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Agile Glossary
A
Acceptance Criteria
Specific conditions that a product or service must satisfy to be accepted by a user, customer, or other stakeholders. Acceptance criteria are used to determine if a story or feature is complete and works as expected.
Agile Manifesto
A declaration of four foundational values and twelve principles that guide Agile project management and development. The Agile Manifesto emphasizes individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.
Agile Coach
A person who facilitates and guides Agile teams, helping them understand and implement Agile practices effectively. Agile coaches work with teams to improve their processes and collaboration, often providing training and mentorship.
Automated Testing
The use of software tools to execute pre-scripted tests on a software application before it is released into production. Automated testing helps to quickly identify defects, ensures code quality, and supports continuous integration and delivery.
Agile Framework
A specific approach to implementing Agile principles and practices, such as Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe. Organizations choose an Agile framework that best fits their needs and context to guide their Agile adoption.
Agile Release Planning
A planning process that outlines how a product will be developed over a series of iterations or releases. Release planning helps teams and stakeholders align on the delivery timeline and scope.
Agile Transformation
The process of transitioning an entire organization or a part of it from traditional project management methods to Agile practices. Agile transformation involves changes in culture, processes, and tools to support Agile principles.
Agile Maturity Model
A framework used to assess and guide the adoption and improvement of Agile practices within an organization. The Agile maturity model helps organizations understand their current state and identify areas for growth.
Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)
A collaborative practice where developers, testers, and customers define acceptance criteria and tests before development begins. ATDD ensures that all stakeholders have a common understanding of the requirements and expected outcomes.
Agile Contracts
Contracts designed to support Agile projects, often focusing on flexibility, collaboration, and incremental delivery rather than fixed scope and timelines. Agile contracts promote a partnership approach between clients and vendors.
Agile Mindset
A way of thinking and behaving that embraces Agile values and principles, focusing on collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement.Cultivating an Agile mindset is crucial for successful Agile adoption and practice.
B
Backlog
A prioritized list of features, tasks, and requirements to be completed by the team.
Backlog Grooming
The process of refining and prioritizing the backlog items to ensure they are ready for upcoming sprints.
Burn-Down Chart
A graphical representation of work left to do versus time, used to track progress in a sprint.
Burn-Up Chart
A visual representation of work completed versus the total work, showing progress toward the project goals.
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
An Agile software development process that encourages collaboration among developers, QA, and non-technical or business participants.
Baseline
A fixed reference point in the project schedule that is used to measure progress and performance.
Brainstorming
A status indicating that a task cannot be completed due to an obstacle or impediment.
Business Value
The importance or worth of a feature or task from a business perspective, often used to prioritize backlog items.
C
Cross-Functional Team
A team composed of members with various skills needed to complete a project, such as developers, testers, and designers, working together collaboratively.
Continuous Integration (CI)
A development practice where team members frequently integrate their work into the main branch of the codebase, allowing for early detection of integration issues.
Customer Collaboration
One of the core principles of Agile, emphasizing the importance of ongoing communication and cooperation with customers to ensure the delivered product meets their needs.
Capacity Planning
The process of determining the team’s available capacity for a sprint or iteration, ensuring realistic workload allocation based on team members’ availability and skills.
Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)
A visual tool used to track the flow of work through various stages in a process, helping teams identify bottlenecks and optimize workflow.
Cadence
The regular, predictable pattern of delivery and events in Agile, such as sprints or iterations, providing a rhythm for the team to follow.
Ceremonies
Structured meetings in Scrum, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-up, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective, designed to facilitate collaboration and continuous improvement.
Continuous Delivery (CD)
An approach where code changes are automatically prepared for a release to production, ensuring that the software can be reliably released at any time.
D
Daily Stand-up (Daily Scrum)
A short, daily meeting where team members discuss their progress, plans for the day, and any obstacles they’re facing, fostering transparency and collaboration.
