Advantest Corporation (practitioner version)

Implementing SAFe® while leveraging the individuality of the scrum team
team-led organizational transformation

Interviewee

Set a date and think about it while doing it with limited resources.

It has been a year and a half since TDC SOFT Inc. has supported us; we launched LACE in April 2022, the first ART in October, and the second ART in April 2023, and each is progressing well. Looking back as a promoter, what do you think? (Mr. Dobashi)

At first, I was more worried about how to proceed and whether we would really be able to hold a pl planning session. There were many things that we did not understand when we actually started the project, and TDC SOFT Inc. filled in the gaps by accompanying us. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Now I understand the meaning of the act of “first setting a date for Pl Planning” which I did not understand while attending SAFe® training. If we had set the date after everything was ready, we would not have been able to hold the Pl Planning. Set a date, do what you can with limited resources, and think as you do. I experienced the agile way of thinking in real life. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Yes, that’s right. It was good to first set a goal, start running, and think while doing. It is truly agile. Were there any things you were aware of or tried to do as you proceeded with the project? (Mr. Dobashi)

Creating an atmosphere throughout the organization that keeps SAFe® from becoming a formality

Advantest had been implementing Scrum in team development for about six years, so this was the groundwork. Each team had its own unique way of doing things, and at first, we were conscious of first giving them a taste of SAFe® without disrupting this too much. We tried to find points for improvement as ART while also taking advantage of each team’s characteristics and individual ways of doing things. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Also, SAFe® needs to be worked on as an organization as a whole, and it was important to create such an atmosphere. Our goal was not to include a framework, but rather to listen to the awareness of issues felt in each position and orient the solution with SAFe® practices, so that the framework would not become a mere skeleton. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Careful accompaniment by external partners to gain various perspectives

You have chosen T D C Software for the implementation of SAFe®. What made you decide to hire an external partner? (Mr. Dobashi)

In implementing SAFe®, RTE has to do a lot of things. Of course, there are LACEs, business managers, and product managers, but the RTE’s role of understanding the entire ART is a heavy burden. In fact, with the help of the TDC SOFT Inc., we were able to clarify what needed to be done at key points and focus on each task as an RTE.

（The support of LACE and the onsite agile team provided us with various perspectives during the process of running the project, such as support for planning, support for ART expansion, and strategic planning for the next step. It was great that you were able to analyze the ever-changing situation of ART from a bird’s eye view and suggest options for what we should do next. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Thank you very much. Companies that implement SAFe® do so based on their own circumstances and various objectives, and we, as consultants, try to support them with a good understanding of these circumstances. This is exactly the kind of customer-centricity that SAFe® values.

（TDC SOFT Inc. understands the situation and always considers how best to accompany the client. TDC SOFT Inc. understood the situation and always considered how best to support the client. (Mr. Dobashi)

Beyond team improvement, contribute to business agility as a company

Now that Advantest has launched its second ART and has over 100 employees, we have two RTEs certified as SAFe® consultants, and we have plans to add more. However, we consider SAFe® to be only a means to an end. (Mr. Ishikawa)

Your journey of transformation continues. Can you tell us about your future prospects? (Mr. Dobashi)

The first thing is to increase the value created by our software development team, and to become a team that can develop higher quality software. After that, I would like to work on necessary improvements to contribute to the business agility of the company. (Mr. Ishikawa)

In improvement activities, one of SAFe®’s core values, “Transparency,” “Clarity of Vision,” and “Continuous Learning,” allows each ART role to have a high awareness of issues from their own perspective. We hope to grow as an organization through the process of finding problems and improving them based on the awareness of issues. (Mr. Ishikawa)

For those who are going to work on SAFe®.

Finally, do you have a message for those who are going to introduce SAFe® or are already working on it? (Mr. Dobashi)

By working on SAFe® practices, we can improve the openness in areas that were rigid in the conventional organizational structure. I think this is a great advantage. By utilizing SAFe®, which is filled with the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of managers and leaders around the world, we can focus on what we should be working on: increasing the value of our products. For managers, that is a blessing. I hope that you will take a step forward by working with a strong partner. (Mr. Ishikawa)

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/