VTA2 (Veterans Tracking Application)

Veteran Healthcare & Demographic data

BDD Homelessness(case mgmt tool)

CH30 BDNCH 30 Claim/ Payment data

ECAPEnroll form

images

VRE QA (VRE Quality Assurance)

BEP

BDN

CH33 BDNCH 33

Payment data

BDNCH1607 BDN

CH 1607 Payment data

BDN

CH35 BDNCH 35 Claim/ Payment data

BDN

CH32 BDNCH 32 Claim/ Payment data

BDN

CH1606 BDN

CH 1606 Payment data

BDN

CH18 BDNCH 18

Payment data

BDN

Benefit pymt sys-BDN

C&P Payment data

BDN

CH31 BDNCH 31 Claim & Payment data

BDN

REPS (BDN)

Paymentdata

BDN

MAP-D(Modern Awards

Processing Development)

TUX

(Function: On-line Transaction Processing)Data on: · Veteran demographics, Claimant

demographics· Claims, Claims Process, Awards,

Rating, Payment (CS & PFS)· Education assistance data · Vocational Rehab & Employment

(VR&E) data· Loan Guarantee (LGY) data#Core Tables: 600, Addl Journal Tables

CSS (Common Security Service) (Perform authentication for access to Corpdb)

(Component apps: CSUM,CSAM,CSEM)

CSS Tables: Users/Roles/Access info

Payment History DB

CSUM CSAM CSEM

VA CORPORATE DATABASE

(Initiatives: Data Conversion)

Education Benefits Data (IHL, NCD, all edu payment related to CH1606, 1607, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35), Certain pieces of C&P (incl CH18, REPS)

BDN (Benefits Delivery Network)

FOCAS (FLT, OJT, COR and APP award claims

System) (Replaces PC based systems at VARPOs -

Ch30, 1606, 1607: correspondence schools,

flight schools apprenticeship/ OJT programs &

accelerated pymt cases)

External Stakeholders

VBI (Vet Business Info) VOR

reports

[i1204]C&P master records (Vet benefit, type, % paid) data

C&P Field Personnel

Veteran Personnel data

[i1201] All Vet Info(schedules, audit etc.)

[i1202]Vet Info

[i1021]Chk Pymt History

BFI (Batch File Interface) Portal

[i1206]Electronic BFI (bulk) upload of info. by PMR

Web SAH/SHASpecially Adapted Housing/ Special

Housing Assistance

Mortgage assistanceinfo

VDC

Claims filing info

VR&E data

Counselor (for approvals/awards)

CH 33benefit enrollment data

CH31 benefit processing request

FBS (Feduciary Beneficiary

System)Fiduciary activities

info

N

(BEATuxedo)

Transaction Mgr (Client-

Server Middleware Platform)

Legend

VHA

Data copied

VA Enterprise

Plannedinterface

VBA

Business Process

IBEP

Manualinterface

Interfaces:

New/As-Planned Systems Names,info exchange, comments on changes to Systems is shown in blue font

Batch Job/Directaccess

System

- Data Subject Areas

An Initiative Project causing changes: P

New System: Planned System:

ExistingSOA Service(arc -consumer):

BEP Middleware (J2EE Thin client) Platform

N

Planned SOA Service:(arc -consumer): S

?Info not validated

BEA Tuxedo (Client/server) Middleware Platform TUX

BDNPart of System (ex. BDN) indicated in rectangular colored (ex. Orange) box

S

Legend (for LOB grouping)

VRM/BAS

Education

CS

PA&I

VR&E

Loan Guaranty

Insurance

BIRLS (Legacy)(Beneficiary Identification Record

Locator Subsystem)

DD214, SMR(STR-service medical/treatment record tracking, folder loc regional office/date, several types of insurance policy status tracking, Demographic Information on Beneficiary Veterans, All(Ch 18,30,31,32,33,1606,1607) education Benefits eligibility by ss#

WSMS(Work Study Mgmt

System: currently being rehosted as Web app)

BEP

BEP WEAMS (Web Enabled Approval Mgmt System) (Shared w/ VR&E)

[i1207]Veteran benefits info.