Definition of Done (DoD)
A shared understanding within the Scrum team of what it means for a product increment to be considered complete, including criteria such as code review, testing, and documentation.
Definition of Ready (DoR)
Criteria that must be met for a user story or task to be considered ready to be pulled into a sprint, ensuring that work items are clear, feasible, and actionable.
>Demo
A presentation at the end of a sprint where the team showcases the completed work to stakeholders, gathering feedback and validating the increment.
Development Team
The group of professionals responsible for delivering potentially shippable product increments at the end of each sprint, including developers, testers, designers, and other specialists.
Dual-Track Agile
A methodology that combines discovery (research and design) and delivery (development and deployment) tracks to ensure a balanced focus on both innovation and execution.
Daily Build
The process of automatically compiling the source code into executable code every day to detect integration errors early.
E
Engineering Practices
Technical practices used by Agile teams to ensure the quality and maintainability of their code, such as test-driven development (TDD) and continuous integration (CI).
Extreme Programming (XP)
An Agile software development methodology that emphasizes iterative development, continuous feedback, and high-quality code.
Empirical Process Control
A control method in which decision-making is based on the empirical data gathered from the process, rather than on predefined rules.
Epic
A large user story that is too big to be completed in a single iteration and is broken down into smaller, more manageable user stories.
Estimation Poker
A collaborative technique used by Agile teams to estimate the effort required to complete a user story, often using a deck of cards with values representing different levels of effort.
Evolutionary Design
A design approach that allows the design of a system to evolve over time based on changing requirements and feedback.
Escaped Defects
Defects that are found by customers or end users after the product has been released, indicating a failure in the development or testing process.
F
Feedback Loop
A mechanism in Agile processes that allows for regular inspection and adaptation, typically involving stakeholders, customers, and team members.
Functional Requirement
A description of a system’s behavior and functionality, often expressed as user stories or acceptance criteria.
Fibonacci Sequence
A series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.), often used in Agile for story point estimation.
Feature Driven Development (FDD)
An Agile software development methodology that focuses on building features incrementally, emphasizing design and development best practices
Follow the Sun
A strategy used in distributed Agile teams where work is passed between team locations in different time zones, allowing for continuous progress.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
A technique used to identify and prioritize potential points of failure in a system or process, helping teams proactively address risks.
G
Gherkin Language
A business-readable, domain-specific language used for writing test scenarios in Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) frameworks like Cucumber.
Generalizing Specialist
A team member who possesses a broad set of skills and knowledge across multiple areas while also having deep expertise in a specific area.
Growth Mindset
The belief that skills and abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, which is crucial for Agile teams to embrace continuous improvement.
Guiding Coalition
A group of key stakeholders or leaders who provide guidance, support, and direction for an Agile transformation or initiative.
H
High-Level Design (HLD)
An overview of the system architecture and design that outlines the main components and their interactions
Hackathon
An event where developers come together to work intensively on a project, often used in Agile environments to foster innovation and rapid prototyping.
High-Performance Team
An Agile team that consistently performs at a high level, achieving superior results through effective collaboration, communication, and continuous improvement.
Hybrid Agile
A methodology that combines Agile practices with other project management approaches, such as Waterfall, to suit specific project needs.
I
Increment
A functional and complete piece of the product that adds value to the previous increments and is potentially releasable.
Iteration
A time-boxed period during which development takes place, usually lasting 1 to 4 weeks, at the end of which a deliverable is produced.
Iteration Planning
The process of planning the tasks and goals for the upcoming iteration, aligning team efforts with the overall project objectives.
Information Radiator
A visual representation of project data displayed prominently, such as burndown charts, to keep the team and stakeholders informed.
INVEST
A guideline for writing good user stories, standing for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable.
>Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
>The practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable scripts, enhancing automation and consistency in Agile projects.
J
Just-in-Time (JIT)
An approach to production and inventory management that reduces waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process.
Journey Mapping
A technique used to visualize and understand the end-to-end experience of a customer, identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Jidoka
A Lean manufacturing principle that involves stopping the production line when a defect is detected to address the problem immediately.
