Refactoring is the activity of improving the internal structure or operation of a code or component without changing its external behavior. The goal of software development is the continuous delivery of business value to users and stakeholders. Constantly changing technology and evolving business objectives make maintaining and continuously increasing business value difficult. Refactoring enables an emergent design, ensuring the system continues to meet future business needs. Refactors are a particular type of Enabler story in SAFe, and, like any other Story, they must be estimable, verifiable, and valuable, as well as accepted by the Product Owner. SAFe emphasizes the importance of keeping all work visible, including refactoring. Like user value work, refactoring must be planned for, estimated, and prioritized.Therefore, developers should create and estimate refactoring Stories in the Team Backlog, and work on them according to their WSJF1

The lead time for a particular step in a value stream is the time from when the work is ready from the previous step to work completion. It includes both the process time and the wait time at that step. Lead time is an important metric to measure the efficiency and flow of a value stream, as it indicates how long it takes for a unit of work to move through a step.Reducing lead time can help eliminate waste, improve throughput, and increase customer satisfaction1

Value stream mapping metrics include calculations of three metrics: total process time, rolled % complete and accurate, and activity ratio. Value stream mapping is a lean technique to analyze, design, and manage the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to a customer. It uses a system of standard symbols to depict various work streams and information flows, and to identify value-adding and non-value-adding activities. Value stream mapping metrics are used to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of a production process, and to identify areas for improvement. Some of the common value stream mapping metrics are:

Total process time: the sum of the process times for all the activities in the value stream. It measures how long it takes to complete a unit of work from start to finish.

Rolled % complete and accurate: the percentage of units that are completed and accurate at each step of the value stream, multiplied across all the steps. It measures the quality and reliability of the process output.

Activity ratio: the ratio of value-adding time to total lead time.It measures the proportion of time spent on activities that create value for the customer, versus activities that do not

The people responsible for the next step should be consulted first when calculating the % Complete and Accurate (%C&A) metric. The %C&A metric is a measure of the quality of the work output from a process step. It indicates the percentage of time that the downstream customers receive work that is acceptable as is, without any rework or errors. To calculate the %C&A metric, the people responsible for the next step need to inspect the work output from the previous step and determine whether it meets the quality standards and expectations. They also need to provide feedback to the previous step on the defects or issues they find and how they affect the value stream.By consulting the people responsible for the next step, the %C&A metric can reflect the actual customer satisfaction and the potential waste in the process1

According to the SAFe DevOps Practitioner 6.0 study guide and handbook, one potential outcome of the Verify activity of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline is to analyze regression testing results. This means that the Verify activity involves checking the functionality and performance of the Solution after a deployment, and comparing it with the expected results.The handbook states that 'Verify is the activity of checking the functionality and performance of the Solution after a deployment, and comparing it with the expected results.'1Therefore, one of the possible outcomes of this activity is to analyze how well the Solution meets the quality standards and customer requirements.