Preparing for PI Planning as a Release Train Engineer

Planning Interval (PI) Planning is a crucial event in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) that sets the stage for a period of execution (typically 8-12 weeks) across all teams in an Agile Release Train (ART). The standard structure for a PI usually comprises four development Iterations, followed by an Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration. The PI serves a similar purpose for an ART as an Iteration does for individual Agile Teams.

It represents a defined period for comprehensive activities including planning, development, validation, value delivery, and rapid feedback acquisition. During a PI, Agile Teams employ both cadence and synchronization to integrate the efforts of multiple teams into one or more increments ready for release. Depending on the specific circumstances, teams may also independently release value.

The structured rhythm and coordination of a PI allow the ART to effectively plan the forthcoming work increment, manage work in progress (WIP) efficiently, summarize value for feedback that is significant enough to be noteworthy, and maintain consistent retrospectives across the ART. The expansive range of the PI also makes it an ideal timeframe for considering broader portfolio strategies and developing roadmaps.

Preparing for this PI Planning event is pivotal for its success. The role of the RTE is to ensure that the planning process is smooth, efficient, and productive, aligning all teams to the ART’s mission and vision. Release Train Engineers (RTEs) are pivotal in facilitating Agile Release Train (ART) practices and the execution of Planning Intervals (PI). Their key roles include addressing impediments, managing risks, and ensuring continuous value delivery and improvement.

RTEs often contribute to the Lean-Agile transformation by coaching leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches in new methodologies and mindsets. They also tailor the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to fit the organization’s needs, standardizing and documenting practices.

Understanding the Role of the RTE in PI Planning

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in preparing the Agile Release Train (ART) for Planning Interval (PI) planning, focusing on readiness in several essential areas:

• Strategic Alignment and Organizational Readiness:

• • • Ensuring that the planning aligns with strategic goals and the organization is ready for the scope and context of the PI planning.

• Leadership and Team Preparedness:

• • • Facilitating that leadership and teams are adequately prepared with the necessary content for the event.

• Logistics Management:

• • Overseeing the logistical aspects, including securing facilities or arranging the necessary technology and tools for remote participation.

As a Release Train Engineer (RTE) in SAFe, one of your most important responsibilities is planning and facilitating successful Planning Interval (PI) Planning events.  Thorough preparation is key to executing a PI Planning that aligns teams to common missions and generates excitement around the upcoming PI. This post shares tips and best practices for RTEs on preparing for impactful PI Planning.

Schedule the Logistics

The success of a PI Planning relies heavily on locking down event logistics well in advance of the actual dates. As the RTE, you should start planning logistics 6-8 weeks prior to identify venues and secure availability of key participants.

Begin by determining the right date range for the event using the Planning Interval cadence. Ideal duration is 2-3 days depending on the size and complexity of the ART. Check for availability of integral ART leaders like Business Owners, System Architect, and Product Management. Get commitment from these leaders that they can devote full attention for the entire event before finalizing dates.

Next, determine participant headcount across teams to assess venue requirements. Aim for a space that allows seating in team breakout rooms as well as a larger space for coming together. Ensure all areas have ample wall space for posters/whiteboards and good acoustics for discussions. Ideal locations are off-site such as hotels or dedicated training facilities as they have fewer distractions.

Take care of catering needs for good coffee, breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout to keep energy and blood sugar levels up! Build in definite start and end times each day while allowing for flexibility if sessions run over.

Send calendar invites to all participants once you have nailed down dates and location logistics. Include the position level attendees expected, objectives, event agenda and requested pre-work such as team breakout preparation.

About 3-4 weeks out from the PI Planning, visit the venue in person to validate room arrangements and support the flow of activities. Test A/V equipment ahead of time to avoid any surprises! Reconfirm key attendees and desired outcomes with executive leadership to have their buy-in and sponsorship.

Get ready for an impactful PI Planning by meticulously orchestrating event logistics. This allows you as the RTE to then fully focus on facilitating the inter-team conversations versus sorting out administrative details onsite.

