Program Increment (PI) Planning is the seminal cadence-based event within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), essentially serving as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART). Within the Agile Product Delivery competency, it is the vital mechanism that aligns all teams and stakeholders to a sha…Program Increment (PI) Planning is the seminal cadence-based event within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), essentially serving as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART). Within the Agile Product Delivery competency, it is the vital mechanism that aligns all teams and stakeholders to a shared mission and vision.
Typically occurring every 8 to 12 weeks over two days, PI Planning utilizes ‘Big Room Planning’ (face-to-face or virtual) to bring together the entire ART—Agile Teams, Product Management, System Architects, and Business Owners. The primary inputs for the event are the business context, the Roadmap, and the top prioritized Features found in the Vision.
During the event, teams utilize breakout sessions to match demand to capacity. They decompose Features into user stories, estimate their velocity, and identify cross-team dependencies, visualizing them on a Program Board. This collaborative environment fosters autonomy, as teams plan their own work rather than having a plan imposed upon them.
The process includes a management review to resolve scope or resource constraints in real-time and a risk assessment using the ROAM category method. The specific outcomes are committed PI Objectives, which Business Owners assign value to, and the Program Board.
The event concludes with a 'Fist of Five' confidence vote. If the teams report low confidence, plans are reworked immediately. This ensures a reliable commitment to the business. By synchronizing alignment, collaboration, and delivery, PI Planning enables the continuous flow of value that defines successful Agile Product Delivery.
Mastering PI Planning: The Heartbeat of the Agile Release Train
Introduction to PI Planning Program Increment (PI) Planning is widely considered the most critical event in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). It is a cadence-based, face-to-face (or synchronized virtual) event that serves as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART). It aligns all the teams on the ART to a shared mission and vision. Routine PI Planning is essential; if you are not doing it, you are not doing SAFe.
Why is PI Planning Important? Without PI Planning, teams often drift into working in silos, leading to misalignment with business strategy and unmanaged dependencies. The primary goals of the event include: 1. Alignment: Matching development output with business goals. 2. Communication: Establishing face-to-face cross-team collaboration. 3. Dependency Management: Identifying and visualizing cross-team dependencies. 4. Risk Management: Addressing risks early using the ROAM model.
How it Works: The Standard Agenda PI Planning typically takes place over two days every 8-12 weeks (the duration of a PI).
Inputs: Business Context, Roadmap and Vision, and the Top 10 Features. Outputs: Committed PI Objectives and the Program Board.
Day 1: The Vision and Analysis The first day focuses on context setting. Business Owners present the current state of the business, Product Management presents the Vision and top features, and System Architecture presents the architectural runway. Following this, teams break out (Team Breakout #1) to estimate capacity and draft their initial plans. The day ends with a Management Review and Problem Solving meeting to adjust scope based on discovery.
Day 2: Planning and Commitment Based on the previous day's management decisions, teams adjust their plans (Team Breakout #2). They finalize stories and establish Team PI Objectives. Business Owners assign business value (1-10) to these objectives. The event concludes with: 1. Final Plan Review. 2. ROAMing Risks (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated). 3. Confidence Vote (Fist of Five).
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on PI Planning When answering questions about PI Planning in a SAFe exam, keep the following specific principles in mind:
1. The Facilitator The Release Train Engineer (RTE) facilitates the PI Planning event. If a question asks who manages the logistics, the schedule, or the confidence vote, the answer is usually the RTE.
2. Business Value Business Owners denote the importance of Team PI Objectives by assigning a value from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). Teams do not assign their own business value.
3. Decoupling Deployment/Release PI Planning is about planning the cadence of development. Release is a separate activity that can happen on demand. Do not confuse the end of the PI with a mandatory release to the market.
4. Handling Uncommitted Objectives Uncommitted objectives help improve the predictability of delivery. They are planned work that counts against capacity, but the team is not penalized if they are not achieved. They represent "variable scope."
5. The Confidence Vote The confidence vote is held at the end of Day 2. It is a "Fist to Five" vote. If the average is low, or if any single person votes less than a 3, the plan must be reworked. It ensures the commitment is authentic and achievable.
6. ROAMing Risks Memorize the acronym ROAM for managing program risks during the final plan review: Resolved: ADDRESSED immediately. Owned: Someone takes responsibility. Accepted: We live with the risk. Mitigated: A plan is put in place to reduce impact.