Jira
A popular tool used for Agile project management and issue tracking, enabling teams to plan, track, and manage Agile projects.
K
Kanban
A visual management method used in Agile to manage workflow, emphasizing continuous delivery without overburdening the team.
Kanban Board
A visual tool that displays work items and their status, typically used in Kanban methodology to help teams visualize their workflow and manage work-in-progress.
Kaizen
A philosophy of continuous improvement, where small, incremental changes are made regularly to improve processes and efficiency.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Metrics used to evaluate the success of an organization, team, or individual in achieving key business objectives.
Kickoff Meeting
The initial meeting at the start of a project where the team discusses objectives, deliverables, timelines, and roles to ensure everyone is aligned.
Knowledge Base
A repository of information, documentation, and resources that is accessible to team members to support learning and decision-making in Agile environments.
L
Lean
A methodology focused on delivering value to the customer by minimizing waste and optimizing processes.
Lean Startup
A methodology that focuses on creating a sustainable business by developing products that customers want, with minimal waste.
Lead Time
The total time taken from the start of a process until its completion, important for measuring the efficiency of Agile workflows.
>Limit Work in Progress (WIP)
A Lean principle that involves limiting the amount of work that is in progress at any given time to improve flow and reduce bottlenecks.
Lean-Agile Mindset
A way of thinking that embraces Lean and Agile principles, focusing on delivering value, continuous improvement, and respect for people.
M
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
A version of a new product that includes just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.
Minimum Marketable Feature (MMF)
The smallest set of functionality in a product that can be delivered and marketed to customers.
Metrics
Quantifiable measures used to track performance and progress in Agile projects, such as velocity, burn-down charts, and cycle time.
>Milestone
A significant point or event in the project timeline used to measure progress and often associated with key deliverables.
Mindset
The Agile mindset refers to the attitudes and behaviors that support Agile principles, such as embracing change, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
MoSCoW
A prioritization technique used in Agile to classify requirements or features into four categories: Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have.
N
Non-functional Requirements (NFRs)
Specifications that describe the system’s operational capabilities and constraints, such as performance, security, and usability.
Net Present Value (NPV)
A financial metric used to evaluate the profitability of an investment by comparing the present value of cash inflows and outflows.
O
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
A goal-setting framework used to define and track objectives and their outcomes, often used in Agile to align team efforts with organizational goals.
Organizational Agility
The ability of an organization to quickly adapt to market changes and external pressures by fostering a culture of flexibility and continuous learning.
Outcome-Based Planning
A planning approach that focuses on the desired outcomes or benefits rather than just the outputs or deliverables.
P
Product Owner (PO)
A key role in Scrum responsible for defining the features of the product and prioritizing the backlog to max.
Product Backlog
A prioritized list of work items (user stories, features, bug fixes, etc.) that the team needs to work on to develop and maintain the product.
Planning Poker
An estimation technique used by Agile teams to assign story points to user stories by using a consensus-based approach.
Product Increment (PI)
The sum of all completed product backlog items during a sprint and the value they deliver, representing a potentially shippable product.
Potentially Shippable Product Increment
The product increment at the end of a sprint that meets the definition of done and is potentially ready for release.
Pair Programming
A practice where two developers work together at one workstation, collaborating on the same code to improve quality and share knowledge.
Persona
A fictional character that represents a user type or stakeholder in the product, used to guide decisions about product features and design.
Product Vision
A high-level, long-term goal for the product that provides direction and inspiration to the team and stakeholders.
Progressive Elaboration
The process of continuously refining and detailing the project plan and requirements as more information becomes available.
Prioritization
The process of determining the order in which backlog items should be addressed, typically based on value, urgency, and dependencies.
Q
Quality Assurance (QA)
The process of ensuring that the product meets the required quality standards through testing and other quality control activities.
Quality Control (QC)
The operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality, including inspection and testing.