If the PI Planning is scheduled to be online, then the proper evaluation of the Collaborative tools platform to connect should be thoroughly tested much prior to the actual event. Primary and Alternate Contact numbers of all the members across the ART should be collected and shared. Breakout Rooms should be created and tested before the actual event.

Guide Team Breakout Sessions

The team breakout sessions are the engine of PI Planning where much of the valuable collaboration and commitment shaping takes place. As the RTE, providing the right guidance to teams before and during the breakouts is essential for alignment.

4-6 weeks prior to PI Planning, instruct teams to start discussing capabilities and capacities so they come prepared. Have teams reflect on dependencies with other teams and systems that could impact their roadmap. Ask teams to spike solutions for some of their anticipated initiatives to bring assumptions to the peer review sessions.

Send guidelines for what metrics teams should capture in preparation, including historical velocity ranges, defect rates, technical debt estimates, and risks foreseen. Provide templates for teams to map out draft features, infrastructure needs, and documentation deliverables to bring to breakouts.

During PI Planning, explain the overall flow and timing for rotating through multiple breakout rounds. Ensure teams understand the four key inputs to consider when estimating efforts for the PI: business value, dependencies, risks and opportunities, and program backlog capacity.

Jumpstart the first round by having Product Managers frame the features that inspire teams around delivering value for users. Then have System Architects and Tech Leads brief teams on system constraints and dependencies to anchor discussions in reality.

Rotate across teams to advise on applying historical metrics, accounting for risks, and reconciling capacities across shared resources. Foster outside-in thinking by having teams review each other’s approaches to surface new ideas and best practices.

Keep teams conscious of pacing so there is enough time for presenting commitments for peer feedback. Be attentive if any teams get stuck and provide coaching to get them unblocked.

Guiding productive team breakout sessions lies at the heart of PI Planning success. Prepare teams thoroughly leading up and actively support them in framing commitments and mitigating risks. This visibility into team capacities also informs planning flexible Planning Intervals.

Facilitate Cross-Team Dependencies

With multiple teams working collectively to build solutions in a large Agile Release Train, cross-team dependencies are inevitable. As the RTE, taking proactive steps to identify and coordinate dependencies is crucial for integration and delivery.

A month before PI Planning, start dependency mapping conversations with teams, architects and product management. Examine interfaces between teams based on system architecture and functionality dependencies from roadmap priorities. Capture assumptions teams have of each other so nothing gets lost in translation.

Drive further clarity on dependencies by having teams spike key components and flows they rely on or provide to others. Guide teams to call out risks stemming from dependencies in their Team PI Objectives to underscore synchronization needs.

Use the dependency map to shape the PI Planning agenda and team breakout working sessions. Schedule joint breakouts between interconnected teams to workshop integration points and risks. Have teams budget time for collaboration activities with their dependency partners into their plans.

Foster direct communication channels between teams owning dependencies through small CoP meetings for informal sync ups. Building rapport between members lays ground for efficient issue resolution.

While managing dependencies takes active effort, making collaboration visible fuels ownership. Apply these tips for illuminating integration points across teams to set your ART up for delivery success.

Stay vigilant of cross-team dependencies, continuously guiding teams to bridge alignment gaps before they turn into impediments downstream. This pays dividends in minimizing rework and keeping programs on track.

Develop Meaningful Metrics

A hallmark of mature Agile Release Trains is having objective metrics that provide transparency into progress and health. As the RTE, you play a key role in working with teams early on to establish meaningful measures for the upcoming PI Planning. Though for the first PI, there would not be any data to present in front of the ART, from the second PI onwards, RTEs would be able to collect the data for the teams and the whole ART. Metrics can be wrt stories completed, Features completed, Risk Metrics, PI Objectives metrics, Business value delivered, Flow metrics etc. These collected metrics would be presented  by the RTE during the ‘Inspect and Adapt’ workshop during the IP Iteration. (Innovation and Planning Iteration).

