Advantest Corporation (Management)

Management takes the lead and
multiple teams are aligned to work tirelessly for change.

Interviewee

Background of Introduction

Commitment to change throughout the organization

Advantest Corporation is a one-stop, worldwide manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment that develops and sells test systems for mass production of semiconductors. With a management philosophy of “supporting cutting-edge technology at the leading edge,” the company supports innovation in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, where technological evolution and business changes are extremely rapid.

Mr. Araki, who is promoting the introduction of SAFe®, recalls the challenges before the introduction as follows: “Our department was one of the wings of software development for SoC test systems. Our department plays a part in the development of software for SoC test systems. We have about 10 teams and have been developing software using the waterfall model for a long time. About six years ago, the number of teams adopting the Scrum methodology gradually increased, but the methodology differed from team to team. So we felt we needed to introduce a development methodology that could be worked on across the entire organization.”

A common language with global offices

One of the reasons for adopting SAFe® is that it has been implemented by approximately 20,000 companies globally. It is the de facto standard for enterprise agile, backed by the practices and results of many companies around the world.

Second, localized training and consulting by local partners is available. TDC SOFT Inc. provided customized workshops and training in addition to the official SAFe® content. “SAFe® is a framework with extensive educational content, but they are flexible to customize their support according to the company’s situation and accompany it with care. Selecting a partner is a key point.

The most decisive factor is the ability to create a common language for software development methods with the development base in Germany. However, it is not a one-step process. As a first step, we felt it was important to share and visualize our vision among the team. To do so, we thought that a planning meeting called” Pl-planning,“which is a major feature of SAFe®, would be effective, so we decided to use
” (Araki).

Effects of Introduction

Start small, don't aim for perfection

In April 2022, LACE was launched and decided to introduce SAFe® for products to be developed by a team of about 50 people; ART was defined and the team was reorganized, and all members took SAFe® training. After all of these preliminary preparations, the first planning meeting was held six months later.

There was a lot of work to be done before the planning session, and at times I wondered if we would actually be able to hold the meeting. There were many issues that conventional organizations face, and I often wondered how we would deal with them. I think it was good that we aimed to start small and not aim for perfection from the beginning,“said RTE’s Mr. Ishikawa, looking back on those days.

Looking back on the Pl planning, there were many positive comments. We would like to do this next time! were also proposed for improvement, which were shared with everyone at ART. Mr. Ishikawa smiles and says,” I felt like I was at the entrance of the SAFe® PDCA cycle.

Enlist the help of the head of the hardware development department

In addition to his own department, he was assisted by a senior manager of hardware development in managing ART. Strong support at the department head level from related organizations is essential to transforming an organization.

All teams are now working toward the same goal, and everyone can see what is going on with each other. As a result, the relationship has changed to one of active cooperation. All members have found it easier to cooperate on hardware development,” says Araki, who has high hopes for the elimination of inter-organizational silos.

Concurrent workloads are solved by agile coaches.

The implementation of SAFe® followed the “Implementation Roadmap,” but Advantest also made its own innovations.

As teleworking was well-established in our company, Pl Planning was held with remote meetings and an online communication environment. In addition, many of our development members are also Scrum Masters, so we placed an Agile Coach to reduce the Scrum Master’s workload and serve as a casual consultant. The Agile Coach follows up on areas where it is difficult to see the status of the team due to teleworking by entering each team and providing support.

They do not feel that there are many issues caused by not meeting face to face in person.

Future Outlook

Autonomous teams that keep SAFe® from becoming a formality

To ensure that SAFe® does not become a top-down framework, we respect that teams work autonomously.

The team members are encouraged to work on their own initiative, and to be autonomous in their approach. I think it was good that we were able to separate the common parts of ART from the responsibilities of each team. Until now, organizational policies were formulated at the department level, but with the introduction of SAFe®, I feel that the awareness of everyone in ART who is involved in the product is becoming more cohesive. There is an atmosphere of awareness of the issues involved and a sense of common purpose that transcends the traditional organizational structure,” said Ishikawa.

Visible business results

The purpose of implementing SAFe® varies from company to company. However, in order for Japanese companies to successfully implement SAFe® and improve their business agility, this case study shows the importance of all related people understanding the principles behind the framework and working carefully on a step-by-step basis, always considering the optimal solution for the company’s current situation.

The next step is to achieve tangible business results, such as increased development efficiency and improved quality, while putting SAFe® into practice. The key to achieving this is to involve peripheral departments and further mature ART. Mr. Araki emphasizes that the entire organization will be involved in further reform, saying, “We will tirelessly promote reform to involve more stakeholders and contribute to business agility.

SAFe® Terms

Pl Planning

A planning meeting attended by everyone in ART.

LACE

Abbreviation for Lean-Agile Center of Excellence. Transformation Driving Team.

ART

Abbreviation for Agile Release Train. A team of 50~125 people made up of multiple Agile teams.

RTE

Abbreviation for Release Train Engineer, the overall driver of ART.

implementation roadmap

Roadmap for SAFe® implementation.

scrum master

or team coach. Servant leader and coach of an agile team.

agile coach

Someone who will leverage their extensive knowledge and experience in Agile to assist the team.

Company Information

Advantest Corporation (ADVANTEST CORPORATION)

Advantest continues to lead the way with its world-class product and solution development capabilities and the strength of its global teamwork in technical support.

Establishment

December 1954

Location

Shin-Marunouchi Center Building, 1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Home page

https://www.advantest.com/

• This article is based on interviews conducted in October 2023. The data, organization names, and positions in the article are current at the time of the interview.

• SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework®) is a registered trademark of Scaled Agile, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

• All company and service names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

• TDC SOFT Inc. is a subsidiary of Scaled Agile, Inc. Scaled Agile Gold Transformation Partner in the Scaled Agile Partner Program of the Scaled Agile Partner Program.