SafeDevOps Work Item Types: Complete Feature Guide

Understanding the SAFe® Hierarchy
SafeDevOps.app implements a strict hierarchical structure that mirrors SAFe® principles:

• Epic: Large business initiatives requiring analysis and investment approval
• Feature: Services delivering stakeholder value, broken down into stories
• User Story: Small pieces of customer-valued functionality delivered in iterations
• Task: Technical activities required to implement user stories

Hierarchical Relationships
Each work item type has specific parent-child relationships enforced by the system:

• Epics have no parent and can contain Features
• Features must belong to an Epic and can contain User Stories
• User Stories must belong to a Feature and can contain Tasks
• Tasks must belong to a User Story and cannot have children

Epic Characteristics
Epics represent the highest level of work in SafeDevOps.app and serve as containers for large business initiatives.

Epic Special Features
Epics have unique characteristics in the SafeDevOps platform:

• No Parent Required: Epics are top-level items and cannot have parent work items
• Cross-ART Scope: Epics can span multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and teams
• No Team Assignment: Epics are not assigned to specific teams but can involve multiple teams
• Strategic Alignment: Designed for portfolio-level planning and business initiative tracking
• Long-Term Timeline: Typically span multiple Program Increments (PIs)
• Investment Themes: Can be tagged and categorized by business investment themes

Epic Creation Process
When creating Epics in SafeDevOps:

• Business Justification: Focus on business value and strategic alignment in the description
• Stakeholder Impact: Clearly identify which stakeholders will benefit
• Success Criteria: Define measurable outcomes and business metrics
• Resource Estimation: Provide high-level effort estimates for portfolio planning

Epic Status Progression
Epics follow a simplified status workflow suitable for portfolio management:

• Proposed: Initial concept requiring analysis and approval
• In Progress: Active development across contained Features
• Completed: All Features delivered and business value realized
• Blocked: Dependencies or issues preventing progress

Feature Characteristics
Features represent significant functionality that delivers business value to stakeholders and are the primary planning unit for Program Increments.

Feature Special Features
Features have the most advanced capabilities in SafeDevOps:

• Acceptance Criteria Management: Dedicated acceptance criteria system with verification tracking
• Feature Readiness Verification: Comprehensive readiness checklist for system demo preparation
• Demo Readiness Status: Special status tracking for system demo preparation
• Integration Tracking: Built-in integration lifecycle management with specialized tags
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Support for multiple collaborating teams
• Verification History: Complete audit trail of readiness verifications

Dynamic Acceptance Criteria
Features include a sophisticated acceptance criteria management system:

• Multiple Criteria: Add unlimited acceptance criteria with individual verification status
• Verification Tracking: Mark each criterion as verified/unverified with user and timestamp
• Progress Indicators: Visual progress tracking showing percentage of verified criteria
• Edit and Update: Modify criteria descriptions and verification status after creation
• Audit Trail: Complete history of who verified what and when

Comprehensive Readiness Checklist
Features include a built-in readiness verification system with multiple assessment categories:

Test Coverage Assessment
Detailed testing metrics and verification:

• Unit Test Coverage: Percentage of code covered by unit tests (target: 70%+)
• Integration Test Coverage: Coverage of integration scenarios (target: 50%+)
• System Test Coverage: End-to-end testing completion percentage
• Automated Tests: Verification that automated tests are passing
• Regression Testing: Confirmation of regression test completion
• Performance Testing: Performance testing completion status

Known Issues Tracking
Comprehensive defect and issue management:

• Blocker Issues: Count of blocking issues (target: 0)
• Critical Issues: Count of critical defects (target: 0)
• Major Issues: Count and documentation status of major issues
• Minor Issues: Count of minor defects for awareness
• Auto-calculated Flags: Automatic "no blockers" and "no critical" indicators

Dependencies Resolution
Dependency management and risk assessment:

• External Dependencies: Status of dependencies on external systems or teams
• Internal Dependencies: Resolution status of internal team dependencies
• Risk Identification: Documentation of dependency-related risks

Documentation Completeness
Documentation readiness verification:

• User Documentation: End-user guides and help documentation
• Technical Documentation: API docs, architecture, and technical specifications
• Release Notes: Change documentation for stakeholder communication

Integration Status Tracking
Features include built-in integration lifecycle management:

• Ready for Integration: Automatic tagging when feature meets readiness criteria
• In Integration: Status tracking during integration testing phase
• Integrated: Final status with automatic integration date recording
• System Demo Ready: Special tag for features ready for system demonstration

Demo Readiness Features
Advanced capabilities for system demo preparation:

• Readiness Scoring: Automatic calculation of feature readiness based on verification criteria
• Demo Ready Filtering: Special filters to find all demo-ready features
• Verification History: Complete audit trail of readiness assessments
• Comments and Notes: Detailed verification comments for each assessment

User Story Characteristics
User Stories represent small, deliverable pieces of functionality that can be completed within a single iteration.

User Story Special Features
User Stories include capabilities designed for sprint execution:

• Story Points Estimation: Dedicated field for effort estimation and velocity tracking
• Iteration Assignment: Required assignment to specific team iterations
• Team Ownership: Mandatory team assignment for accountability
• Acceptance Criteria: Streamlined acceptance criteria for story verification
• Sprint Planning Integration: Designed for sprint planning and daily standup workflows
• Velocity Tracking: Integration with team velocity and burndown metrics

User Story Format Guidelines
SafeDevOps encourages standard user story formatting:

• User-Centric Format: "As a [user type], I want [functionality] so that [business value]"
• Testable Criteria: Specific, measurable acceptance criteria
• Sprint-Sized: Scope appropriate for completion within one iteration
• Business Value: Clear articulation of user or business benefit

Iteration Requirements
User Stories have specific iteration-related requirements:

• Mandatory Iteration: Must be assigned to a team iteration for planning
• Team Alignment: Iteration must belong to the same team as the story
• Sprint Boundaries: Cannot span multiple iterations
• Planning Integration: Visible in sprint planning and iteration boards

Task Characteristics
Tasks represent the detailed technical activities required to implement user stories and are the most granular work items in the system.

