SAFe Planning and Execution Series Overview

In the final post of our SAFe Planning and Execution Series, we will focus on PI Planning – a cornerstone of SAFe Planning and Execution. We will cover the purpose, benefits, preparation, and key elements of PI Planning events. This post builds upon the foundation laid in our previous posts, which discuss

Introduction to PI Planning

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on PI Planning events, a cornerstone of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) for planning and execution. In this blog post, we will dive deep into the PI Planning process, exploring its purpose, benefits, and essential preparation steps, as well as outlining the roles of key stakeholders, process flow, and event agenda. We will also discuss the critical outputs of the PI Planning event, including the importance of the confidence vote. By understanding these essential aspects, you can enhance your Agile Release Train’s effectiveness and better align teams and stakeholders for successful outcomes.

The Planning Increment | Planning Increment (PI) – A Cornerstone of SAFe Planning and Execution

A fundamental aspect of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is the Program Increment (PI), which serves as a critical timebox for Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to deliver continuous value to customers. The PI helps ensure that ARTs maintain a steady rhythm of planning, building, validating, and delivering value.

A typical PI spans 8 to 14 weeks and consists of four to six development iterations, followed by one Innovation and Planning (IP) iteration. This timebox allows Agile Teams within the ART to synchronize their efforts, combining the work of multiple teams into one or more releasable increments. Depending on the context, individual teams may also release value independently.

The cadence and synchronization of the PI enable ARTs to:

  • Plan the next increment of work
  • Limit work in process (WIP)
  • Summarize newsworthy value for feedback
  • Ensure consistent ART retrospectives

The PI also serves as an appropriate timebox for portfolio considerations and road mapping.

Organizations implementing Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) often find it beneficial to match the schedule of Strategy Portfolio Review and Participatory Budgeting events, enhancing strategy alignment with execution. For more information on LPM events, refer to the events section in the LPM competency article.

The PI Planning Event: Aligning Teams and Stakeholders

PI Planning is a key event in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), bringing together the Agile Release Train (ART) to align teams and stakeholders to a shared mission and vision. Adhering to the Agile Manifesto’s principle of face-to-face communication, PI Planning encourages participants to be present, either physically or virtually, fostering collaboration and empowering those who do the work to plan the work.

Purpose of PI Planning

PI Planning primarily aims to align business stakeholders and program teams on a common set of Program Objectives and Team Objectives for the upcoming Program Increment (PI) timebox. This alignment ensures a unified direction and common understanding of the goals for the PI.

Business Benefits of PI Planning

PI Planning offers numerous business benefits, which include:

  • Facilitating face-to-face communication among all team members and stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and building the social network essential to the ART’s success.
  • Aligning development with business goals by establishing a shared understanding of the business context, vision, and Team and ART PI objectives.
  • Identifying dependencies, promoting cross-team and cross-ART collaboration, and enabling fast decision-making.
  • Providing the opportunity for the right balance of architecture and Lean User Experience (UX) guidance, ensuring that solutions are built with user needs in mind.
  • Matching demand to capacity, eliminating excess Work in Process (WIP), and optimizing the use of resources throughout the PI.

By participating in PI Planning, teams can work together effectively and efficiently to deliver value to their customers and the business.

Distributed PI Planning

Organizing a PI Planning event that brings together everyone on an Agile Release Train (ART) is no small feat. While the Agile manifesto and SAFe emphasize the advantages of face-to-face planning, many organizations face the challenge of conducting these events across multiple locations. Distributed PI Planning events may become necessary due to various factors, including financial constraints, geographically dispersed teams, significant travel time and costs, visa complications, or unexpected travel restrictions.

Despite the challenges, it’s crucial for organizations adopting SAFe to develop strategies for effectively carrying out PI planning with remote participants. Here are some tips to ensure a successful distributed PI Planning event:

  1. Leverage Technology: Utilize video conferencing tools, virtual whiteboards, and collaboration platforms to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration among team members, regardless of their location.
  2. Time Zone Considerations: Plan the event to accommodate various time zones, ensuring all participants can actively contribute to discussions and decision-making.
  3. Flexible Event Schedule and Process Flow: In-person PI planning events usually span two days. However, when conducting a distributed event, it’s essential to accommodate different time zones and the slower pace of remote collaboration. This may require extending the event over three, four, or even five days. Adjust the schedule and process flow to ensure that all teams have ample time to engage, collaborate, and make decisions without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. This flexibility allows for a more inclusive and effective planning experience for all participants, despite the challenges of remote collaboration.
  4. Clear Communication: Establish guidelines for effective communication and use visual aids to ensure all attendees easily understand that information.
  5. Designated Facilitators: Assign facilitators at each location to manage discussions, address questions, and ensure remote participants stay engaged and involved.
  6. Regular Breaks: Schedule frequent breaks during the planning event to allow participants to rest, engage in informal conversations, and maintain their focus and energy throughout the session.

