Portfolio epics

This topic describes how to add portfolio epics to your portfolio.

Overview of portfolio epics

Epics are containers that capture and manage Agile initiatives. Portfolio epics are the Agile practices at the enterprise level. A portfolio epic probably requires different Agile teams to implement.

You can create portfolio epics in ValueEdge Strategy and sync them to ValueEdge Agile. You can also create epics in ValueEdge Agile and sync them to ValueEdge Strategy.

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Create portfolio epics in ValueEdge Strategy

This section describes how to create a portfolio epic in ValueEdge Strategy.

To create a portfolio epic in ValueEdge Strategy:

  1. Prerequisite: Make sure the Portfolio Epic entity type is selected in Set entity type in backlog to enable the creation of portfolio epics within a portfolio.

  2. Open a portfolio and go to the Contents tab.

  3. Select the Plain List view or Hierarchy view in the top-right corner.

  4. Click Add portfolio contents > Portfolio Epic.
  5. In the Create New Portfolio Epic page, the Summary section, enter the general information of the portfolio epic, including the name and owner of the epic, the expected start and finish periods, and a clear and concise statement that describes the purpose and solution of the epic.
  6. Click Submit.

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Process portfolio epics in ValueEdge Strategy

When a portfolio epic is submitted, it should process through various states of maturity until it is approved for implementation.

Portfolio epic status

The following table describes the various states that a portfolio epic would process through:

Status Description
Funnel The capture state.
Reviewing

Preliminary estimates, including opportunity, effort, and risk.

See Estimate portfolio epic values, costs, and risks.

Analyzing

Establish viability, outcomes, development, and development impact. The output of the analysis is a lean business case.

See Create lean business case.

Portfolio Backlog

Epics with "go" approval.

See Implement portfolio epics.
Implementation Epics being implemented by Agile projects.

To move a portfolio epic to the next status, click the action buttons available in the top-left of the Epic Details page.

Estimate portfolio epic values, costs, and risks

Make a meaningful estimate of the values, costs, efforts, and risks for a portfolio epic.

Task Description
Define perceived values

A portfolio epic value is based on several factors, such as customer value, commercial value, market value, efficiency value, and future value. The perceived value of a portfolio epic is the initial value estimation that helps prioritize the epic relative to others. The perceived value can be defined using either of the following methods:

  • Manually entered. Estimate the perceived value when creating the epic.

    Tip: The perceived value score should justify the epic's priority over other epics.

  • System calculated. Define value rating factors in the Value Ratings section, and risk rating factors in the Risk Ratings section, and the system automatically calculates the perceived value based on these rating factors. Perceived Value = Value Rating - Risk Rating.

Estimate costs and efforts In the Value and Cost section, make a meaningful estimate of the portfolio epic costs and efforts.
Forecast risks

In the Risk Ratings section, define risk rating factors, and the system automatically calculates the risk values based on these factors.

Create lean business case

Analyze the portfolio epic, the output of which is the lean business case. The analysis of a portfolio epic includes the definition of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for the epic. In the SAFe methodology, an MVP is an early and minimal version of a new product or business solution that is used to prove or disprove the epic hypothesis. Different from story boards, prototypes, mockups, wire frames and other exploratory techniques, the MVP is an actual product that can be used by real customers to generate validated learning.

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Implement portfolio epics

When a portfolio epic is approved for implementation (when the portfolio epic is moved to the Portfolio Backlog status), the Agile Integration Info section becomes available in the epic details page.

To implement a portfolio epic:

  1. Open the portfolio epic to implement.

  2. In the portfolio epic details page, fill the Agile Integration Info section as described below:

    Field Description
    Agile Instance name The instance where a corresponding epic is created in ValueEdge Agile.
    Agile project The workspace in ValueEdge Agile where the corresponding epic is created and implemented.
    Agile entity type

    The entity type for the corresponding epic: Shared Epic or Epic.

    For details about shared epics, see the Shared epics in the ALM Octane Help Center.

    Sync to agile tool

    Sync flag:

    • Yes. Create a corresponding epic in ValueEdge Agile, and sync the value changes of mapped fields between ValueEdge Strategy and ValueEdge Agile. For details about what values are synced, see Value sync.

    • No. Do not create an epic in ValueEdge Agile.

    Note: If you change sync flag to No after a corresponding epic is successfully created in ValueEdge Agile, the value changes of the mapped fields are not synced between ValueEdge Strategy and ValueEdge Agile.

