Achieving Agile Transformation in Government: How Rally Supports SAFe Implementation

The complexity of Agile in the public sector

Public sector and government organizations face unique challenges in adopting Agile practices. From strict compliance requirements and multi-year project scopes to legacy systems and hierarchical structures, navigating transformation is no small feat. Despite these hurdles, many government agencies are turning to the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe) to foster collaboration, increase transparency, and speed value delivery.

In this context, Rally, an industry-leading enterprise work management solution, plays a critical role in enabling SAFe implementation across government organizations. Let’s explore how Rally supports SAFe in addressing the public sector's needs.

Why SAFe is a game-changer for government organizations

Government projects often involve large-scale initiatives that span multiple teams, departments, and even agencies. SAFe provides a structured framework to scale Agile practices across these complex environments, while maintaining alignment with organizational objectives and compliance standards. SAFe delivers these benefits:

• Strategic alignment: Ensuring all work aligns with organizational goals and federal mandates.
• Improved collaboration: Breaking down silos between teams and departments.
• Predictability and accountability: Delivering value in planned increments, while adhering to budgets and timelines.

However, achieving these benefits requires robust tooling and practices that enable visibility, flexibility, and traceability—enter Rally.

Rally: Your partner in public sector SAFe transformations

Rally provides the foundational capabilities to implement SAFe effectively, tailored to the needs of public sector organizations:

1. Comprehensive portfolio management

Rally enables organizations to align strategic objectives with program execution. Here are a few of the solution’s key features:

• Hierarchical work structure: You can easily map Epics, Capabilities, Features, and Stories to SAFe work levels.
• Roadmap visualization: Showcase how work aligns with agency priorities and timelines through clear, visual roadmaps.
• Dependency tracking: Identify and manage dependencies across teams and departments.

2. Enhanced transparency and metrics

Transparency is critical in government initiatives. Toward that end, Rally provides actionable insights at every level:

• Program and team dashboards: Gain real-time visibility into progress, risks, and performance.
• Customizable reports: Generate reports that meet government audit and compliance needs, and track Program Increment (PI) progress, burndown, and flow metrics.
• SAFe metrics: Easily track SAFe-specific KPIs, such as PI progress, flow efficiency, and predictability.

3. Built-in compliance and security

Rally’s robust security framework supports the compliance demands of government organizations, offering these capabilities:

• Robust security and permissions: Ensure secure, user-specific access to sensitive data.
• Audit trails: Maintain a record of all changes to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Scalable cloud infrastructure: Leverage FedRAMP-authorized cloud services to meet stringent government security requirements.
• Secure on-premises, without compromise: Employ the SaaS version of Rally, which is packaged for on-premises operation, making it ideal for agencies and organizations needing additional security.

4. Support for PI planning and Agile ceremonies

Rally integrates seamlessly into the cadence of SAFe, supporting essential ceremonies and activities:

• PI planning facilitation: Collaborate on PI objectives, dependencies, and risks using Rally’s integrated planning boards.
• PI tracking: Monitor the execution of planned work with real-time updates and insights.
• Backlog prioritization: Use WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) prioritization to maximize value delivery.

Delivering value at scale in government

SAFe offers a powerful framework that enables government organizations to embrace Agile principles while addressing their unique challenges. Rally complements SAFe by providing the structure, visibility, and flexibility necessary for successful implementation.

As the public sector continues its Agile journey, tools like Rally ensure that agencies can achieve their missions efficiently, transparently, and in alignment with stakeholder expectations. Ready to learn more? Contact us to see how Rally can help your organization adopt SAFe today.