How Sacem Underwent a Global Business and IT Transformation with SAFe® By Creating a Platform ART to Complement Its Business-enabled ARTs

“Sacem quickly focused on SAFe because of its ability to scale across the organization, something Scrum lacked. Feedback from companies like Spotify and BPIFrance (Public Bank of Investment) which were also inspired by SAFe, and the Framework’s focus on portfolio management, PI Planning, and cross-department
collaboration made it an ideal fit.”

Sylvie Labouesse, CTO of Sacem

Challenge:

To maintain its global leadership and enhance economic efficiency, Sacem needed to adapt to a rapidly evolving music industry by accelerating the digitalization of its systems and processes.

Industry:

Music, IT, Digital Media

Quick Facts:

  • Founded in 1851 and managed by its members, Sacem is a society of authors, composers, and publishers of music.
  • Sacem represents more than 240,000 members and 176 million works.
  • Sacem collects author rights directly in more than 180 countries.
  • The organization has more than 1,300 employees and has supported more than 3,600 cultural projects.
  • 510,000 authors, composers, and music publishers are paid worldwide thanks to Sacem.

Overview

The Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music (Sacem), is the world leader in the collective management of authors’ and composers’ rights. Founded in 1851, Sacem has continuously evolved to meet the challenges of a fast-changing music industry, driven by digital innovation and new consumption models.

With deep expertise in digital rights management, data processing, and royalty distribution, Sacem has positioned itself at the forefront of the global digital transformation of collective management organizations. Its leadership is built on its ability to adapt rapidly, embrace cutting-edge technologies, and offer innovative, high-quality services to its members, customers, and partners worldwide.

The Challenge

To maintain its global leadership, Sacem needed to:

  • Enhance its economic efficiency.
  • Cope with a constantly changing music industry.
  • Strengthen its competitive position.
  • Accelerate the digitalization of its processes and royalty management systems.
  • Develop tailor-made services for its members, customers, and employees.

The Path to SAFe

Sacem’s IT departments initially explored Scrum in 2017 – 2018. After a leadership change in 2019 and some reflection in 2021, it became clear that the transformation needed to scale across the entire IT department and align better with the business transformation. Sacem’s complex IT architecture and extensive operational value streams required a comprehensive transformation.

Undergoing this transformation with SAFe ensured Sacem could stay competitive in a dynamic and fast-moving market with evolving technologies and new platforms.

Outcomes

Before the SAFe transformation, projects were perceived as too long and costly. Working methods were heterogeneous, and the organization needed more synergy with the trades. Sacem wanted to enable IT to develop and deploy the technologies of the future.

The transformation brought tangible improvements in several areas:

Acceleration: The speed of delivery for business initiatives increased by 20 percent, largely due to building a state-of-the-art Pipeline CD Product and promoting its adoption to move toward DevOps. The product approach of the Platform ART (private and public cloud automation, Identity and Access Management Product, middleware product, and API Management Product) is the key success factor to faster delivery. The involvement of the Platform Train in the PI Planning processes of the Business Trains—and vice versa—has also significantly contributed to acceleration.

Time-to-market: The time required to implement technical architectures for Business-enabled trains improved a lot. What used to take several weeks now takes only a few days, thanks to better alignment with best practices.

Modernization: By May 2024, Sacem reduced technical obsolescence by 15 percent. From June 2024, the rate of obsolescence increased due to the rapid pace of technological changes. Nevertheless, sharing obsolescence in the PI Planning processes of the Business Trains facilitates managing technical obsolescence for risk reduction. Modernization also concerns offering the latest products on the CD pipeline and introducing new technologies to create opportunities for Business Trains (containers).

Autonomy: There has been a 60-percent reduction in handovers and dependencies, as the Business Trains have adopted better skills and become more autonomous in managing their infrastructure.

Predictability: The predictability rate for the Platform Train stabilized at 85 percent, a significant improvement from the initial 60 percent before starting the journey.

Service Quality: The availability of critical applications for the Business Trains reached a target of 98.9 percent per month. This has positively impacted operations and customer satisfaction.

Deployment Speed: Deployment times have reduced drastically, from a day and a half to just five minutes, thanks to the integration of a standardized and unique Pipeline CD.

Cost Reduction: Running costs have decreased, aided by the decommissioning of obsolete applications and systems, contributing to overall operational efficiency.

In addition, Sacem reports that collaboration has improved between teams, as shown by satisfaction surveys during I&A sessions. Business satisfaction scores have risen, and Sacem’s new digital and innovative image has helped attract top talent. The shift from silos to integrated teams has created a culture of mutual respect and understanding. The wall between DEV and OPS is now broken. Everybody is doing studies, build, and run. Everybody is sharing the same vocabulary.

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Suggested Case Study: Royal Philips

France Travail

“…people who work together in harmony and deliver the best service to the business customers, beneficiaries in happy relationships and all that? That’s what gets me up in the morning. I want to make sure that people are working together fine. And what frustrates me the most is to see within our government agency how so much energy is wasted in silos, wasted because people are not communicating properly and all this nice energy is lost. And so that’s really too bad.”

