Enabler is a kind of technical initiative that has the ability to support development of an organization initiative. It commonly exists to four levels of SAFe: Enabler Epics at Portfolio level, Enabler features at program level, Enabler capabilities at Value Stream Level and Enabler stories at team Level. It can be used to different kinds of activities that need support for the upcoming features of business however, it falls only to three types of categories and it includes:
• Infrastructure- It is use to enhance and build the testing and development of an environment to facilitate faster the high quality testing and development.
• Architecture- It is use to build architectural runway to ensure it will create fast and smooth development.
• Exploration- It is use to build understanding regarding the needs of the customers and understand the prospective solutions in evaluating alternatives.
Through using enabler, you will have the assurance that you can capture the visibility of the needed work and efficiently support the delivery and development of business features for its future. However, you still need to choose which one will work best for your business since there are different types of enablers you can choose from.
Here are the types of enablers you may find in the market:
• Enabler stories-This kind of enabler best fits to Iterations nut do not require voice format since it has criteria of acceptance that requires the support testing.
• Enabler features and capabilities. This kind of enabler commonly occur at Program levels and value Stream in which it can share similar attributes like statement of acceptance and benefits criteria and it usually best for single PI.
• Enabler epics-This is type of enabler that is written through using value statement format that has been defined just for epics.
Since it is created based from the initiative of the business, it can make different Kanban system that needs explorations to validate the solution, develop test, pave runway, and integrate initiatives. Most of these enablers are created by architects or through the system of the engineering at different levels either it is portfolio levels, enterprise architects or system and solution of both engineering and architects at program levels and value stream. Architect that creates enabler can steer it through Kanban System that can provide information that is needed to implement it and guidance that can help to analyze it.
Some of the enablers can emerge locally from needs of agile teams, value streams, agile release trains to improve its existing solutions. It is subjected to the allocation in value stream backlogs and program that will provide assurance to have better solutions. It can be applied for enabler that will differentiate different kinds of enablers.
Enabler can be applied to exploration in order for the development teams flesh out some details of designs and requirements, architectural runway to ensure agile architecture can implement their concepts, and to the infrastructure that will ensure to reduce the risk of integration. This is how the enabler becomes very beneficial is to most of the engineers and architects. .
— Slimane Zouggari