By embracing these best practices, organizations can overcome the challenges of distributed PI Planning and ensure a productive and effective event that aligns with SAFe’s core principles.

PI Planning Preparation

Organizational and Logistics Readiness

A successful PI planning event requires thorough preparation, coordination, and communication. The Release Train Engineer (RTE) facilitates the event, which includes attendees such as Business Owners, Product Management, Agile Teams, System and Solution Architects, the System Team, and other stakeholders. To ensure a well-prepared and effective event, there are three major areas to focus on during preparation:

  1. Organizational Readiness: Before PI planning, participants, stakeholders, and Business Owners need to align on strategy. Critical roles must be assigned, and the following aspects should be considered:
    1. Planning Scope and Context: Is the scope of the planning process (product, system, technology domain) clear? Do we know which teams need to plan together?
    2. Business Alignment: Is there a reasonable agreement on priorities among the Business Owners?
    3. Agile Teams: Are there established Agile teams? Are there dedicated team members and identified Scrum Masters/Team Coaches and Product Owners for each team?
  2. Logistics Readiness: Organizing an event accommodating many attendees is no small feat. This includes securing and preparing the space for physically collocated planning, investing in the necessary technical infrastructure for remote attendees, or fully distributed PI planning. Consider the following:
    1. Locations: Prepare each location where planning takes place in advance.
    2. Technology and Tooling: Ensure real-time access to information and tools to support distributed planning or remote attendees.
    3. Communication Channels: Make primary and secondary audio, video, and presentation channels available for seamless communication.

Product Management’s role in preparing for PI Planning

Product Managers are critical in preparing for the upcoming PI Planning event. Here are some of the tasks they typically perform during the current PI to prepare for the upcoming PI Planning event:

  • Reviewing the product backlog: Product Managers work closely with the Product Owner and the development teams to review the current state of the product backlog. They prioritize the features and user stories based on market trends, customer feedback, and business objectives.
  • Gathering feedback: Product Managers gather feedback from customers, stakeholders, and other teams within the organization to identify new opportunities and areas for improvement. They use this feedback to refine the product vision and roadmap for the upcoming PI.
  • Defining objectives: Product Managers work with the Product Owner to define the objectives and goals for the upcoming PI. They ensure that the objectives are aligned with the product vision and roadmap and achievable within the given timeframe.
  • Identifying dependencies: Product Managers work with other teams within the organization to identify dependencies between features and capabilities. They ensure the dependencies are understood and the necessary resources are available to support the work.
  • Reviewing market and technology trends: Product Managers stay up-to-date with market and technology trends to ensure that the product roadmap is aligned with the latest developments in the industry. They identify new opportunities and areas for improvement and work with the Product Owner to adjust the product roadmap as needed.
  • Collaborating with the Architecture team: Product Managers work closely with the Architecture team to ensure that the technical and architectural framework for the product is in place to support the planned features and capabilities. They review the architectural runway and identify technical risks that may impact the upcoming PI.

By performing these tasks during the current PI, Product Managers help ensure that the product vision and roadmap are up-to-date and aligned with business objectives and that the necessary planning and preparation are in place for a successful PI Planning event.

Architects’ role in preparing for PI Planning

Architects play a crucial role in preparing for the upcoming PI Planning event by focusing on the technical and architectural aspects of the product or solution. Here are some of the tasks they typically perform during the current PI to prepare for the upcoming PI Planning event:

  • Reviewing the architectural runway: Architects review the product’s existing technical and architectural framework to ensure it can support the planned features and capabilities for the upcoming PI. They identify any gaps or technical debt that may need to be addressed.
  • Identifying technical risks: Architects work with the development teams to identify any technical risks that may impact the upcoming PI. They prioritize these risks based on their potential impact on the product or solution.
  • Defining technical goals: Architects work with the Product Manager and Product Owner to define the technical objectives for the upcoming PI. They ensure the technical goals align with the product vision and roadmap.
  • Collaborating with the development teams: Architects collaborate closely with the development teams to ensure they have the necessary technical guidance and support to implement the planned features and capabilities. They guide technical design, code quality, and architecture.
  • Preparing the technical backlog: Architects work with the development teams to prepare the technical backlog for the upcoming PI. This includes identifying technical epics and stories and breaking them into smaller, more manageable pieces.
  • Identifying dependencies: Architects work with other teams within the organization to identify dependencies between features and capabilities. They ensure the dependencies are understood and the necessary resources are available to support the work.