Start by understanding what key results the business aims to achieve – the measurable outcomes that indicate customer and company value realization. Ensure teams map features and components to driving those business results. Identify 1-2 measurable OKRs for the PI that become the north star.

For each team, establish baseline velocity ranges based on historical data to set realistic throughput expectations. Also collect defect rates, technical debt, and other process metrics for additional context on team maturity and capacity factors.

Now define 1-2 measurable stretch objectives for each team that align to the PI Objectives and focus areas. These should motivate teams while remaining achievable, for example: “95% test automation coverage for customer onboarding flows”.

During PI Planning, the System Architect works with teams to finalize dependencies and architecture needs to incorporate into plans. Teams then identify risks and mitigations to account for in commitments. Guide teams to factor in these inputs and baseline metrics as they estimate efforts.

Have the teams finalize their PI Objectives with both the baseline and stretch measures defined. Use these objectives as the lens to evaluate progress during the PI rather than just outputs delivered.

Plan 10 minutes in the Planning Interval review and system demo at the end of each iteration to report numbers. Automate reporting where feasible so metrics visibility is constant versus manual evaluation.

Metric development drives clarity, execution discipline, and meaningful improvements. Collaborating with teams early on to establish measures aligned to business value sets your ART up for data-driven delivery.

Coach Presenters and Facilitators

An interactive PI Planning relies on strong presentation and facilitation skills to align perspectives across teams. As the RTE, you play a vital coaching role to prepare those running key sessions and activities for impact.

4-6 weeks before the event, identify points in the agenda where leadership updates, team breakouts, or collective decision making will happen. Determine the responsible facilitators for those sessions based on subject matter expertise.

For leadership presenters, provide guidelines on framing vision while still being concrete. Have them practice messaging for clarity and inspiration. Offer slides templates focused on communicating objectives visually versus heavy text.

For those guiding breakout activities, explain the critical nature of their facilitation. Outline your expectations for fostering inclusive collaboration without getting overly directive. Equip them with sample probing questions to stimulate creative thinking.

If new facilitators are involved, require they complete formal facilitator training as a baseline. For all facilitators, have them complete a trial session with you 1-2 weeks prior to PI Planning for tuning. Observe areas of strength to leverage and gaps to shore up.

During these dry run reviews, provide ample constructive feedback for improvement with empathy. Have facilitators self-assess before you weigh in. Conclude by setting smart goals for lifting skills they demonstrate ambition around.

Guide all presenters and facilitators to practice out loud in front of a live user group if possible. At a minimum have them video record a full rehearsal for self-evaluation. Offer yourself as a mentor for additional coaching.

Just before PI Planning, meet as a team to get aligned on venue flow, A/V setups, transitions between sessions and contingency plans. Calibrate on timebox adherence and agree on subtle signals to stay on track.

Taking the time to actively train up facilitators pays off exponentially in engagement and alignment during the event itself. Set your PI Planning – and your ART teams up for success through expert facilitator coaching.

Gather Necessary Supplies and Equipment

Ensuring you have all the required workshop materials and equipment for an interactive PI Planning eliminates potential distractions to keep focus on the collaboration. As the RTE, treat the supply preparation with as much care as the agenda creation.

Start planning your materials list 4 weeks out from the event. Walk through each agenda session and activity that involves team breakouts, group decision making or visual outputs. Identify markers, sticky notes, white-boards and poster supplies needed to support the dynamics planned. Order extra amounts to be ready for high engagement!

For breakout spaces, provide each team table with thick markers, large sticky note packs, whiteboard markers, dot stickers, poster boards and papers. Having these materials readily available encourages active use versus teams sitting idle waiting to document ideas.

In the main presentation room, inspect A/V equipment and WIFI bandwidth capability early on. Test with the same computer equipment to be used on program day as compatibility assumptions sink many facilitator plans! Have reliable power strips, extension cords, adaptors and spare batteries for microphones/clickers on hand.

