Module 5: Key SAFe Events

5.1 The Rhythm of the Train: Understanding Cadence-Based Events

Welcome to Module 5. If the Agile Release Train (ART) is the engine of value delivery, then its cadence-based events are the synchronized pistons that drive it forward. In SAFe, work doesn’t happen haphazardly; it follows a predictable rhythm, a heartbeat known as the Program Increment (PI). This regular cadence makes routine things routine, reduces overhead, and allows the entire ART to synchronize, manage dependencies, and deliver value predictably.

These events are not just meetings; they are the essential ceremonies that create alignment, provide fast feedback, and drive relentless improvement. Mastering these events is crucial for anyone working within an ART, as they provide the structure for everything from multi-sprint planning to daily execution and end-of-increment reflection. This module will guide you through the purpose, agenda, and participants of the most critical events in Essential SAFe.

5.2 The Cornerstone: PI Planning

Program Increment (PI) Planning is arguably the most critical and powerful event in SAFe. It is a cadence-based, two-day event that serves as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train, aligning all teams to a shared mission and vision. If an organization is not doing PI Planning, it is not doing SAFe.

Purpose: The primary goal of PI Planning is to bring all members of the ART—all teams, stakeholders, and leaders—together to collaboratively plan and commit to a course of action for the upcoming Program Increment. This face-to-face (or virtual face-to-face) alignment eliminates ambiguity, builds trust, and creates a shared sense of ownership over the plan.

Inputs and Outputs:

• Key Inputs: The event is fueled by a clear vision and context. This includes the Business Context presented by leadership, the Product/Solution Vision and top features from the ART Backlog presented by Product Management, and the Architecture Vision presented by the System Architect.
• Key Outputs: The two most crucial outputs of PI Planning are:

1. Committed PI Objectives: A set of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives created by each team that state what they intend to accomplish in the upcoming PI.
2. The ART Planning Board (formerly Program Board): A visual summary of the plan, highlighting the features to be delivered, significant dependencies between teams, and key milestones for the PI.

A Typical Two-Day PI Planning Agenda:

While agendas can be adapted, a standard PI Planning event follows a structured flow over two intense and collaborative days.

Day 1: Setting Context and Creating Draft Plans

• Business Context (Morning): A senior executive or Business Owner presents the current state of the business, the portfolio vision, and the market landscape.
• Product/Solution Vision (Morning): Product Management presents the current vision, highlighting the top 10 features from the ART backlog and upcoming milestones.
• Architecture Vision & Development Practices (Morning): The System Architect presents the architecture vision and any new enablers or technical guidelines.
• Planning Context (Morning): The Release Train Engineer (RTE) outlines the planning process and expected outcomes.
• Team Breakouts #1 (Afternoon): Teams meet to estimate their capacity, break down features into stories, identify dependencies, and create their draft plans for each iteration in the PI.
• Draft Plan Review (Late Afternoon): Teams present their draft plans, highlighting capacity, draft PI objectives, and key risks and dependencies. This makes major issues visible early.
• Management Review and Problem-Solving (End of Day): The RTE facilitates a meeting with management and stakeholders to address the challenges and scope issues identified during the draft plan review.

Day 2: Finalizing Plans and Committing

• Planning Adjustments (Morning): Management communicates any changes to planning scope, priorities, or resources based on the previous day’s problem-solving meeting.
• Team Breakouts #2 (Morning): Teams incorporate the adjustments into their plans, finalize their PI Objectives, and have Business Owners assign business value (on a scale of 1-10) to each objective.
• Final Plan Review (Afternoon): Each team presents its final plan to the entire ART. The plan is now well-understood, and risks and dependencies have been identified.
• Program Risks and ROAMing (Afternoon): The entire ART discusses the identified risks, and each one is addressed using the ROAMing technique:

• Resolved: The risk is no longer a concern.
• Owned: A member of the train takes ownership of managing the risk.
• Accepted: The risk is understood and accepted as something that cannot be resolved.
• Mitigated: A plan is developed to reduce the impact of the risk.