By performing these tasks during the current PI, Architects help ensure that the technical and architectural aspects of the product or solution are aligned with the product vision and roadmap and that the necessary planning and preparation is in place for a successful PI Planning event. They also help ensure the development teams have the technical guidance and support to implement the planned features and capabilities.

Preparation activities for PI planning

  • Review of the previous PI: The team reviews the results of the previous PI, including the successes and areas for improvement.
  • Review of the current state: The team reviews the current state of the product, including any outstanding features or issues.
  • Identification of business and technical risks: The team identifies any risks that may impact the upcoming PI.
  • Definition of PI objectives: The team establishes the objectives and goals for the upcoming PI based on the product vision and roadmap.
  • Identification of dependencies: The team identifies any dependencies between features or teams that may impact the upcoming PI.

PI Planning Inputs: Setting the Stage for Successful Outcomes

Clear inputs are crucial to conducting a successful PI Planning event, as they provide the necessary context and guidance for stakeholders to make informed decisions. The following inputs should be prepared and presented during the PI Planning session to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the business landscape, product vision, and architectural direction:

  1. Executive Briefing: An overview provided by executives that outlines the current business context, strategic objectives, and challenges the organization faces. This briefing sets the stage for the PI Planning event, helping participants understand the company’s priorities and focus areas for the upcoming Program Increment.
  2. Product Vision Briefing(s): Prepared by Product Management, these briefings present the top 10 features in the ART Backlog, highlighting key initiatives and user needs that will drive the work during the upcoming PI. Product vision briefings should also cover any changes or updates to the product roadmap, allowing teams to align their efforts with the overall product strategy.
  3. Architecture Vision Briefing: A presentation delivered by the CTO, Enterprise Architect, or System Architect that communicates new Enablers, features, and Nonfunctional Requirements (NFRs) from an architectural perspective. This briefing provides technical guidance and insights into the architectural considerations and constraints that may impact the implementation of the features in the ART Backlog.
  4. Capacity and Resource Information: In addition to the above briefings, it’s essential to have an understanding of each team’s capacity and available resources for the upcoming PI. This information helps teams make informed decisions about what they can realistically commit to during the PI Planning event.

By ensuring that these inputs are carefully prepared and presented, teams and stakeholders can work together to develop a cohesive plan for the upcoming Program Increment that aligns with both the business and technical objectives.

Essential Stakeholders in PI Planning

The PI Planning event in SAFe involves several crucial roles, each contributing to a successful outcome. Here are the key roles involved in PI Planning:

  • Product Managers: Responsible for defining the product vision, and roadmap, and prioritizing the product backlog. They collaborate with the Product Owner and development teams to keep the product backlog aligned with business objectives.
  • Product Owners: Manages the product backlog, prioritizes features and user stories, and ensures a clear understanding of requirements by the development teams. They work closely with the Product Manager and development teams in preparing the product backlog for PI Planning.
  • Architecture Team: Establishes the technical and architectural framework needed to support planned features and capabilities. They provide technical guidance and support to the development teams throughout the PI.
  • Development Teams: Implement planned features and capabilities, collaborating with the Product Owner, Architecture Team, and other stakeholders to ensure a clear understanding of requirements and technical guidance.
  • Scrum Masters: Facilitates the PI planning event, ensuring smooth execution. They work with development teams and stakeholders to engage everyone in the planning process, share necessary information, and address potential issues or roadblocks.
  • Business Owners: Responsible for the business outcomes of the product or solution, providing guidance and feedback to the Product Manager and Product Owner, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
  • Release Train Engineer(s) (RTE): Ensures the Agile Release Train (ART) runs smoothly and involves all necessary stakeholders in the planning process. They collaborate with the Scrum Master, Product Manager, and other stakeholders to align the planning process with the overall ART framework.

PI Planning Process Flow

In this section, we present an overview of the PI Planning Process Flow, which provides a high-level outline of the steps involved in preparing, executing, and finalizing a successful PI Planning event. The process flow ensures that all necessary activities are performed in a structured manner, from prework and backlog refinement to aligning stakeholders on scope and objectives, and finally to the outputs and post-PI planning activities. This comprehensive approach enables teams to create a solid foundation for PI execution and fosters collaboration and alignment among all stakeholders.

