Blog

May
15
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Fractals

Fractals

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Nature reveals perfect fractals. Take, for example, a rose flower. A rose flower’s petals reveal recursive patterns, the smaller parts mirroring the larger parts and vice-versa … one petal is a fractal smaller or larger scale of the other. Fractals are everywhere in SAFe. Take the ART, for example. The ART is a larger fractal scale of the Agile Team. Both are self-organizing and self-managing entities but in different scales. Another example: the RTE role is a larger fractal scale of the SAFe Scrum Master Role. And many more! Try to find these. Once you know one thing, its larger…
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Jun
01
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Purple Cow

Purple Cow

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
We do not have this in North Carolina… 3D Billboard … a Purple Cow… for us folks in North Carolina; not for folks in Bonifacio Global City (BGC … where this photo was shot) and folks in NYC !   Lexus Minivan ! I have not seen this in the USA … a purple cow for us in the USA… but not in BGC, Philippines ! To me, these are purple cows … worth remarking about. Make your product a purple cow! Put your heart, head and hands to it; passion, creativity, skills! Make it worth remarking about! My new…
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May
31
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Spring Time

Spring Time

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Spring follows Winter… Opportunity follows Difficulty…like … complaints! Where there are ‘complaints’… therein you’ll find opportunities… Opportunity to improve… to give… to be more empathetic… to connect deeper… Spring brings such optimism and breath of fresh air… specially when coming off from a deep winter … winter of discontent… You want more sources of optimism? Grab my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’.
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May
30
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Elegant and Timeless

Elegant and Timeless

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
These cars are elegant and timeless… unaffected and unchanged by time. Ageless. Just like these cars, Lean — born after World War II — is elegant and timeless. It is beautiful as it is … and sometimes better together with something else … like Agile… or UX… Lean is my passion… and Agile … and UX… Do not be stuck in Agile! Be Lean as well. In my new book, just like SAFe 6.0, I put Lean on center stage… taking 100 pages of my book out of 510 pages! There are many other ideas including Lean, Agile and UX…
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May
29
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Everything Starts with an Idea

Everything Starts with an Idea

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
This picture you are seeing is called Bonifacio Global City (BGC). It was not here when I was a young lad… it used to be called Fort Bonifacio — where the Philippine Military personnel and their families were… On December 2022, I visited BGC… and I thought BGC looks like NYC (in some ways … i.e., lots of buildings, a sense of a progressive city, lots of finer things in life, and more!!!). What a progress, I thought… I saw BGC when it was starting … people were talking about how great it will be … It all started with…
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May
28
2023
By Clarence Galapon
See it in various levels

See it in various levels

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Close-up shot… Mid shot… Wide shot… Interesting, huh? Same ‘Sandwich’ — when seen from various levels — got different contexts… and points of interest… and what’s talked about is different vis-a-vis other levels … but, it is about the same ‘sandwich’!!! Close-up: mustard, ketchup, tasty bun, served sky high Mid: … in One Vanderbilt facing the Empire State building Wide: … and the Hudson River … The same is true in SAFe… Portfolio Level (Wide shot), ART Level (mid shot), Team Level (close-up shot) are the various levels wherein a single Big , Hairy, and Audacious Idea (BHAI) could be…
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May
27
2023
By Clarence Galapon
One-Time-Offer – Worldwide!!! Ok

One-Time-Offer – Worldwide!!! Ok

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…, Uncategorized
Greetings! I just want to let you know about this great, world-wide, opportunity for you and your colleagues. I made two (yes, only two) of my SAFe classes to have One-Time-Offer (OTO) attached to each: Great Price, Great Gift, Great Value! 1) Great Price -- super affordable at $399 per class per student -- you will never get this price anywhere else!!! 2) Great Gift  --  Free! an autographed  copy of my new book (reached #1 New Release", on Amazon, several times!), "SAFe (6.0) Is Like ..." for every paying student 3) Great Value -- as always, you'll get breakthrough (AHA!) moments with me -- I have 37 years solid and current experience in the Software Making business and I am one of the top…
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May
26
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Purple Cow