Quality Gate
A checkpoint in the development process where specific quality criteria must be met before proceeding to the next phase.
Quantitative Metrics
Numeric measurements used to assess the performance and progress of Agile teams and processes, such as velocity, cycle time, and defect rates.
Queue
A list or sequence of work items waiting to be processed, often managed using a Kanban board in Agile methodologies.
R
Refinement
The process of ensuring that the product meets the required quality standards through testing and other quality control activities.
Retrospective
A meeting held at the end of each sprint where the team reflects on what went well, what didn’t, and how to improve in the next sprint.
Release Planning
The process of defining and planning the scope, timeline, and deliverables for an upcoming release of the product.
Roadmap
A high-level, strategic plan that outlines the vision, direction, and priorities for the product over a specified period.
Review (Sprint Review)
A meeting held at the end of each sprint where the team presents the completed work to stakeholders and receives feedback.
Risk Management
The process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks, and implementing strategies to mitigate or manage them.
Root Cause Analysis
A method used to identify the underlying reasons for problems or defects, often performed during retrospectives to drive continuous improvement.
Relative Estimation
Estimating the size of user stories or tasks by comparing them to other items rather than using absolute units of time or effort.
S
Scrum
An Agile framework used for managing and delivering complex projects, especially in software development.
Sprint
A time-boxed iteration of work, usually lasting 1-4 weeks, where a potentially shippable product increment is created.
Scrum Master
The facilitator and servant leader for the Scrum team, responsible for ensuring the team follows Scrum practices and removes impediments.
Sprint Planning
A meeting at the start of each sprint where the team plans the work to be done and commits to completing a set of backlog items.
Stakeholder
Anyone with an interest in the project, including customers, users, managers, and executives.
Stand-up
A daily meeting where the team gathers to discuss progress, plans for the day, and any impediments.
Story Points
A unit of measure for expressing the overall size or complexity of a user story, relative to other stories.
Spike
A time-boxed research or investigation task, used to gather information or reduce uncertainty.
Scrum of Scrums
A meeting where representatives from different Scrum teams meet to discuss inter-team coordination and dependencies.
Scaling Agile
The process of applying Agile principles and practices to large, complex projects or organizations.
Self-Organizing Team
A team that has the authority and responsibility to manage their own work and make decisions.
T
Time-Boxing
A technique used in Agile to limit the amount of time spent on a task or activity.
Test-Driven Development (TDD)
A software development process where tests are written before the code is implemented.
Technical Debt
The implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy or quick solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer.
Time to Market
The time it takes for a product to be developed and released to the market.
Technical User Story:
A user story that focuses on technical improvements or maintenance tasks rather than new features.
Stand-up
A daily meeting where the team gathers to discuss progress, plans for the day, and any impediments.
Story Points
A unit of measure for expressing the overall size or complexity of a user story, relative to other stories.
Spike
A time-boxed research or investigation task, used to gather information or reduce uncertainty.
Scrum of Scrums
A meeting where representatives from different Scrum teams meet to discuss inter-team coordination and dependencies.
Scaling Agile
The process of applying Agile principles and practices to large, complex projects or organizations.
Self-Organizing Team
A team that has the authority and responsibility to manage their own work and make decisions.
U
User Story
A description of a feature from an end-user perspective, typically written on a note card.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
The process of verifying that a solution works for the user.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application.
User Interface (UI)
The means by which a user interacts with a computer, website, or application.
User Persona
A fictional character created to represent a user type that might use a site, brand, or product in a similar way.
Unified Modeling Language (UML)
A standardized modeling language used to specify, visualize, construct, and document the artifacts of a software system.
V
Value
The worth of a product or service to its users.
Value Stream
The series of steps that an organization uses to deliver a product or service to a customer.
Value Stream Mapping
A visual representation of the steps involved in delivering a product or service, used to identify waste and improve efficiency.
Velocity
The rate at which a team delivers work in a sprint, often used to predict future progress.