Task Special Features
Tasks include capabilities for detailed execution tracking:

• Time Tracking: Estimated hours, actual hours, and remaining hours fields
• Iteration Assignment: Required assignment to specific team iterations
• Team Ownership: Mandatory team assignment for work allocation
• Detailed Progress: Hour-by-hour progress tracking for accurate reporting
• Daily Standup Integration: Designed for daily progress updates
• No Child Items: Cannot contain sub-items, ensuring granular execution focus

Time Tracking Capabilities
Tasks provide comprehensive time management:

• Estimated Hours: Initial effort estimate for planning
• Actual Hours: Logged time spent on task completion
• Remaining Hours: Updated estimates of remaining work
• Progress Calculation: Automatic progress percentage based on time data
• Burndown Integration: Data feeds into sprint burndown charts

Task Execution Workflow
Tasks follow a detailed execution workflow:

• Sprint Assignment: Must be assigned to specific iterations for execution
• Daily Updates: Designed for daily standup progress reporting
• Impediment Tracking: Blocked status for impediment management
• Completion Verification: Clear completion criteria and verification

Universal Work Item Features
All work item types in SafeDevOps share common capabilities:

• Status Management: Proposed, In Progress, Completed, Blocked workflow
• Priority Levels: Critical, High, Medium, Low priority assignment
• Owner Assignment: Individual responsibility and accountability
• Description Fields: Rich text descriptions with formatting support
• Audit History: Complete change tracking and history
• Comment System: Collaborative discussion and notes
• Tag System: Flexible categorization and filtering
• Dependency Tracking: Link to related work items and external dependencies

Advanced Tagging System
SafeDevOps includes an intelligent tagging system:

• Custom Tags: User-defined tags for flexible categorization
• Integration Tags: System-managed tags for integration lifecycle
• Auto-tagging: Automatic tag assignment based on status changes
• Filter Integration: Tags enable powerful filtering and reporting

Team Assignment Rules
SafeDevOps enforces SAFe® team assignment principles:

• Epics and Features: Optional team assignment (portfolio level)
• User Stories and Tasks: Required team assignment (execution level)
• Cross-team Collaboration: Support for collaborating teams on Features
• ART Alignment: Teams must belong to the same ART as parent work items

Iteration Assignment Rules
Iteration assignment follows SAFe® planning principles:

• Epics and Features: No iteration assignment (longer-term planning)
• User Stories and Tasks: Required iteration assignment for sprint execution
• Team Alignment: Iterations must belong to the assigned team
• Sprint Boundaries: Work items cannot span multiple iterations

Role-Based Permissions
SafeDevOps implements granular permissions for each work item type:

• Epic Permissions: Separate create, edit, delete permissions for portfolio managers
• Feature Permissions: Dedicated permissions including readiness verification rights
• User Story Permissions: Team-level permissions for story management
• Task Permissions: Individual and team-based task management rights

Special Feature Permissions
Features have additional permission controls:

• Readiness Verification: Special permission to verify feature readiness
• Demo Status Update: Rights to mark features as demo-ready
• Integration Management: Permissions to manage integration lifecycle

Work Item Analytics
SafeDevOps provides comprehensive analytics for each work item type:

• Velocity Tracking: Story point completion trends for User Stories
• Burndown Charts: Progress tracking for iterations and features
• Cycle Time Analysis: Time spent in each status for all work item types
• Feature Readiness Metrics: Dashboard showing demo readiness across features
• Completion Rates: Success metrics by work item type and team

Dashboard Integration
Work items integrate with SafeDevOps dashboards:

• Portfolio View: Epic and Feature progress for leadership
• Team Dashboards: User Story and Task progress for teams
• Demo Readiness: Special dashboard for system demo preparation
• Integration Status: Overview of features in integration lifecycle

Epic Best Practices
Maximize Epic effectiveness:

• Strategic Focus: Ensure Epics align with business strategy and objectives
• Measurable Outcomes: Define clear success criteria and business metrics
• Portfolio Planning: Use Epics for portfolio-level planning and investment decisions
• Stakeholder Communication: Keep descriptions focused on business value

Feature Best Practices
Leverage Feature capabilities effectively:

• Acceptance Criteria: Define comprehensive, testable acceptance criteria
• Readiness Verification: Use the readiness checklist for systematic demo preparation
• Integration Planning: Plan integration activities early in feature development
• Cross-team Coordination: Identify and manage collaborating teams

User Story Best Practices
Optimize User Story management:

• Sprint Sizing: Ensure stories can be completed within one iteration
• User-Centric Language: Write from the user's perspective with clear value
• Story Points: Use consistent estimation practices across the team
• Acceptance Criteria: Keep criteria simple and testable

Task Best Practices
Maximize Task tracking efficiency:

• Granular Breakdown: Break work into tasks of 1-8 hours for accurate tracking
• Daily Updates: Update remaining hours daily for accurate burndown
• Clear Ownership: Assign specific individuals to tasks
• Technical Focus: Write task descriptions from a technical implementation perspective