PI Planning

Definition

PI Planning, or Program Increment Planning, is a key event in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) that aligns all teams on the Agile Release Train (ART) to a common vision and mission. This event typically takes place every 8-12 weeks and focuses on collaboration, ensuring that all team members understand their objectives and deliverables for the upcoming increment. It brings together stakeholders, team members, and product owners to plan, discuss dependencies, and identify potential risks.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. PI Planning typically lasts two days and involves all members of the Agile Release Train, fostering alignment across multiple teams.
2. During PI Planning, teams create their objectives for the upcoming increment, ensuring everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
3. The event encourages transparency by allowing teams to share their planned work and potential risks with one another, which helps in identifying dependencies.
4. It is crucial for setting a cadence and rhythm for work among teams, creating predictability in delivery timelines and outcomes.
5. After PI Planning, teams update their backlogs based on discussions during the event, which helps maintain focus on delivering the highest value items.

Review Questions

• How does PI Planning facilitate collaboration among different teams within an Agile Release Train?
  • PI Planning facilitates collaboration by bringing all team members together to discuss their goals, share insights about dependencies, and align on the overall objectives for the program increment. This face-to-face interaction fosters communication and ensures everyone is on the same page regarding priorities. By collectively planning and addressing potential challenges during this event, teams can better coordinate their efforts, leading to improved delivery of value across the ART.
• Discuss the impact of PI Planning on risk management and dependency resolution during an Agile Release Train's program increment.
  • PI Planning significantly enhances risk management by allowing teams to identify potential risks early in the planning process. Teams can openly discuss challenges and dependencies that may affect their work, enabling them to collaboratively develop mitigation strategies. By addressing these risks upfront during PI Planning, teams can create more accurate plans that account for interdependencies, reducing disruptions later in the program increment and fostering a more synchronized delivery.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of PI Planning in achieving strategic alignment across multiple teams within a large organization implementing Agile practices.
  • PI Planning proves to be highly effective in achieving strategic alignment as it creates a structured environment where multiple teams can come together to set shared objectives aligned with organizational goals. By collaboratively defining their work within the context of the overall vision during each program increment, teams enhance their ability to contribute effectively to larger initiatives. This alignment fosters accountability and encourages teams to support one another, which ultimately drives more consistent delivery of value throughout the organization.

Related terms

Agile Release Train (ART): A long-lived team of Agile teams that work together to deliver value in a coordinated manner within the SAFe framework.

Backlog Refinement: The ongoing process of reviewing and prioritizing the items in the backlog to ensure clarity and readiness for upcoming iterations.

Sprint Planning: A meeting in Agile where the team determines which items from the backlog will be worked on during the upcoming sprint.