  1. Prework: Program Backlog Construction & Refinement
    1. Portfolio epics elaborated into features.
    2. Features sufficiently refined to support the creation and sizing of user stories.
  2. PI Planning Event
    1. Scope Estimation
      1. Features mapped into user stories
      2. Stories estimated in points or capacity units
      3. Stories scheduled into iterations
      4. The maximum scope of PI determined
        1. Feature Delivery Timeline
      5. Feature delivery schedule estimated to nearest iteration
        1. PI Business Objectives
      6. Teams confirm which business goals are being addressed (fully or partially) by feature deliverables.
      7. Stakeholders score objectives based on perceived business value
        1. Address program risks and dependencies
        2. Teams & Stakeholders Confirm Alignment on Scope & Objectives
      8. Program risks are assessed
      9. Confidence vote from teams and stakeholders
  3. Finalize PI Plan
    1. Incorporate feedback and adjustments from the planning event
    2. Complete and share the final PI plan with stakeholders
  4. Outputs
    1. Approved PI objectives and business value assignments
    2. Refined program backlog, including dependencies and risks
    3. Team and ART PI plans, including committed objectives and feature delivery timeline
    4. Identified risks, impediments, and mitigation strategies
  5. Post-PI Planning
    1. Conduct a planning retrospective to improve the process for future events
    2. Communicate the final PI plan to all stakeholders
    3. Initiate the execution of the PI based on the plan

PI Planning Event

Two-Day In-person Planning Event Agenda

The PI Planning event follows a structured agenda to ensure a smooth and efficient planning process. This is a condensed version of the typical two-day PI planning agenda:

Day 1 Agenda:

  1. Business Context: A Business Owner or senior executive presents the current state of the business, portfolio vision, and how existing solutions address customer needs.
  2. Product/Solution Vision: Product Management presents the current vision and any changes since the previous PI planning event.
  3. Architecture Vision and Development Practices: The System Architect presents the architecture vision and any Agile-supportive changes to development practices.
  4. Planning Context and Lunch: The RTE presents the planning process and expected outcomes.
  5. Team Breakouts #1: Teams estimate capacity, identify backlog items, create draft plans, and add features and dependencies to the ART Planning Board.
  6. Draft Plan Review: Teams present key planning outputs, which Business Owners, Product Management, and stakeholders review.
  7. Management Review and Problem-solving: The RTE facilitates a problem-solving meeting to address challenges and make planning adjustments.

Day 2 Agenda:

  1. Planning Adjustments: Management presents changes to the planning scope, people, and resources.
  2. Team Breakouts #2: Teams continue planning, finalize their objectives, and Business Owners assign business value.
  3. Final Plan Review and Lunch: All teams present their plans, stating risks and impediments, and address any concerns from Business Owners.
  4. ART PI Risks: Risks and impediments identified by teams are addressed in a broader management context.
  5. Confidence Vote: Teams vote on their confidence in meeting their team PI objectives, and any concerns are voiced and addressed.
  6. Plan Rework (if necessary): Teams adjust their objectives until they have high confidence.
  7. Planning Retrospective and Moving Forward: The RTE leads a brief retrospective for the PI planning event, capturing what went well, what didn’t, and areas for improvement.

Four-Day Distributed Planning Event Agenda

For distributed PI Planning events involving remote participants or multiple locations, the agenda can be adjusted to span four days, allowing for timezone differences and slower coordination.

Day 1 Agenda:

  1. Business Context: A Business Owner or senior executive presents the current state of the business, portfolio vision, and how existing solutions address customer needs.
  2. Product/Solution Vision: Product Management presents the current vision and any changes since the previous PI planning event.
  3. Architecture Vision and Development Practices: The System Architect presents the architecture vision and any Agile-supportive changes to development practices.

Day 2 Agenda:

  1. Planning Context: The RTE presents the planning process and expected outcomes.
  2. Team Breakouts #1: Teams estimate capacity, identify backlog items, create draft plans, and add features and dependencies to the ART Planning Board.
  3. Draft Plan Review: Teams present key planning outputs, which Business Owners, Product Management, and stakeholders review.

Day 3 Agenda:

  1. Management Review and Problem-solving: The RTE facilitates a problem-solving meeting to address challenges and make planning adjustments.
  2. Planning Adjustments: Management presents changes to the planning scope, people, and resources.
  3. Team Breakouts #2: Teams continue planning, finalize their objectives, and Business Owners assign business value.

Day 4 Agenda:

  1. Final Plan Review: All teams present their plans, stating risks and impediments, and address any concerns from Business Owners.
  2. ART PI Risks: Risks and impediments identified by teams are addressed in a broader management context.
  3. Confidence Vote: Teams vote on their confidence in meeting their team PI objectives, and any concerns are voiced and addressed.
  4. Plan Rework (if necessary): Teams adjust their objectives until they have high confidence.
  5. Planning Retrospective and Moving Forward: The RTE leads a brief retrospective for the PI planning event, capturing what went well, what didn’t, and areas for improvement.

