PI Planning in Agile

Walking into the conference room, I could feel the excitement. It was time for PI planning, something that happened every few months. As an Agile Release Train Engineer (RTE), leading these meetings was both exciting and tough. I looked around and saw a mix of key people involved. We all had one aim: to agree on what needed to be done next and how to do it well. This was important for the next phase of our work.

In Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), PI planning in Agile isn't just another meeting. It's an important event that sets the tone for the next phase of product development.

What is PI planning?

As a key component of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) methodology, PI planning helps team alignment, collaboration, and relationship-building inside an Agile Release Train (ART). This two-day face-to-face interaction event occurs every four, eight, or twelve weeks, depending on the logistical feasibility. 

At its core, PI planning in Agile revolves around the collaboration of ART members, typically numbering between 50 and 125 individuals, who are tasked with developing specific solutions based on organizational requirements. SAFe principles underpin this process, emphasizing the delivery of high-quality products by large, geographically dispersed teams.

Importance of PI planning in Agile

Safe PI planning plays a vital role in enabling Agile teams to effectively plan, coordinate, and deliver value in an iterative manner and more reasons:

• Alignment: PI planning brings together all members of the Agile Release Train (ART) to align their understanding of the upcoming work and the overall objectives for the Program Increment.
• Visibility: It provides visibility into the upcoming work, allowing teams to understand dependencies, risks, and potential roadblocks early on, enabling them to address these issues proactively.
• Collaboration: PI planning encourages collaboration among teams, stakeholders, and product owners, encouraging a shared understanding of priorities and goals.
• Commitment: By participating in scaled Agile PI planning, teams commit to delivering specific features and increments within the upcoming Program Increment, increasing accountability and focus.
• Risk mitigation: It helps identify and address risks early in the planning process, reducing the likelihood of delays or disruptions during the execution phase.

Application of PI planning

The following are a few examples of the application of PI planning concepts in different contexts.

1. Software Development Team

In a software company, teams gather for PI planning to align on project goals, break down tasks, and assign responsibilities for the upcoming development cycle. Using Agile methodologies, they track progress with visual tools and hold regular stand-ups to discuss updates and hurdles.

2. Marketing Campaign

A marketing team plans their quarterly PI to strategize campaigns, aligning objectives with client needs and market trends. They prioritize tasks, coordinate content creation, and analyze data for performance optimization, ensuring efficient resource allocation and campaign effectiveness.

3. Product Development

A product development team holds PI planning sessions to map out feature releases, allocate development tasks, and align with market demands. Through repetitive planning and feedback loops, they refine product roadmaps, prioritize features, and optimize release schedules for maximum customer value.

Objectives of PI planning

The objectives of scaled Agile framework PI planning are multifaceted and include:

• Establishing alignment: Ensure all teams, stakeholders, and contributors are aligned on the vision, goals, and priorities for the upcoming Program Increment.
• Setting objectives: Define clear and measurable objectives for the Program Increment that align with the organization's overall strategic goals and priorities.
• Identifying dependencies: Identify and understand dependencies between teams, features, and components to mitigate risks and ensure smooth execution during the Program Increment.
• Sequencing work: Prioritize and sequence the work to be undertaken during the Program Increment based on business value, dependencies, and available capacity.
• Capacity planning: Estimate team capacities and allocate work accordingly to ensure realistic commitments and avoid overburdening teams.
• Resolving ambiguities: Address any ambiguities or uncertainties regarding requirements, acceptance criteria, or technical implementations to minimize misunderstandings and rework later in the development cycle.

Key participants in PI planning

PI (Program Increment) planning is a crucial event in Agile methodology, bringing together key stakeholders to align priorities and plan upcoming work. The following roles typically attend PI safe Agile planning:

1. Agile Release Train Engineer (RTE):

The RTE facilitates the PI planning event, ensuring that teams collaborate effectively and guiding the planning process.

2. Agile teams:

Agile teams, comprising developers, testers, and other cross-functional members, attend to participate in the planning and estimation of work for the upcoming Program Increment.

3. Business owners:

Business owners, representing the organization's and its customers' interests, attend to provide insights into business priorities, strategic objectives, and customer needs.

4. Product managers:

Product managers job is to define the product vision, prioritize features, and manage the product backlog. They attend safe Agile PI planning to communicate the product vision, discuss feature priorities, and guide Agile teams.

5. Other stakeholders:

Various stakeholders, including marketing, sales, customer support, and operations representatives, may attend to provide input, feedback, and insights relevant to their respective areas. 

Preparing for PI planning

Preparing for the PI planning process is crucial for ensuring a smooth and productive session. It involves careful attention to three key areas: organizational readiness, content readiness, and logistics readiness.

