The AOS and handoffs

Handoffs are a sort of waste (they represent the transition from one ownership level to another, the equivalent to transportation as a sort of manufacturing waste) and the Lean nature of the Agile Operating System (AOS) aims at preventing waste.

Are there any handoffs within the AOS, and how are they dealt with?

The answer is NO!

The AOS is by definition a value stream, where cumulative outcomes are aimed at delivering business initiatives to the market. The value produced by each interactive process is in response to a need manifested by its client or receiving process. There’s no transfer of ownership, only a flow of value:

Portfolio Management responds to the Product Management need to have a valuable Enterprise Backlog (EBL) to work from. Portfolio management presents its EBL (value outcome) for revision and acceptance to its direct client and all other stakeholders (Business, Delivery Management, Release Management, Infrastructure Management …)

Product Management follows the same procedure towards Delivery Management whose need is a valuable prioritized Product Backlog (PBL) in order to produce value working business increments. The PBL is then presented for acceptance to all stakeholders.

Delivery Management does similarly by responding to the Release management needs by delivering valuable business increments which are reviewed and accepted for release.

Release Management will respond to the Business needs by packaging and delivering the requested value as indicated by the customer, in a continuous and predictable manner.

So handovers are not such, they become need satisfaction guided by an understanding through feedback loops. Picture this as two sets of waves, needs and solutions waves interacting with each other, where the nodes represent the delivery and feedback loops.

Business needs are met by Delivery Management, whose needs are met by Product Management, whose needs are met by Portfolio Management and through the Business.

The Business serves Portfolio Management, that serves Product Management, that serves Delivery Management and onto the Business

Unknown's avatar

Author: Mario Aiello

Hi, I’m Mario – a retired agility warrior from a major Swiss bank, beyond agile explorer, lean thinker, former rugby player, and wishful golfer. What frustrates me most? Poor agile adoption, illusionary scaling, and the lack of true business agility. I believe agility should fit purpose, context, and practice – and continuously evolve. Active in the agile space since 2008, my consulting journey began in 2012, helping a digital identity unit adopt Scrum at team level. That work led to the design of an Agile Operating System for the entire organization. Today, as an independent consultant, I help organizations unlock sustainable agility – guided by adaptive intelligence: sensing challenges, learning fast, and adapting with purpose.