Principle #7 – Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning

Cadence is a rhythmic pattern of events that provides the steady heartbeat of the development
process. It makes routine everything that can be routine, so developers can focus on managing the
variable part of solution development. Synchronization allows multiple solution perspectives to be
understood, resolved, and integrated at the same time.

cadence and synchronization help development teams proceed confidently despite the inherent
uncertainty.

Taken together, cadence and synchronization are critical concepts that help us manage the inherent
variability of our work. This creates a more reliable, dependable solution development and delivery
process, one that our key business stakeholders can come to rely on.

Aligning Development Cadence Agile teams naturally apply cadence via short iterations (or Sprint)
cycles. However, even when working together, these cadence-based cycles may not lend themselves
to effective synchronization

Synchronize with Cross-Domain Planning In addition to common cadence, periodic cross-domain

planning (example: PI Planning in SAFe) provides the opportunity for the various aspects of a
solution—business and technical —to be integrated and evaluated together at one time. This has the
net effect of managing variability by frequently revisiting and updating the plan. In other words,
cadence-based planning limits variability to a single interval,