Handle food and beverage logistics with care to fuel participants properly. Visit caterers to validate menu quality a few weeks before. On program days, keep coffee, snacks and water stations constantly stocked. For lunch, simplify serving logistics – avoid lengthy queues and seating limitations hindering flow.

To energize teams between intensive sessions, supply various snacks like protein bars, nuts, chocolate and fresh fruits. Bring in molded erasers and stress reliever balls for playful ways to refocus attention when energy lulls hit after lunch.

Don’t forget the final supplies for capturing outputs and decisions from the multiple productive hours! Provide notebooks, computer sticks and cloud storage access to all facilitators and teams for uploading photos of whiteboard notes, posters and team commitments.

Attending these supply logistics liberates you as the RTE to embrace your prime responsibility during PI Planning itself – facilitating the many crucial leadership and team conversations unfolding to propel your Agile Release Train forward!

Conduct a Dry Run

A “PI Planning simulation” 1-2 weeks prior to the actual event is extremely valuable preparation as an RTE. Treat this full dress rehearsal exactly like real program days to uncover timing issues, content gaps and logistical barriers for resolution before stakeholders assemble.

Structure the practice sessions in same venue setup planned for PI Planning using same equipment to mirror reality. Have the facilitators walk through the agenda end-to-end using the final decks and workshop materials. Time every presentation, activity transitions and breaks.

Gather Product Managers, System Architects and other key leaders to simulate live participant dynamics. Have them actively engage by probing the presenters with challenging questions and discussion tangents. Call out awkward phase changes and where energy drops so you can adjust accordingly.

As issues surface in the dry run, note where content needs tweaking, transitions smoothed, or timing adjusted to meet core objectives. Identify elements that can be truncated or cut if needed to maintain flow. Confirm backup plans with facilitators for likely scenarios of technical glitches, low energy or time overruns.

Conclude the simulation with an immediate retrospection on lessons learned to cement key takeaways while fresh. Elicit ideas from facilitators and leaders on strengthening impact for actual program days now that they’ve exercised the full flow. Confirm each owns follow-up actions on refinements.

Share clear go/no go decision checkpoint with team either proceeding with PI Planning as is or investing final days into rework based on gaps revealed through dry run. Some last minute changes are inevitable – focus efforts on smoothing identified rough edges.

This upfront intentional practice drives clarity across all those involved in choreographing PI Planning success. When the actual event begins, you reap confidence as the RTE having mitigated major risks through conducting robust dry runs. These Dry Runs are very helpful especially in the initial PIs, over a period of time,  all the ART members learn how to prepare for the upcoming PI Planning.

Follow Up with Next Steps

The efforts put into an intensive PI Planning event should catalyst ongoing alignment and execution. As the RTE, dedicate time at the end to confirm follow-up actions for cementing outputs into deliverables that propel the Agile Release Train forward.

Schedule at least 60-90 minutes on the final day for syncing up on next steps across leadership and teams. Walk through key milestones in the first 1-2 weeks following PI Planning for finalizing team level plans. Define reviews for validating dependencies mapped across teams during breakouts.

Provide templates for teams to complete their initial set of user stories and tasks derived from features committed. Have teams confirm deployment needs with Ops leads based on infrastructure commitments. Instruct teams to decompose risks surfaced into executable mitigation stories.

Set a deadline about 2 weeks post-event for all team level PI Planning outputs to be finalized into an integrated train level plan based on the feedback shared across ARTs. Sync up with Product Management to validate priorities and acceptance criteria for top features.

Facilitate next steps for capturing key decisions into a Program Board and Roadmap for downstream communication. Schedule leadership reviews of the integrated plan to get final go-ahead before trains start iterating.

Importantly, align with teams on cadence for tracking progress through iteration execution once trains depart the station. Get agreement on touch points for sharing metrics, reporting risks, and escalating blockers.