Vision
A high-level description of what a project or product aims to achieve, often used to align team members and stakeholders.
Value-Based Prioritization
The practice of prioritizing work based on the value it delivers to the customer.
W
Work In Progress (WIP)
The amount of work that has been started but is not yet completed.
Waterfall
A traditional project management approach where work is completed sequentially, often with distinct phases such as planning, design, implementation, and testing.
Wireframe
A visual representation of a user interface or design, often used in the early stages of a project to outline the structure and layout.
Working Agreement
A set of guidelines or rules that team members agree to follow to ensure effective collaboration and communication.
War Room
A dedicated space where a team can work together intensively on a project, often used for planning, problem-solving, or crisis management.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of the work to be done to achieve the project objectives, often used in project planning and management.
X
XP (Extreme Programming)
An Agile software development framework that aims to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements.
Y
YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It)
A principle of extreme programming (XP) that states a programmer should not add functionality until deemed necessary.
SAFe Glossary
A
Agile Release Train (ART)
A long-lived team of Agile teams, which, along with other stakeholders, incrementally develops, delivers, and operates one or more solutions in a value stream.
Architectural Runway:
The infrastructure needed to support upcoming features without excessive redesign and delay.
Agile Teams:
Cross-functional groups that have the responsibility to define, build, test, and possibly deploy some element of solution value—all in a short iteration timebox.
Acceptance Criteria
Conditions that a software product must meet to be accepted by a user, customer, or other stakeholder.
Agile Product Delivery
The ability to release valuable solutions to customers and stakeholders frequently.
Agile Coach
A person who assists teams and organizations in adopting Agile practices and methods.
Agile Lifecycle
The process of delivering Agile projects from inception through completion.
Agile Modeling
A practice-based methodology for effective modeling and documentation of software-based systems.
Agile Estimation
A technique used to estimate the size, effort, and cost of tasks or user stories in an Agile project.
B
Business Owners
A small group of stakeholders who have the primary business and technical responsibility for governance, compliance, and return on investment (ROI) for a solution developed by an ART.
Backlog Refinement
The process of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog.
Built-In Quality
Practices ensuring that each solution element, at every increment, meets appropriate quality standards throughout development.
Business Agility
The ability of an organization to rapidly respond to change by adapting its initial stable configuration.
Epics
Large initiatives that need to be broken down into smaller pieces to be implemented.
Business Value
The value derived by the business from a product, project, or initiative.
C
Continuous Delivery Pipeline
The workflows, activities, and automation needed to guide new functionality from ideation to an on-demand release of value to the end user.
Customer Centricity
Putting the customer at the center of every decision and process.
Capacity Allocation
The process of assigning a portion of the team’s capacity to different types of work.
Capability
A higher-level solution behavior that typically spans multiple Agile Release Trains.
Continuous Exploration
A process that fosters innovation and applies a Lean startup cycle to ensure the ongoing evolution of the portfolio backlog.
Continuous Integration
A software development practice where code changes are automatically tested and merged to the main branch frequently.
Core Values
The fundamental beliefs or guiding principles of an organization.
D
DevOps
A culture and set of practices that bring development and operations teams together to deliver high-quality software at a higher velocity.
Design Thinking
A user-centered approach to innovation that integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.
Development Value Stream
The sequence of activities needed to design, build, and test the system.
Digital Transformation
The integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers.
E
Epic Owner
The person responsible for coordinating portfolio Epics through the Portfolio Kanban system.
Economic Framework
A set of decision guidelines that align everyone with the financial objectives of the solution and portfolio.
Enterprise Architect
Provides the strategic technical direction and enterprise context in alignment with business strategy.
Enterprise Solution Delivery
Describes how to apply SAFe principles and practices to large, integrated solutions.
Enablers
Technical initiatives that support the efficient development and delivery of future business capabilities.
Empirical Process Control
Making decisions based on what is known.