— Cecile Auret, Internal Change Agent and SAFe 6.0 Practice Consultant, France Travail

Industry:

Government, Public Sector

Quick Facts:

  • France Travail employs approximately 59,000 people, with 1600 working to develop digital services
  • The organization paid a total of 36 billion Euros to beneficiaries in 2023
  • They processed almost 8 million benefit requests in 2023
  • They saw 478 million visits to their website in 2023 (59% of those on mobile devices)
  • They processed 17 million phone calls to call centers
  • And, they saw 6.6 million in-person visits to local branches 
  • After launching its first Agile Release Train more than six years ago, today, approximately 70 percent of France Travail’s software production is delivered through ARTs

Key Takeaways:

  • ARTs are not enough to cut through silos. Even when trains are working happily together, they can hit a ceiling if the silo mentality and culture above the trains doesn’t change. 
  • Everyone is an actor in the transformation. By trying things and improving in their area, individuals can plant seeds for the rest of the organization. With persistence, at some point, it attracts sponsorship from the management level.
  • Change needs to happen on every level: middle managers, top managers, change agents, and the team level.
  • The Framework offers both stability and ideas for improvement, with the big picture as the main compass for the organization to navigate change.

Overview

France Travail is the French public employment service, a government organization that supports unemployed citizens and employers, offers financial benefits, and provides intermediation services. They offer assistance to people who are in transition, in between jobs, or looking for new employment. They also support small employers and recruiters that don’t have the infrastructure for recruiting. 

France Travail is a big agency on its own, but in January 2024 it became part of a larger network of partners: The network for employment. Together, the network helps people not only find work, but also remove impediments to work, such as securing housing and finding daycare. France Travail also develops an IT platform of digital services for all the partners.

“Don’t accept the status quo. Try things… If you believe you can improve, try things. And don’t let others tell you that you shouldn’t try. Be confident and try… and eventually you’ll attract interest from top managers.”

— Cecile Auret, Internal Change Agent and SAFe 6.0 Practice Consultant, France Travail

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Meet SAFe CoPilot

Meet SAFe® CoPilot

Join us for a SAFe Studio exclusive experience where you’ll Meet SAFe® CoPilot!

When:

June 27, 2024, 10:00 am – June 27, 2024, 11:00 am MST

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Agile Coach, Product Manager, Product Owner, Release Train Engineer, SAFe Program Consultant, Scrum Master

Event Overview

Generative AI tools like SAFe CoPilot have unlocked significant productivity gains for SAFe roles. By reducing the routine, repetitive tasks that create toil for the individual contributor, SAFe CoPilot enables more ‘time in zone’ for higher-order, critical thinking work. In this interactive session, we will unravel the potent capabilities of SAFe® CoPilot by diving into the tool in real time. 

We’ll also discuss its positive impact on SAFe roles and how SAFe® CoPilot offers a competitive edge in the tech development landscape.

Speakers

William Kammersell

Director of Product Management, Scaled Agile, Inc.

Unlock Unprecedented Productivity: The Flow Metrics Path to Agile Success

Unlock Unprecedented Productivity: The Flow Metrics Path to Agile Success

Whether you are new to the concept of flow metrics or looking to deepen your understanding and application, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to start leveraging flow metrics for remarkable improvements in your organizational performance.

When:

April 24, 2024, 10:00 am – April 24, 2024, 11:00 am MST

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Agile Leaders, LACE Leader, Product Manager, SAFe Practice Consultant, SAFe Program Consultant, Transformation Leader

Event Overview

In today’s competitive business landscape, attaining enterprise agility is more crucial than ever. Many are intrigued by the potential of Value Stream Management (VSM), yet find it intimidating and overly complex, even a colossal challenge. What if the journey to enterprise agility could be significantly simplified?

This session focuses on demystifying “flow metrics” – it’s the fastest and most effective path to extract immediate value for any organization. Flow metrics offer a lens through which organizations can view the efficiency, speed, and quality of work moving through their processes.

By attending this webinar, you will learn:

– What Flow Metrics Are: An introduction to flow metrics and their role in tracking the movement and delivery of value in the enterprise.

– Why They Matter: Explore the critical importance of flow metrics in identifying bottlenecks, reducing waste, and improving overall system performance, leading to enhanced enterprise agility.

– How to Get Started: Practical steps to begin collecting and analyzing flow metrics, even without fully implementing Value Stream Management (VSM). We’ll break down the seeming complexity of VSM, showing how any organization can derive significant value from flow metrics.

–Transformative Insights: Discover the kinds of insights flow metrics can provide and how these insights can be used to make informed decisions, prioritize work, and drive continuous improvement.

Speakers

Marc Rix Headshot

Marc Rix

Methodologist, SAFe® Fellow at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Brad Kramer

Pre-sales Solution Engineer at Atlassian

Co-Presented by:

Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options

Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options

Real options promote flexibility in decision-making and enable organizations to pivot, change course, or seize new opportunities as circumstances evolve.