Plan time post-PI Planning to gather participant feedback through retrospective surveys. Share results analysis in a follow-up forum for continuous improvement. Document what worked well to embed as best practices for next PI Planning.

Dedicating focus on next steps after an intensive PI Planning enables you to strike while the iron is hot in terms of momentum. Seize this window to propel teams from productive upfront alignment into focused execution

Continuously Improve the Process

The mark of strategic Agile Release Trains is constantly raising the bar on delivery and alignment. As the RTE, dedicating effort towards continuous improvement of PI Planning pays dividends in engagement and productivity over time.

Start by collecting feedback after each PI Planning through retrospective surveys to capture what worked well and what needs tuning. Keep polls concise using rating scales and free form comments to uncover actionable insights.

Analyze survey results for key themes and trends around positives to amplify as strengths plus improvement areas to address. Review open ended feedback for specific suggestions on enhancing impact.

Schedule a follow up working session with team leads and facilitators to digest survey findings. Brainstorm process changes to implement and align on action items for individuals to spearhead improvements.

Categorize suggested changes into three buckets – lightweight tweaks to make immediately, more complex adjustments requiring future planning and ideas not feasible now but worth revisiting. This provides focus on what can be realistically tackled in the next PI.

For substantial changes, create small WIGs (Wildly Important Goals) around implementation. For example, having teams document their full PI Planning prep to enable remote participation next time. Task volunteers to shepherd WIGs to maintain momentum.

During your event post mortem or retrospective meetings, examine what preparation checklists and templates worked well which helped teams come aligned. Formalize these assets into reusable tools for teams and facilitators to simplify future coordination.

Evolve any ineffective roles and rituals through short adjustment sprints. Test changes with a few teams first before scaling improvements across the train. Stay open to trying innovative ideas from teams through proof of concepts.

Through continuously evolving your PI Planning, stays true to SAFe principles. Apply built-in quality cycles for realigning teams to changing business landscapes every Planning Interval.

Make relentless improvement a habit by intentionally reflecting on feedback, implementing improvements and reviewing progress every PI. This cycle of learning empowers you to steadily enhance engagement and productivity within your Agile Release Train.

Conclusion

PI Planning is a pivotal ritual that steers Agile Release Trains towards realizing business value flow. The success of this working session relies heavily on the upfront coordination and facilitation orchestrated by the Release Train Engineer.

While intense preparation may seem overwhelming, use the guidelines provided in this post as your blueprint. Start by clearly defining the PI Planning objectives and themes teams will rally around. Methodically tackle scheduling event logistics from venue to equipment to catering.

Guide teams on how to optimally prepare for collaborative breakout sessions. Take proactive steps to illuminate dependencies across teams that need advanced coordination. Develop measures that maintain focus on business outcomes versus outputs alone.

Sharpen skills of those facilitating key sessions through hands-on coaching. Gather all necessary workshop materials to fuel seamless interactions. Conduct exhaustive dry runs to surface risks early when they are economically effective to mitigate.

Conclude PI Planning by aligning teams on immediate next steps post-event. Formalize methods for tracking progress towards team and train commitments. Actively gather feedback after each event for continuous process improvements.

While intensive in the planning, executing an immersive PI Planning pays dividends in terms of alignment. Teams gain renewed purpose seeing how their work ladders up to business impact. Connecting objectives across teams enables seamless value delivery.

As the RTE, leverage these best practices for preparing and facilitating PI Planning to unlock the potential of your Agile Release Train. Keep the larger goal in perspective – not just completing PI events, but continuously improving engagement and productivity within your train.

When done right, PI Planning accelerates shared learnings across teams, surfaces smarter solutions and forges bonds that evolve into a high-performing train. With thoughtful preparation, may your next PI Planning unlock the full synergies across your remarkable people!

Are you ready to facilitate the rapid flow of value through Agile Release Trains and empower high-performing teams? Enroll in our 3 days live certification training for RTE and become a Certified Release Train Engineer.