Walton's everyday low price strategy says: eliminate the friction. Connect the teams. Share information constantly. The constant information flow will keep the organization running smoothly. The organization will be efficient because the friction is low.

## The Core Principle (11/52)

Walton's everyday low price strategy says: eliminate the friction. Connect the teams. Share information constantly. The constant information flow eliminates information gaps. The elimination of information gaps reduces delays. The reduction in delays improves efficiency.

## Step 1: Identify the Information Gaps Between Teams (14/52)

Your team should identify the information gaps between teams with the same approach. For a transportation hardware SME, the identification might look like this.

The release train engineer facilitates a session with representatives from all seven Scrum teams. Each team writes down the information they need from other teams on sticky notes. The notes are posted on a board with seven columns, one per team. (16/52)

The data team posts two notes. We need to know when the hardware team changes the sensor data format. Format changes affect our analytics engine. We need to know when the cloud team changes the data storage layer. Storage changes affect our queries.

The QA team posts two notes. We need to know when any team changes anything. We need 48-hour notice. We need a single source of truth for what is changing. (19/52)

The second biggest gap is between the hardware team and the data team. The hardware team changed the sensor data format six weeks ago. The data team did not know for two weeks. The two-week gap caused the analytics engine to produce incorrect results.

The identification took two hours. It created visibility. The visibility created urgency. (21/52)

For a SAFe team of 16 to 50, the information gap identification should happen at the start of every program increment. It should take no more than two hours. It should produce a prioritized list of gaps. For SAFe, the identification should be part of program increment planning as a planning input.

## Step 2: Create Low-Friction Information Channels That Run Constantly (22/52)

Walton created constant information channels. Walmart's suppliers were connected to Walmart's inventory systems. The connection was not a weekly meeting or a monthly report. It was constant. When a store's inventory changed, the supplier knew instantly. The constant channel eliminated the information gap.

Your team should create low-friction information channels that run constantly with the same approach. For a transportation hardware SME, the channels might look like this. (23/52)

The release train engineer sets up three channels.

Channel one is a shared change log. It is a single document in Confluence. Every team updates it when they make a change that affects other teams. The update takes two minutes. It includes what changed, why it changed, and when it changed. The document is a chronological log, not a wiki. It is simple and visible to everyone. (24/52)

For a SAFe team of 16 to 50, the constant information channels should be set up at the start of every program increment. They should include a shared change log, a Slack channel, and a weekly standup. For SAFe, the channels should be part of the release train operating model as operating model components.

## Step 3: Make Cross-Functional Dependencies Visible on a Single Board (28/52)

Walmart made supplier dependencies visible. Distribution centers had boards showing which stores needed which products. The boards were visible to everyone. The visibility eliminated surprises. When a store needed product, the distribution center saw it and acted. No emergency orders. No stockouts.

Your team should make cross-functional dependencies visible on a single board with the same approach. For a transportation hardware SME, the board might look like this. (29/52)

The hardware team posts a card in swimlane two. It says, We are changing the communication protocol from MQTT to gRPC in sprint three. This affects the cloud team's API and the QA team's test environment. The card is red. Red means other teams are affected.

The cloud team sees the card and adds one to their column: We are updating the API to support gRPC in sprint three. We need the hardware team's gRPC specification by the end of sprint two. (31/52)

The QA team sees both cards and adds one: We are updating the test environment for gRPC in sprint four. We need the updated API and the new firmware by the end of sprint three.

The board is visible. The dependencies are visible. The timeline is visible. Everyone sees what is changing, who is affected, and when it happens. The visibility eliminates surprises. (32/52)

For a SAFe team of 16 to 50, the dependency board should be set up at the start of every program increment. It should be physical and in the team area. It should be updated daily. For SAFe, the board should be part of program increment planning as a planning artifact.

## Step 4: Eliminate Handoffs by Temporarily Embedding Specialists Across Teams (34/52)

The handoff is eliminated. The API is ready when the firmware is ready. The integration works on the first try.

In sprint three, the hardware team ships the new firmware. The cloud team ships the new API on the same day. The integration succeeds. No three-week delay. No cascading failures. No missed program increment commitments. (39/52)

For a SAFe team of 16 to 50, the specialist embedding should happen at the start of every program increment. It should last two sprints. The embedded specialist should sit with the host team and attend their ceremonies. For SAFe, the embedding should be part of program increment planning as a planning decision.

## Step 5: Measure the Friction Reduction Every Program Increment (41/52)

Walton measured the friction reduction in Walmart's supply chain. They tracked the time between a store running low and a supplier starting production. The time dropped from five days to zero. The drop was measurable and visible. It justified the investment in constant information channels.

Your team should measure the friction reduction every program increment with the same approach. For a transportation hardware SME, the measurement might look like this. (42/52)

Program increment three, after two program increments of constant information channels: information gap time averaged two days. Integration failure rate was 8 percent. One integration failed, and it was a new edge case that no one anticipated.

Program increment five, after four program increments of constant information channels: information gap time averaged 0.5 days. Integration failure rate was zero percent. No integrations failed. (45/52)

The metrics show the trend. The constant information channels are working. The friction is being eliminated. The delays are being reduced. The integration failures are being eliminated.

The release train engineer presents the metrics at the program increment planning meeting. The case is not subjective. It is data driven. The stakeholders see the improvement and support the approach. (46/52)

For a SAFe team of 16 to 50, the friction reduction should be measured every program increment. The measurement should track at least two metrics and be presented at the program increment planning meeting. For SAFe, the measurement should be part of program increment planning as a planning input.

## Closing on Low Friction Over Silos (47/52)