Purple Cow

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
This restroom in New York City is a ‘Purple Cow’ — something unique and worth remarking about. SAFe 6.0 is a purple cow — it is worth remarking about … Lean taking center stage in SAFe 6.0 alone is worth remarking about; and I did write about it (among 60+ other things) in my new book… My new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ is unique … it shows SAFe from a different perspective plus more! It is a purple cow … worth remarking about. It also reached ‘#1 New Release’, on Amazon, several times! There are also lots of…
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May
25
2023
By Clarence Galapon
SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Reached #1 New Release Several Times!

SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Reached #1 New Release Several Times!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
My new book -- "SAFe (6.0) Is Like ..."  -- has reached #1 New Release Several Times on Amazon! I authored this book to help narrow down the gap between knowing and understanding SAFe. Steve Jobs called the Computer, “The Bicycle of the Mind”. I call this Book,  “The Bicycle of Understanding SAFe and Our Mind”. It has four formats -- all available on Amazon -- -- for you to choose from, according to your reading pleasure. To purchase, please click the "Buy the Book..." button (will take you to Amazon.com)   Reached #1 New Release several times!           …
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May
24
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Chunking is an Art

Chunking is an Art

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Give the same big idea to two different groups and see their results … of them chunking down that big idea into smaller pieces … results would be different. Why? Chunking is an art! Picasso would draw a city — same city — differently than any other artist would. The same is true in SAFe: we would chunk down a big, hairy, and audacious idea (BHAI) differently than any other teams would… albeit same BHAI! Chunking is an art! And it must and should be! The art of Chunking and many other ideas — short but sweet ideas — are…
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May
23
2023
By Clarence Galapon
If you do not sow, you do not reap

If you do not sow, you do not reap

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
You cannot expect something for nothing… you have to do something. When you plant something, you take good care of it and help it reach its full potential (yield produce). The same is true in the ‘Lean Agile Software Factory’: we produce things of value … from a seed of an idea… but we craft it — craftsmanship is paramount — collectively with enthusiasm (done with love and purpose), with creativity and collaboration. Use a ‘Success Pattern’ that you and your teammates can use repeatedly for any problem domain. From ideation to realization of value in the hands of the…
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May
22
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Balance Emergent and Intentional Design

Balance Emergent and Intentional Design

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
The artist, Laura Kishimoto, of this Yumi Chair II is a consummate artist and creator. Consummate in the sense of achieving a balance between what a material can do and what she can do without neither the material nor her being overly controlling. She does not control too much the material and she does not allow the material to control her too much … this dynamic, between her and her material, allows the birth of an art that is not contrived… it is beautiful, unique, and designed intentionally yet discovered design elements were allowed to emerge and became part of…
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May
21
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Backlog Refinement Workshop Tool

Backlog Refinement Workshop Tool

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Sometimes, we see things from our own perspective… and as a result we see things in a myopic way. Even worse, we stop wondering … we stop asking … ‘what if…’ We are too close to the ‘elephant’! We need to stand back farther to see the ‘elephant’ … see the whole thing! We need to see how others see it. Apply Divergent Thinking … and Emergent Thinking! We sometimes need to frame or re-frame things … see what emerges… These two tools — Divergent and Emergent Thinking — are indispensable for backlog refinement workshop … And when we chunk…
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May
20
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Ripple Effect

Ripple Effect

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
May 17 … at the Mint Museum. This is an awesome art … you have to see it in person — it is huge and the details are amazing! A pebble dropped on a still water causes ripple effect. As we go through a transformation, from where we are today … to the Lean Agile way of working, such ripple effect takes a long time… to cascade … to realize its intended outcome. The decision to transform happens in an instant … but to get to where we want to be will take a journey … several journeys … lots…
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May
18
2023
By Clarence Galapon
You Cannot Manage What You Cannot Measure