Essential SAFe
The most basic configuration of the SAFe framework, providing the minimal elements necessary to be Agile.
Epic Hypothesis Statement
A structured format for capturing, organizing, and communicating Epics as they move through the Portfolio Kanban system.
F
Features
Services provided by the system that fulfill a stakeholder need.
Five Whys
A problem-solving technique that involves asking “Why?” five times to drill down into the root cause of a problem.
Full SAFe
The most comprehensive configuration of the SAFe framework, addressing the needs of large enterprises.
Feedback Loop
A system where outputs are circled back as inputs, enabling continuous improvement.
Functional Requirements
Specific behaviors or functions of a system.
Facilitator
A person who helps teams achieve their goals by providing guidance and support.
Framework
A structure for implementing Agile practices in an organization.
G
Guardrails
Policies that guide and constrain decision-making in an organization.
Governance
The framework of rules and practices by which an organization ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency.
Gemba Walks
A practice where leaders observe the work being done to identify opportunities for improvement.
Growth Mindset
The belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work.
Guiding Coalition
A group of influential stakeholders who support and drive change within an organization.
H
Hypothesis
An assumption that can be tested to validate its truth.
Horizon Planning
Planning over different timeframes to address both immediate and long-term needs.
High-Performance Team
Teams that consistently perform at a high level and achieve exceptional results.
I
Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration
An iteration dedicated to activities such as innovation, planning, and retrospection.
Inspect and Adapt (I&A)
A regular event where teams reflect on their progress and identify ways to improve.
Investment Horizons
The timeframes over which investments are expected to yield returns.
Information Radiator
A visual representation of project data displayed prominently, such as burndown charts, to keep the team and stakeholders informed.
Incremental Delivery
Delivering work in small, manageable pieces to provide value more quickly.
J
Journey Maps
Visual representations of the steps a user takes to achieve a goal.
K
Kanban System
A visual method for managing work, emphasizing continuous flow and limiting work in progress (WIP) to optimize delivery.
Kaizen
A Japanese term meaning “change for better” or continuous improvement, used to describe the practice of making incremental improvements.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organization is achieving key business objectives.
Knowledge Workers
Individuals whose primary job involves handling or using information.
L
Large Solution
A complex system of interconnected features or capabilities delivered incrementally by multiple teams. May necessitate coordination across value streams.
Lead Time
The average time it takes to complete a work item, from initiation to delivery.
Lean-Agile Leadership
A leadership style that promotes continuous improvement, empowers teams, and fosters a culture of learning and experimentation.
Lean Budgeting
A financial governance process that supports Lean-Agile principles, providing decentralized decision-making and flexibility.
Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
Aligns strategy and execution by applying Lean principles to portfolio-level management.
Lean-Agile Mindset
A set of beliefs, assumptions, and actions focused on delivering value quickly and efficiently.
Little’s Law
A principle that states the average number of items in a queuing system equals the average arrival rate multiplied by the average time an item spends in the system.
M
Milestone
A significant event or point in a project timeline used to measure progress.
Minimum Marketable Feature (MMF)
The smallest set of functionality that provides value to the customer and can be delivered to market.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
A version of a new product that includes just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.A product with a core set of features that validates core customer assumptions and provides early learning opportunities.
Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
An approach to systems engineering that uses models to support system requirements, design, analysis, verification, and validation.
N
Non-functional Requirements (NFRs)
Specifications that describe the system’s operational capabilities and constraints, such as performance, security, and usability. Requirements that specify criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a system, rather than specific behaviors.
NPS (Net Promoter Score)
A customer loyalty metric that measures customers’ willingness to recommend a company’s products or services to others.
Network of Dependencies
The relationships and interactions between different work items or teams that need to be managed to ensure smooth workflow.
O
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
A goal-setting framework that aligns strategic objectives with measurable key results to track progress.A framework for defining and tracking objectives and their outcomes.
Operational Value Stream
The sequence of activities needed to deliver a product or service to a customer.