• Confidence Vote (Afternoon): Once the plan is finalized, the teams vote on their confidence in meeting their PI Objectives. If the average confidence is too low (e.g., less than three out of five fingers), the plan must be reworked.
• Planning Retrospective (End of Event): The RTE leads a brief retrospective of the PI Planning event itself to capture what went well and what can be improved for the next one.

5.3 Keeping the Train in Sync: The ART Sync

Once the PI is underway, the ART needs a way to stay synchronized and address issues as they arise. This is the purpose of the ART Sync, a regular meeting (often weekly) to track progress, manage dependencies, and resolve impediments.

The ART Sync is a parent event that combines two distinct topics: execution and content readiness. For this reason, it is often split into two separate meetings: the Coach Sync and the PO Sync.

• Coach Sync (Scrum of Scrums):

• Purpose: This meeting focuses on the execution of the PI. It’s the scaled-up version of a team’s Daily Stand-up. The goal is to coordinate dependencies, discuss progress toward milestones and PI objectives, and identify and resolve impediments.
• Participants: The Release Train Engineer (RTE) facilitates this meeting, which is attended by the Scrum Masters/Team Coaches from each team on the ART.
• PO Sync (Product Owner Sync):

• Purpose: This meeting focuses on the content and scope of the PI. It’s the scaled-up version of backlog refinement. Participants discuss progress, adjust priorities, and refine the scope of work to meet the PI Objectives. It also serves as a forum to prepare for the next PI.
• Participants: This meeting is typically attended by Product Management, Product Owners, and other selected stakeholders.

For smaller ARTs, these two meetings can be combined into a single ART Sync event to ensure everyone gets the same information at the same time.

5.4 Objective Feedback: The System Demo

The primary measure of progress in SAFe is not a status report, but a working system. The System Demo is a cadence-based event that occurs at the end of every iteration (sprint) and provides objective evidence of the ART’s progress.

Purpose: The System Demo showcases the new features and integrated work from all teams on the ART from the most recent iteration. It is a critical feedback loop for stakeholders, including Business Owners and customers, allowing them to see the tangible progress of the solution and provide input. This event is a forcing function that ensures continuous integration and validation across the entire train.

It is important to note that the System Demo does not replace each team’s individual Iteration Review; it is an additional event that demonstrates the integrated work of the entire “team of teams.”

5.5 Reflect and Adapt: The Inspect & Adapt (I&A) Workshop

Just as the PI begins with a major planning event, it concludes with a major reflection event. The Inspect & Adapt (I&A) Workshop is a significant event held at the end of each PI, providing the entire ART with an opportunity to reflect on the PI, review progress, and identify improvement actions for the next PI. It is the ART’s equivalent of a team’s combined Sprint Review and Retrospective.

The I&A workshop consists of three distinct parts:

1. The PI System Demo: This is a demonstration of the full solution increment developed over the entire PI. Unlike the iteration-based System Demos, this event showcases the complete set of features and capabilities accomplished during the 8-12 week timebox, telling a meaningful story to business stakeholders.
2. Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement: In this part, the RTE presents key metrics collected during the PI. The primary metric is the ART Predictability Measure, which compares the actual business value achieved for each team’s PI objectives against the planned business value. Other metrics like flow distribution, velocity, and defect trends may also be reviewed to provide a data-driven view of the ART’s performance.
3. Problem-Solving Workshop: This is a structured retrospective where the entire ART works to identify the root causes of its most significant problems. Teams use root-cause analysis tools like the Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram and the 5 Whys technique to move beyond symptoms and find the underlying issues. Once root causes are identified, the teams brainstorm solutions, and the top improvement items are added to the ART Backlog for the next PI.

5.6 Diagram: A Timeline of Events in a Program Increment

The following diagram illustrates how these key events fit together within the cadence of a typical Program Increment.