[i1208]recurring payment data

VBMS D

VBMS R

VBMS A

VBMS C

VBMS W

VBMAP

[i1060][i1060][i1060][i1060]

[i1140] Apply (using self-service application)on-line New Claims for Benefits

[i1140] Apply (using self-service application)on-line New Claims for Benefits

I 1228-1232 SEP Interface to VHA Systems

i1214 SEP Interface to BDN

i1219 SEP Interface to VETSNET (Award, MAPS)

I1248 SEP Interface to Data Warehouse

I1215,23, 24, 35, 43, 44, SEPInterface to Education

ii1264

DoD Hero2Hire

[i1264]Military Services

DoD Altha

[i1257 VR&E Information

[i1252]Insurance

Payment Info

Exchange data with VBA systemsVADIR, Corp DB, VBMS(Using iEHR Framework, as it becomes available)

S

DHS - USCG

1121 Veteran/ActiveDuty Personnel,

Benefit & Health data

VHS -VISTA,CAPRI,

Private Physicians

STR’s, Patient Data, DBQ’s

S

S

1266 – Aware Info1268 – Certification Info

PFS

CRM/UD

Connection to Corp DB, BIRLS, VADIR, Virtual VA,

VETSNET (Share, MAP -D), VBMS, VACOLS, e-Benefits,

SEP

PROJECT SIZE YEAR 1: $50M / 80 PPL YEAR 3: $75M / 120 PPL

USER BASE: ~4-5 MILLION VETERAN POPULATION: ~20 MILLION HITS/DAY: 1 MILLION+

YOU ARE HERE

OUR TEAM PROGRAM MGMT FOUR TO SIX SCRUM TEAMS RELEASE MGMT DEVOPS HELP DESK

PARTNERS: 90+ SYSTEMS STAKEHOLDERS: 10+ LINES OF BUSINESS

8Our Agile Program

White House

Congress

VA Strategic Goals

Agency Priority Goals

Contract

Lines of Business

Help Desk

Production Defects

VA IT Policies

Maintenance

Initiatives

Program Backlog

to Production (eventually)

80+ more

9

A g i l e a t S c a l e

Problems

A d H o c D e v O p sA T e a m o f A g i l e I s l a n d s P r o g r a m I s o l a t i o n

Data center standards required three weeks to get code into produc=on

Deployment processes were 1) manual and 2) undocumented

We couldn’t touch produc=on machines

Each team es=mated points differently. This made no sense to the client and prevented understanding total release capacity

Hard to transfer work between teams. We couldn’t react to changes in priori=es and couldn’t offload work when needed

We had to accept more work than we could do

Partners have a different release cadences - from 2x faster to months slower

Different priori=es from our own

Different levels of collabora=on

ALL prac=ce agile methods, but none adhere to a coordinated enterprise agile approach

10

A g i l e a t S c a l e

Our Solutions

F o r m a l i z e d D e v O p sS c a l e d A g i l e F r a m e w o r k P a r t n e r C o o r d i n a t o r s

Normalized capacity (velocity forecast) across teams

Developed capacity model for each release

Used Release Planning ceremonies: A highly-visible collabora=ve commitment to all work

Business Analysts as proxy Product Owners

Well-defined deployment and release processes. Next step would have been to code/script them - customer not ready.

All deployments treated like releases - fake auto

End-of-sprint requires a deployable increment and a demo

Used Blue/Green deployment strategy for cutover on release day

Track our schedule and all partners’ schedules.

Iden=fy and no=fy partners on need for coordinated work

Track each partner work item and issue with a tracking task of our own

Weekly stand-up and ad hoc calls for status, schedule/items changes

Use our customer to apply pressure

11

R E L E A S E S T A T S

50+People on release

call/ 18

Hours on release day/ 3Bugs hot fixed in

production

M A Y 2 0 1 3 /12+

Bugs introduced by this release

8People on release

call/ .5

Hours on release day/ 0Bugs hot fixed in

production

A P R I L 2 0 1 6 / <5

Bugs introduced by this release

12

01A

GIL

E

AG

ILE

IS

NO

T E

NO

UG

H

In a chaotic environment, agile methods work to reliably turn requirements into code

In an enterprise environment you need a scaling framework

The challenge: Enterprise business processes and data cut across many different programs and systems

A change that benefits you can hurt or break other systems/processes

Solving this is not the domain of agile or scaled agile

13

02E

NT

ER

PR

ISE

AG

ILE

IS

NO

T E

NO

UG

H

By U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. James R Pearson - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1088068

14

VHA benefits auto-enrollment allows Veterans to enroll for VHA benefits during applica=on for disability benefits.

During elabora=on, a conversa=on:

Business architect: “How do you use this data?”

VHA lead: “That’s not your concern”

One year later…

VHA made a change to their automated process and didn’t tell us. Our data got routed to a manual backlog.