Outcome Metrics
Measures used to determine the results or outcomes of specific actions or processes.
P
PI (Program Increment)
A timebox in which an Agile Release Train (ART) delivers incremental value in the form of working, tested software and systems.
PI Planning
A cadence-based event that serves as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART), aligning all teams on the ART to a shared mission and vision.
Portfolio Backlog
A prioritized list of epics and other work items that the portfolio intends to deliver to achieve business goals.
Portfolio Kanban
A system used to visualize, manage, and analyze the flow of portfolio epics, from ideation through implementation and completion.
Portfolio
A collection of epics or features that align to strategic themes and objectives.
Program
A collection of value streams delivering solutions within a PI, aligned around a common objective.
Q
Quality Assurance (QA)
The process of ensuring that the product meets the required quality standards through testing and other quality control activities.
Quality Control (QC)
The operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality, including inspection and testing.
Quality Gate
A checkpoint in the development process where specific quality criteria must be met before proceeding to the next phase.
Quantitative Metrics
Numeric measurements used to assess the performance and progress of Agile teams and processes, such as velocity, cycle time, and defect rates.
Queue
A list or sequence of work items waiting to be processed, often managed using a Kanban board in Agile methodologies.
R
Release Train Engineer (RTE)
A servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART), facilitating ART processes and execution.
Roadmap
A high-level, strategic plan that outlines the vision, direction, and priorities for the product over a specified period. A schedule of events and milestones that communicate planned releases and other activities over a timeline.
Release Management
The process of managing, planning, scheduling, and controlling a software build through different stages and environments.
S
Scrum of Scrums
A meeting where representatives from different Scrum teams meet to discuss inter-team coordination and dependencies.
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
A knowledge base of proven, integrated principles, practices, and competencies for achieving business agility using Lean, Agile, and DevOps.
Solution Train
A SAFe construct that helps coordinate the work of multiple ARTs and suppliers to deliver large and complex solutions.
Stakeholder
An individual or group with an interest in the outcome of a project or program.
System Demo
A showcase of the work completed during a PI to stakeholders, fostering transparency and collaboration.
T
Team Backlog
The list of work items, including stories, defects, and enablers, that are identified as part of the team’s workflow.
Team Kanban
A method used by Agile teams to visualize their work, identify bottlenecks, and enhance flow.
Test-Driven Development (TDD)
A software development process that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle where requirements are turned into specific test cases.
Timebox
A fixed period during which a task or activity is undertaken, ensuring work does not extend indefinitely.
Team PI Objectives
The specific goals set by Agile teams for a Program Increment, aligned with the objectives of the Agile Release Train.
U
User Story
A description of a feature from an end-user perspective, typically written on a note card.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application.
User Interface (UI)
The means by which a user interacts with a computer, website, or application.
User Persona
A fictional character created to represent a user type that might use a site, brand, or product in a similar way.
V
Value
The worth of a product or service to its users.
Value Stream
The series of steps that an organization uses to deliver a product or service to a customer.
Value Stream Mapping
A visual representation of the steps involved in delivering a product or service, used to identify waste and improve efficiency.
Voice of the Customer (VoC)
The process of capturing customers’ expectations, preferences, and aversions.
W
Wireframe
A skeletal outline of a web page or app, used as a visual guide for user interface design.
WIP Limits
Constraints set to limit the amount of work in progress at any one time to improve flow and reduce bottlenecks.
Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)
A prioritization model used to sequence jobs (features, capabilities, and epics) based on the economics of product development flow.
Wireframe
A skeletal outline of a web page or app, used as a visual guide for user interface design.
Working Agreement
A set of guidelines and expectations that a team agrees upon to facilitate effective collaboration.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of the work to be done to achieve the project objectives, often used in project planning and management.
X
XP (Extreme Programming)
An Agile software development framework that aims to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements.
Y
YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It)
A principle of extreme programming (XP) that states a programmer should not add functionality until deemed necessary.