1. Organizational readiness:

Organizational readiness sets the stage for successful scaled Agile PI planning by ensuring all stakeholders are aligned and prepared for the meeting. This includes:

• Planning scope: Define the scope of the planning session to ensure that all relevant teams and stakeholders are included. This may involve identifying the specific program increment (PI) or release cycle to be planned.
• Business priorities alignment: Align business priorities ahead of the meeting to simplify decision-making during PI planning. This involves ensuring that key objectives and goals are clear and communicated to all participants.
• Critical role assignment: Identify and assign critical roles such as Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Release Train Engineers (RTEs), and stakeholders to ensure the necessary leadership and expertise are available during the planning session.

2. Content readiness:

Content readiness involves providing teams with the necessary information and materials to facilitate effective planning. Key elements of content readiness include:

• Executive briefing: Provide an executive briefing to communicate the current state of the business, market conditions, and strategic priorities. This sets the context for the planning session and helps teams understand the broader organizational goals.
• Product backlog: Make sure that the product backlog is up-to-date and reflects the latest priorities, features, and user stories. This enables teams to prioritize work based on business value and strategic objectives.
• Architecture vision briefing: Provide teams with an architecture vision briefing to outline the high-level technical direction and guidelines for the upcoming PI. This helps teams align their technical decisions with the organization's overall architectural vision.

3. Logistics readiness:

Logistics readiness involves planning and organizing the practical aspects of the safe Agile PI planning session to see it runs smoothly and efficiently. This includes:

• Location: Determine whether the planning session will be held in person at a physical facility or conducted online using virtual collaboration tools. Choose a location that can accommodate all participants comfortably and provide the necessary amenities.
• Technology: Source and set up the right technology tools and platforms for facilitating remote collaboration and communication. This may include video conferencing software, collaboration boards, and document-sharing platforms.
• Communication channels: Establish clear communication channels for sharing information, updates, and announcements related to the PI planning session. It helps that all participants are informed and can access relevant resources before and during the planning process.

PI Planning Event Agenda Overview

A well-structured Agile PI planning event agenda sets the stage for a productive and collaborative planning session. Here's an overview of the key components to include:

1. Business context:

The session begins with the business owner providing an overview of the current state of the business. They articulate the company's vision for the future and how existing solutions address customer needs.

2. Product/solution vision:

Product management presents the current product or solution vision, highlighting the next crucial features or items in the product backlog. Any changes from the previous PI planning session are addressed and discussed.

3. Planning context:

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) outlines the planning process and sets expectations for the outcomes of the session.

4. Team breakouts:

Participants break into their respective teams to estimate capacity for each iteration. Teams collaboratively create a draft plan outlining the objectives and scope for each iteration. Timers, such as Miro’s Timer, may be used to manage and track time during these breakouts.

5. Draft plan review:

Teams present their key planning outputs, including capacity estimations, PI objectives, risks, and dependencies. Other teams provide feedback on the draft plans, helping cross-team collaboration and alignment.

6. Management review and problem-solving:

Management addresses challenges and obstacles identified in the draft plans, such as limited scope, capacity constraints, resource allocation, and conflicting dependencies. The RTE facilitates problem-solving discussions and keeps the meeting focused and on track.

7. Program risks:

Teams identify and categorize potential risks into five categories: Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated, and Confidence Vote. Confidence voting allows teams to assess their confidence level in meeting objectives after addressing identified risks.

8. Rework plan:

Teams incorporate feedback and address identified risks to refine and finalize their plans, striving to achieve a high confidence level.

Conclusion

A key component of the Agile process is PI planning, which brings together a variety of stakeholders to establish priorities and plan the path for the next Program Increment. Agile teams can provide value with clarity and precision when PI planning in Agile promotes collaboration, promotes openness, and reduces risks. It is clear from our exploration of the essential elements and recommended procedures of PI planning that this procedure is essential to advancing Agile excellence and accomplishing organizational objectives. 

FAQs

1. What is PI planning in Agile?

PI planning in Agile aligns teams on priorities and plans for the upcoming Program Increment, encouraging collaboration and clarity in product development.

2. Who participates in PI planning?

Agile teams, business owners, product managers, and stakeholders participate in PI planning to align priorities and plan upcoming work.

3. What happens during PI planning?

During PI planning, teams collaborate to define objectives, prioritize work, identify dependencies, and mitigate risks for the upcoming Program Increment.

4. How long does PI planning usually take?

PI planning typically takes two days, allowing teams to thoroughly plan and align on priorities for the upcoming Program Increment.

5. What are the benefits of PI planning?

Benefits of PI planning include alignment on priorities, improved collaboration, risk mitigation, and clear objectives, ultimately leading to faster delivery of value.

6. How often does PI planning occur?

PI planning occurs every four, eight, or twelve weeks, depending on logistical feasibility and organizational needs.

7. Can PI planning be done in 1 day?

While PI planning is typically a two-day event, it can be condensed into one day for smaller teams or simpler projects, though this may require careful planning and prioritization.