VHA told us to remove the integra=on. During the course of removal, we discovered that the “process change” made was the addi=on of a few data fields that we could have easily captured.

There are 14,000 disability claims submi^ed on line per month.

15

Who needs to understand the enterprise?

16

17

As many people as possible need an understanding of the domain, its problems, and potential solutions

The more the teams understand, the better their ability to:

Cover gaps, identify misses or blind spots

Move faster and with more agility

By J. Allen St. John - Pub by A.C. McClurg & Co., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2674534

18

U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e E n t e r p r i s e

Our Approach: Portfolio

A R T I F A C T SW O R K T O O L S

Knowledge acquisi=on in a complex system requires specific focus on:

- User research

- Technical analysis

- Business process analysis

Design thinking

Systems thinking

Business process design

Con=nuous improvement (Lean, Theory of Constraints)

Customer journey maps

Process models (BPMN) or value stream maps (Lean)

System models and documenta=on

Grouped by thema=c epics

19

03

AG

ILE

IS

NO

T E

NO

UG

H

VA

LUE

Image: Staff Sgt. Jason Robertson of 1st Combat Camera Squadron Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14913988

20

Defining ValueThe end product or feature should saEsfy the user in terms of accomplishing their task

It should also improve, not degrade, business processes and systems

The customer may be able to tell you what’s valuable - Product Owner in agile - Epic Owner at the pordolio level in SAFe

In a complex system, value can be hard to idenEfy and help is needed to find it

21

Agile Team

By Lakeworks - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3526338

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Value lives here

Agile Team Pipeline

Automation

PRODUCTION

Money and time is burned here

23The Customer is always right

Agile Team Pipeline

Automation

PRODUCTIONREQUESTS

White House

Congress

VA Strategic Goals

Agency Priority Goals

Contract

Lines of Business

Help Desk

Production Defects

VA IT Policies

Maintenance

Initiatives

24Introducing Value

Agile Team Pipeline

Automation

PRODUCTIONREQUESTS

White House

Congress

VA Strategic Goals

Agency Priority Goals

Contract

Lines of Business

Help Desk

Production Defects

VA IT Policies

Maintenance

Initiatives

ENTERPRISE KM

Waste

Portfolio Team

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Value Framework1. End user value: How does this address the

Veteran’s sa=sfac=on as a user?

2. VA business value: How does this improve access to VA benefits and align to strategic goals?

3. Time value: Are there policy deadlines, impacts to at risk popula=ons, or other =me-sensi=ve factors?

4. Opportunity enablement / Risk reduc=on: Does this enable new features later or increase automa=on, reliability, security, or scalability?

HIGH VALUE, HIGH COMPLEXITY

LOW VALUE, HIGH COMPLEXITY

HIGH VALUE, LOW COMPLEXITY

LOW VALUE, LOW COMPLEXITY

EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION

VALU

E

LARGE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE VETERAN EXPERIENCE

QUICK WINS, FIXES TO EXISTING PAIN POINTS

LARGE UNNECESSARY CHANGES EASY BUT USELESS CHANGE

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Why RoadmapsEnterprise understanding -> iden=fy top problems

Stop one-offs and build a path to a real solu=on where:

Other processes and systems must change

Big jumps not prac=cal (business con=nuity) or possible (level of effort)

Stakeholders/system owners needed to help plan and drive the work

No: “Part of the product owner responsibili=es is to have a vision of what he or she wishes to build, and convey that vision to the scrum team.”

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Develop RoadmapsWe used a five-day enterprise design sprint to explore each new space: Enterprise business processes and systems, products, or other epics

40 hrs later…

1. Vision

2. MVP prototype

3. Product Roadmap

4. Business model playbook: Addi=onal solu=on op=ons, business and architectural epics

Knowledge outcomes:

1. User profiles - needs, pain points, opportuni=es

2. Business process models

3. System models

Design thinking

Systems thinking

Business process design

Con=nuous improvement Theory of Constraints LEAN

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Feeding the PipelineProduct Owners own their respective roadmaps with the goal to make progress down their maps

Backlog grooming -> roadmap battle

Still needed to handle single item valuation - Congressionals, initiatives, etc

EDS continues to expand roadmaps and playbook, and identify new value propositions

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T E A M

A team and process for enterprise discovery, data collection, and knowledge management

B V F

A business value framework to rank work items against key enterprise business and other value factors

E D S

Cadenced learning, ideation, and prototyping framework that delivers usable outcomes within agile timeframes

T E M P L A T E S . .

MPETER88@GMAIL.COM