When:

May 21, 2024, 12:00 pm – May 21, 2024, 1:00 pm MST

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Consultant, Director, LACE Member, Program or Project Manager, SAFe Program Consultant, Transformation Leader

Event Overview

In this one hour session, you’ll receive an overview of: 

• Similar to Options contracts: The right but not the obligation to purchase or sell (i.e. Gets and Puts, respectively).

• Financial Framework: a financial decision-making framework based on ROI and probabilities

• Strategic Flexibility: enabling organizations to reduce risk, better use of capital, and avoid sunk costs. 

Don’t miss it!

Speakers

Joe Vallone

Principal Consultant, SPCT/SAFe Fellow at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Claus Hirzmann, Dipl.-Ing., MBA

Co-founder at Strategic-Finance SAS

Event Sponsors

The Future of SAFe 

The Future of SAFe® 

When:

April 25, 2024, 12:00 pm – April 25, 2024, 12:45 pm MST

Where:

Zoom Webinar

Who:

SAFe Experts, SAFe Partners, SAFe Professionals

Event Overview

Join us for a dynamic 45-minute webinar to explore how SAFe is evolving in today’s unique context. Learn about the areas of focus informing future Framework guidance, and learn about new solutions for SAFe customers, partners, and professionals.

Inbar Oren and Product Management team leaders will start by revealing new solutions to help your organization break down barriers that impede organizational agility and enable individuals, Agile teams, and ARTs to work more effectively with SAFe.

Then, we’ll shift to all the latest from Andy Sales and his Framework team. A year after the launch of SAFe 6.0, Andy Sales will share areas of focus for SAFe Next: Revisiting the origins of Agile with Agile Engineering, deeper/more practical Lean Portfolio Management guidance, and emergent patterns for organizing around value at scale.

Don’t miss this opportunity to peek into the future… The Future of SAFe!

Speakers

Inbar Oren

Chief Product Officer at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Andrew Sales

Chief Methodologist at Scaled Agile, Inc.

William Kammersell

Director of Product Management at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Michelle Jimenez

Product Manager at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Marc Rix

Methodologist, SAFe Fellow at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Silvio Wandfluh

Senior Director of Product at Scaled Agile, Inc.

February RTE Circle

February RTE Circle

From RTE to Flow Master: Achieving Synergy with ART Kanban

When:

February 22, 2024, 9:00 am – February 22, 2024, 11:00 am

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Release Train Engineer

Event Overview

Imagine exchanging ideas, troubleshooting challenges, and recounting tales with fellow RTEs and STEs worldwide without leaving the comfort of your home.

You’ve just described RTE Circles. And you’re invited.

Speakers

Mike Alber

Director of Community Engagement

Charlen M. Cuenca

SAFe Fellow, SPCT

SAFe Day Government 2024

SAFe Day Government 2024

When:

May 8, 2024, 8:00 am – May 9, 2024, 5:00 pm EST

Where:

Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004

Who:

Event Overview

Join us as we explore Empowering Government Transformation through Agile Innovation. SAFe Day Government explores the paradigm shift in the Federal government when fostering a culture of Agile innovation. This conference brings together visionary leaders, policymakers, and Agile practitioners to explore and champion the adoption of Agile methodologies in government. Through collaborative discussions, real-world case studies, and interactive sessions, we aim to inspire, educate, and empower government agencies to embrace agility as a fundamental driver of positive change.

SPC Welcome Webinar

SPC Welcome Webinar

Our next SPC Welcome Webinar is exclusively for new SPCs.

When:

December 5, 2024, 10:00 am – December 5, 2024, 11:00 am MST

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Consultant, Director, Program or Project Manager, Release Train Engineer, SAFe Program Consultant

Event Overview

We will review the many tools and resources available to ensure your success as a SAFe® trainer and coach.

– Ready to Train online learning
– Course enablement + validation
– Purchasing licenses
– Downloading courseware
– Creating courses
– Virtual classroom (optional, for remote setting)
– Uploading roster
– FAQs
– Other valuable resources

Speakers

Mike Alber

Director, Community Engagement at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Garren Watkins

Product Manager at Scaled Agile, Inc.

SPC Welcome Webinar

SPC Welcome Webinar

Our next SPC Welcome Webinar is exclusively for new SPCs.

When:

September 12, 2024, 10:00 am – September 12, 2024, 11:00 am MST

Where:

Zoom

Who:

Consultant, Director, Program or Project Manager, Release Train Engineer, SAFe Program Consultant

Event Overview

We will review the many tools and resources available to ensure your success as a SAFe® trainer and coach.

– Ready to Train online learning
– Course enablement + validation
– Purchasing licenses
– Downloading courseware
– Creating courses
– Virtual classroom (optional, for remote setting)
– Uploading roster
– FAQs
– Other valuable resources

Speakers

Mike Alber

Director, Community Engagement at Scaled Agile, Inc.

Garren Watkins

Product Manager at Scaled Agile, Inc.