The Confidence Vote in PI Planning

The confidence vote is a crucial aspect of the PI Planning event, as it encourages alignment, commitment, and transparency among all participants. The vote serves as a gauge for the level of confidence in the ability of the Agile Release Train (ART) to achieve the committed PI objectives. By conducting a confidence vote, teams and stakeholders can openly express their concerns, provide feedback, and identify areas for improvement. This section delves deeper into the importance and process of the confidence vote in PI Planning.

The Purpose of the Confidence Vote

The confidence vote serves several key purposes:

  • Alignment: The vote fosters alignment among teams and stakeholders by ensuring everyone understands the PI objectives and the associated risks.
  • Commitment: By voting, participants express their commitment to the PI plan, fostering a sense of shared ownership and accountability for the PI’s success.
  • Transparency: The confidence vote encourages open communication and transparency about any potential concerns or issues that may impact the PI’s success.
  • Continuous Improvement: The vote allows teams to identify areas for improvement and adjust their plans, if necessary, to increase the likelihood of achieving their objectives.

How the Confidence Vote Works

The confidence vote typically occurs at the end of the PI Planning event, after the program risks and dependencies have been addressed. The vote follows these steps:

  1. Each team votes on their confidence in meeting their team PI objectives. They can use the “fist of five” method or a digital tool for remote events.
  2. The average vote is calculated for each team. If the average is three or above, management should accept the commitment. If the average is below three, the team reworks its plan and addresses any concerns voiced by those voting two fingers or fewer.
  3. Once each team has voted and adjusted their plans as needed, the entire ART votes collectively to express their confidence in the overall plan.
  4. If the overall confidence vote is high, the ART moves forward with the agreed-upon plan. If the overall confidence vote is low, further discussion, risk mitigation, or plan adjustments may be necessary.

By incorporating the confidence vote into the PI Planning process, organizations can foster a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ensuring that the ART is well-equipped to achieve its objectives and deliver value to the business.

Outputs of a PI Planning event

A successful PI Planning event delivers several valuable outputs that contribute to the success of the upcoming PI:

  • Committed PI Objectives: Each team creates a set of SMART objectives that are aligned with the product vision, roadmap, and business objectives. Business Owners assign business value to these objectives, ensuring that everyone is aligned on the priorities for the PI.
  • ART Planning Board: This board visually represents feature delivery dates, dependencies among teams, and relevant milestones. It serves as a reference for everyone involved in the Agile Release Train (ART) during the PI.
  • PI Plan: The PI Planning event produces a detailed plan for the upcoming PI, including the features, user stories, estimated efforts, and dependencies between items. The PI plan is reviewed and approved by all stakeholders and serves as the roadmap for the execution of the PI.
  • Team Backlogs: Based on the PI plan, each team creates a backlog that includes the prioritized and estimated features and user stories they will implement during the PI. These backlogs provide clear direction for each team, ensuring everyone is aligned on the work to be done.
  • Prepopulated Iteration Backlogs: As a result of the PI Planning event, each team has a prepopulated iteration backlog for the upcoming PI. These iteration backlogs, consisting of the team’s PI objectives, iteration plans, and risks, are taken back to their regular work area to guide their work throughout the PI. This ensures that the teams have a clear understanding of their priorities and commitments and can effectively manage their workload.
  • Program Risks and Dependencies: The PI Planning event identifies risks and dependencies that may impact the upcoming PI. These risks and dependencies are discussed and addressed during the planning process, with teams and stakeholders working together to resolve, own, accept, or mitigate them.
  • Risk Management: The RTE retains the Agile Release Train’s risk information, ensuring that those responsible for owning or mitigating a risk have captured the information and are actively managing the risk throughout the PI. This helps to maintain a proactive approach to risk management and enables teams to address potential issues before they escalate.

Conclusion

In this post, we’ve provided an in-depth look at the PI Planning process, covering its purpose, benefits, preparation, roles of key stakeholders, process flow, event agenda, and critical outputs. With this knowledge, you can improve your Agile Release Train’s overall effectiveness, align your teams and stakeholders, and ensure a successful PI Planning event. As you continue to refine your PI Planning process, you’ll find your organization better equipped to navigate the complexities of the Agile landscape and drive success in your projects. Keep this guide as a valuable resource to help you master PI Planning and enhance the planning and execution capabilities of your organization.