An architectural layer is a cohesive subset of the Disciplined Agile® (DA™) tool kit which builds upon the layer immediately “below” it as you see in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit. Click here for large version, click on diagram to jump to details.
The four layers of DA tool kit are:
- Foundation. The Foundation layer provides the conceptual underpinnings of the DA tool kit. This includes the DA mindset; fundamental concepts from both agile and lean; fundamental concepts from serial/traditional approaches; roles and team structures; and the fundamentals of choosing your way of working (WoW).
- Disciplined DevOps. DevOps is the streamlining of software development and IT operations activities. In Disciplined DevOps we extend this to take an enterprise-class approach that integrates Security and Data Management so as to provide more effective outcomes for your organization. We also recognize that for organizations with hundreds, and sometimes thousands of systems in production that Support (Help Desk) and Release Management activities need to be robust.
- Value Streams. The Value Streams layer is the glue that ties together an organization’s strategies. This layer visualizes what an effective value stream looks like, enabling you to make decisions for improving each part of the organization within the context of the whole. It’s not enough to be innovative, you also need to increase value realization – value streams show you how to do exactly that in the environment that you face.
- Disciplined Agile Enterprise (DAE). A Disciplined Agile Enterprise (DAE) is able to sense and respond swiftly to changes in the marketplace. It does this through an organizational culture and structure that facilitates change within the context of the situation that it faces. Such organizations require a learning mindset in the mainstream business and underlying lean and agile processes to drive innovation. The DAE layer focuses on the rest of the enterprise activities that support your organization’s value streams.
December 2021
What is Disciplined Agile?
The DA tool kit is the foundation for enterprise agility, providing contextualized advice for all aspects of your organization.