Align your product development team strategically
Use this template to create a visual summary of the goals, features, risks, dependencies, and timelines defined in the program increment plan.
Program increment planning — or PI planning — is an iterative exercise part of the SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) that allows all Agile Release Train (ART) collaborators to align on goals, workflows, and releases included in the next PI.
Before the teams come together for the PI planning iteration, be sure to have a few things prepared:
Define the objectives of the program increment by creating a high-level summary of the business and technical goals that an agile team or train intends to achieve in the upcoming session.
Be sure to list out objectives, not features. Draft objectives by thinking about the problems that are being solved for the user (better, faster, cheaper). Think of features as being the solutions to those problems.
The program board highlights the new feature delivery updates, feature dependencies between teams, and milestones.
Once teams have completed their planning in the team boards, the whole group comes together to conclude their dependencies and delivery dates in the program board.
Create a visual summary of the goals, features, risks, dependencies, and timelines defined in the program increment plan.
Estimate the capacity of each team to accomplish the tasks in each iteration. You'll need one per team who participate in the planning.
Identify program risks and impediments that could impact your ability to meet your objectives. These need to be discussed and addressed with honesty and transparency, then categorized into one of the following categories: resolved, owned, accepted, and mitigated.
Rate your confidence in being able to deliver on your PI plan by using the voting function in Mural. Each participant gets one vote to cast.
5. Export your PI planning board
After the session, clean up the board and record action items, following up from any unanswered questions that remain after the session.
When it comes to Agile software development, PI planning is an essential component. But what exactly is PI planning? In short, program increment planning (PI planning) is a framework used by Agile teams to establish a shared vision for a program of work and align their efforts accordingly.
PI planning encompasses three key elements:
By following this framework, teams can ensure that everyone is aware of the program's goals and objectives and knows what needs to be done in order to achieve them. Additionally, PI planning can help to prevent scope creep by keeping teams focused on delivering value within each iteration. Ultimately, PI planning is an essential part of any Agile software development initiative.
The program increment (PI) planning board is an important tool for organizations that use the Agile framework. PI planning is a process that helps teams to establish a common understanding of their goals and objectives, and to identify the necessary steps to achieve them.
PI planning boards provide a visual representation of this information, allowing team members to track progress and make adjustments as needed. In addition, the PI planning board can help to identify dependencies between different parts of the project, and ensure that all team members are working towards the same goal.
Typically, PI Planning sessions are conducted over a period of 2 to 5 days. However, it's important to note that the length can be adjusted based on the specific requirements and constraints of your team and organization. The goal is to allocate enough time for meaningful discussions, collaboration, and decision-making to effectively plan the program increment.
Program Vision and Objectives: The program vision and objectives provide the overarching direction and purpose for the program increment. They define what the team aims to achieve and serve as a guiding principle throughout the planning process.
Program Backlog: The program backlog consists of the features, user stories, or work items that need to be addressed during the program increment. It includes the prioritized list of tasks or deliverables that the team will work on to achieve the program objectives.
Team and Resource Capacity: Understanding the team's capabilities and available resources is crucial for effective planning. This input includes information on the team members' skills, expertise, and availability, as well as any external dependencies or constraints that might impact the capacity to deliver the planned work.