You Cannot Manage What You Cannot Measure

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
You cannot manage what you cannot measure … in my case, I can manage my car’s speed … the heads-up display was a big help .. it showed how fast I was driving. Note: I did not say the cliche: ‘You cannot improve what you cannot measure’. I intentionally said the word ‘Manage’ not ‘Improve’. Sometimes, all that is needed is the ability to manage… and challenge (do not maintain) the status quo, survive and thrive.
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May
17
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Better Together

Better Together

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Tuesday, May 16… I tried something new to me: Waffle House’s Classic waffle and Starbucks coffee! I thought these two were better together … and I was right after the taste test! Likewise in SAFe. Lean and Agile are better together in SAFe! Lean has been a backdrop in SAFe … … until SAFe 6.0 , Lean took center stage! And SAFe never looked better with SAFe 6.0! Lean and Agile … are better together. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, Lean takes center stage as well … just like in my earlier book, ‘SAFe Is Like…
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May
16
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Great News! SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Has Reached #1 !

Great News! SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Has Reached #1 !

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
My new book — ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ — released this month of May on Amazon, has reached #1 in ‘New Release’ in Engineering and Project Management! And … #4 in Best Sellers Rank! A big ‘Thank You!‘ to all who bought this book!!! You made this great news to happen! And thank you in advance to all buyers of this book in the future! This book is on Amazon … click here for more ..,
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May
16
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Taste Before You Buy

Taste Before You Buy

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
My son and I had a wine tasting experience at the Biltmore Estate on Mother’s Day, 2023. It’s a good thing to have a taste first … the outcome of which determines if we will buy or not… … and we did buy some! That ‘Taste First Before You Buy’ approach is similar to what we do in our Lean Agile Factory, right? When we have an idea… with a great beneficial hypothesis … we build something small to prove the hypothesis; if all good, then we continue, otherwise we pivot or stop building. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0)…
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May
14
2023
By Clarence Galapon
SAFe Is Like Chess

SAFe Is Like Chess

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
To Bobby Fischer, chess is life… not ‘like life’. The rest or most of us, chess is like life… including Emanuel Lasker — a former world chess champion. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, there is a topic titled ‘SAFe is like chess‘. Chess has three stages: 1) Opening, 2) Middle Game, 3) End Game … and the denouement (which can happen at anytime — decoupled from the three): checkmate, resignation, or draw. SAFe has similar three: 1) Hypothesis (of an idea) , 2) Build it with quality , 3) Delivery of value (Time to market) ……
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May
13
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Your Mind Can Only Have One …

Your Mind Can Only Have One …

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Your mind can only have one occupier at a time. Therefore, choose wisely as what is occupying it. From a mindset perspective, the mind can only have one mindset at a time. Therefore, choose wisely as to what mindset to use in a given situation. For example: Waterfall mindset versus Lean-Agile mindset: ‘Boil the whole ocean — maximalist mentality; Plan-Driven’ versus ‘small things at a time — minimalist mentality; Value-Driven’. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like…’ , I covered these two mindsets (Plan-Driven versus Value-Driven).  What happens when the same stimuli hits our brain when we have Waterfall…
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May
12
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Release on Demand

Release on Demand

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…, Uncategorized
Release when it makes sense… to the marketplace. Otherwise, something not cool will happen … just like this traffic jam … occurred May 10, 2023 around 8:30 pm ET… just under a mile from our place. Someone decided to do roadwork during rush hour! The ‘demand’ for such roadwork was not during that time! Hence the heavy traffic due to wrong timing. In SAFe, timing of your release to the marketplace must consider market rhythm and market events… to avoid negative outcome … like that May 10 traffic. So … consider market rhythms and market events aa you plan your…
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May
11
2023
By Clarence Galapon
You Cannot Achieve Greatness Alone

You Cannot Achieve Greatness Alone

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
You need people — good people — with you on every journey towards your purpose. Likewise in SAFe … we ideate, build, integrate, deploy, deliver value together... and put that in our customers’ hands so they can realize the value. We decompose, together, a Big, Hairy, and Audacious Idea (BHAI) … and, together, we deliver value to our customers. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ , there is a ‘SPECIAL SECTION’ in there… where I showed how a BHAI flows in SAFe 6.0 … worked on, together, by teams and ART … and even Portfolio… … from…
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May
10
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Be the Constant Gardener

Be the Constant Gardener

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
May 7, 2023 — a scene at Home Depot near us. What a great day to do gardening! And we did! We are constant gardeners at home. What is interesting about gardening — even planting — is this: we cannot dictate how a flower or plant will grow; it will grow to its full potential. Plants have no choices. They grow but not based on our will. However, we can be gardeners … constantly tilling and fertilizing the soil … constantly removing weeds that could be detrimental to the garden and to the plants. We, human beings, got choices. We…
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May
09
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Know What To Do

Know What To Do

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
It is not enough to do your best, you must know what to do, and then do your best. W. Edwards Deming In my book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, I mentioned this acronym: RED. It means: know what your Role (R) is, what is Expected (E) of that role and then Do (D) it well. Knowing what to do is important… and knowing what your role is … and what’s expected of that role… help in knowing what to do. Doing your best is not enough. In my book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, I also mentioned that SAFe…
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May
08
2023
By Clarence Galapon
The Sizzle of ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ Book

The Sizzle of ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ Book

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
Sell the sizzle, not the steak What does this mean? Simply means this: sell the benefits of your product to your customers, not the features. Or … sell what they want, not what they need. Well, my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ has both the great sizzle (want) and mouth-watering steak (features)! Is this book for you? Let’s check from the ‘want’ perspective — the sizzle: • Do you want to understand SAFe by looking at it from another perspective and actually doing something -- via this book’s Activity section -- to experience the concepts? After all, only…
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May
07
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Bicycle of the Mind

Bicycle of the Mind

Announcement, New Book, SAFe Is Like…
In one of Steve Job’s great interviews (watch it on YouTube : https://youtu.be/KmuP8gsgWb8 ), he called the computer, ‘The bicycle of the mind’. I call this ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like … ‘ book, ‘The bicycle of understanding SAFe and our mind’. A backdrop: Every time I teach any SAFe course, I always get the vibes that students came to my class because they want speedier and below-the-surface understanding of SAFe. They found SAFe hard to understand. Even after they had researched it on the internet. Even after they had read about it in SAFe’s scaledagileframework.com site. Plus … there is…
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May
06
2023
By Clarence Galapon
New Book Published! SAFe (6.0) Is Like …

New Book Published! SAFe (6.0) Is Like …

Announcement, Class Announcement, Live Sessions, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
My new book -- "SAFe (6.0) Is Like ..."  -- is now published and ready for purchase on Amazon.com It has four formats -- all available on Amazon -- for you to choose from, according to your reading pleasure. Regular Paperback -- Paperback 7.44 x 9.69 inches in size, whitepaper interior, black and white pages, Regular-sized Font. Reached #1 New Release several times!       Kindle version of the Regular Paperback   Reached #1 New Release several times!      Large Book Edition -- Paperback, 8.5 inches x 11 inches in size, Whitepaper interior, Colored Pages, Larger Font.     …
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May
05
2023
By Clarence Galapon
Take the SAFe course’s Exam

Take the SAFe course’s Exam

Announcement, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…
I still remember when I took my Civil Engineering Licensure Board Exam. This was a long time ago. It was nerve-wracking to most folks I knew who were also in the same boat: about to take the CE Licensure Board Exam. The Board Exam quizzes you about things you’ve learned from day 1 at the University to the last day. So I prepared hard. And because of that hard prep, I took the exam with cool nerves … high confidence that I will pass... so, was excited actually … I approached taking the Board Exam with anticipation rather than with…
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