  3. Click Approved on the left top of the portfolio epic details page.

    When the workflow action is completed, a corresponding epic is created in the target workspace in ValueEdge Agile. A link to the mapped epic is listed in the Agile entity ID field, which links directly to the epic in ValueEdge Agile.

    When Agile teams begin to develop features and user stories to implement the epic, the progress of the epic is periodically synced between ValueEdge Strategy and ValueEdge Agile. For details on which information is synced, see Value sync.

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Create portfolio epics in ValueEdge Agile

This section describes how to create epics in ValueEdge Agile and add them to your portfolio.

Create an epic in ValueEdge Agile

  1. Create an epic in ValueEdge Agile. Make sure you leave the Epic Level field empty. For details, see Backlog management in the ALM Octane Help Center.

  2. Epics created in ValueEdge Agile whose Epic Level is empty are periodically synced to ValueEdge Strategy and listed in the portfolio candidate pool. You can add these epics to your portfolio and manage them in the Contents tab. For details, see Add epics to your portfolio.

Add epics to your portfolio

You can add epics that are synced from ValueEdge Agile to your portfolio from either the portfolio candidate pool or the portfolio Contents tab.

To add epics to a portfolio from the candidate pool:

Note: The candidate pool enables you to add epics to multiple portfolios from a single location, without opening every portfolio.

  1. From the ValueEdge platform homepage, select Portfolio & Strategy > Portfolio Management.

  2. In the upper-right corner, click Candidate Pool.

  3. In the Candidates page, select the checkboxes of the epics you want to add to your portfolio and click Move.

  4. In the Move Portfolio Contents dialog box, select the portfolio where the epics are moved and click OK.

To add epics to a portfolio from the portfolio Contents tab:

  1. Open a portfolio and go to the Contents tab.

  2. Select the Plain List view or Hierarchy view .

  3. Click Add portfolio contents > All Candidates.

  4. In the Add Existing Candidate page, select the epics you want to include in the portfolio and click OK.

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Value sync

The value changes are synced regularly between the mapped ValueEdge Strategy and ValueEdge Agile fields.

The following table lists which field values are synced and how they are synced.

ValueEdge Strategy epic field ValueEdge Agile epic field How the values are synced
Epic Level Epic level The value of the ValueEdge Strategy field overrides the value of the mapped ValueEdge Agile field.
Perceived Value Perceived value
Portfolio Product

The value is synced from the ValueEdge Strategy field to the mapped ValueEdge Strategy field.

Note: If you create a new or edit an existing portfolio, and then add a portfolio epic to this portfolio within a very short time (less than 15 minutes), the epic's Portfolio field value is synced as blank to ValueEdge Agile. To solve this problem, re-save the portfolio epic at a later time (at least 15 minutes later).

Implementation Phase Implementation phase The value of the ValueEdge Agile field overrides the value of the mapped ValueEdge Strategy field.
Implementation Progress

Progress

Note: Available for epics only.

Actual Story Points Actual story points
Epic Name Name The value of the field whose last update date is later overrides the value of the other field.
Epic Type Epic type
Epic Owner Owner
Epic Description Description
Forecast Story Points Story points

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Forecast portfolio epic contributions to KPIs

When an epic is added to a portfolio, the KPIs related to the portfolio's business goals are passed down to the portfolio epic. During the portfolio epic execution, you can forecast how much impact the portfolio epic would make on these KPIs. Such forecasted KPI values are KPI impacts.

Add KPI impacts

This section describes how to forecast the impact of a portfolio epic on the relevant KPIs.

To add KPI impacts:

  1. Open the portfolio epic.

  2. Go to the Strategy section.

  3. In the Strategic Theme field, select a strategic theme the portfolio epic is aligned with.

    The Impacts to Relevant KPIs area displays the KPIs related to the business goals that serve the selected strategic theme.

  4. Locate the target KPI and click Add Impact.
  5. Enter the impact value and the effective date of that value.
  6. In the Write down your assumptions text area, enter the assumptions on which the KPI impact value is based.
  7. Click to save the impact.

Track impact status

After the effective date of an impact value, you can use the Status option to track whether the impact value is delivered. This option appears only when the current date is the effective date or later.

Ignore irrelevant KPIs

If you find a KPI not relevant to the portfolio epic, you can ignore the KPI.

To ignore a KPI, click the Ignore button in the KPI. The KPI is moved to the Ignored KPIs list.

To add a KPI back to the relevant KPIs list, click the Un-ignore button in the KPI from the Ignored KPIs list.

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See also: