Business Owners in SAFe have a critical role in Program Increment (PI) Planning. They are

responsible for setting the business context for the Agile Release Train (ART). This involves presenting

the business vision, key objectives, and market needs to the teams to ensure alignment with the

business strategy1. They also actively participate in the PI Planning events, providing the teams with

the necessary guidance and support to achieve the business goals2. Their involvement is crucial for

the ART to understand the broader business objectives and to ensure that the solutions developed

meet the customer and stakeholder needs1.

During the final plan review of the Program Increment (PI) Planning, the teams cover several critical

pieces of information. This includes any changes to team capacity and load, which may affect the

delivery of PI Objectives. The final PI Objectives are reviewed to ensure alignment with the ART’s

goals. Additionally, ART PI Risks are addressed, including any new risks identified during the planning

process, and existing risks that have been ROAMed (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated). Lastly,

any impediments that could hinder the ART’s progress are discussed, ensuring that they are

acknowledged and addressed appropriately. This comprehensive review is essential for the ART to

commit to a set of PI Objectives that are achievable and aligned with the overall strategy1.

The ultimate intent of using a Program board is to facilitate a Dependency review. The Program

board helps visualize and manage dependencies across teams and features, thereby enabling better

coordination and planning.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in facilitating the Agile Release Train’s (ART)

progress by supporting teams in delivering value. One of the key responsibilities of an RTE is to drive

relentless improvement within the ART. To support teams that are having difficulty identifying areas

for process improvement, the RTE can encourage them to perform regular self-assessments and

discuss their findings. This approach aligns with the principles of SAFe, which emphasize the

importance of reflection and continuous improvement.

Self-assessments allow teams to evaluate their performance and processes critically. By discussing

the outcomes of these assessments, teams can identify areas where they excel and areas that

require improvement. The RTE can facilitate these discussions, helping teams to prioritize and

implement the necessary changes effectively. This practice not only fosters a culture of transparency

and accountability but also empowers teams to take ownership of their improvement journey.

Moreover, the RTE can provide guidance and coaching to help teams develop the skills needed to

conduct effective self-assessments. This includes establishing clear criteria for evaluation, creating a

safe environment for open discussion, and ensuring that the process leads to actionable insights. By

supporting teams in this way, the RTE helps to build a high-performing ART that is capable of

delivering continuous value.

Applying Systems Thinking for a Release Train Engineer (RTE) involves a holistic approach to solution

development, which includes understanding the system and its environment as a whole. This

approach is about seeing the bigger picture and the interrelationships between the parts that make

up the whole, rather than focusing on the parts themselves. Therefore, the behavior of an RTE

applying Systems Thinking would involve examining what may be missing in the environment that

supports the team, ensuring that all components work together effectively towards the

organizational goals2. This includes fostering collaboration, aiding in dependency coordination, risk

management, and encouraging continuous improvement within the teams3.

The Agile Release Train (ART) supports Release on Demand by ensuring that new functionality can be

released to the end users at a moment’s notice, which is a critical aspect of the Continuous Delivery

Pipeline. This is achieved through two key practices:

Decouple deployment from release ©: This practice allows for the deployment of new functionality

into production without making it immediately visible to end users. It provides the flexibility to

release features incrementally based on business needs, rather than being tied to the deployment

schedule1.

Continuous Integration (E): Continuous Integration is a software development practice where

developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository, after which automated

builds and tests are run. The key benefits of Continuous Integration include the ability to detect and

fix integration issues early, leading to more reliable software and faster development cycles. This

practice is fundamental to supporting Release on Demand because it ensures that the software is

always in a releasable state, which is essential for the quick release of new features1.

These practices are part of the larger framework of SAFe, which emphasizes the importance of ARTs

being able to deliver value efficiently and effectively to meet customer and business needs.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) collaborates closely with Product Management and the System

Architect to guide the Agile Release Train (ART) toward successful delivery. This leadership trio is

essential in maintaining a constant synergy between product strategy and implementation. The RTE,

along with Product Management and the System Architect, forms a critical alignment that ensures

the ART’s focus on delivering value and achieving operational excellence. They work together to

steer the ART, align on solution and enterprise architecture, and lead Value Stream Management

activities for the ART123.

Scrum is indeed a team-based framework used to implement Agile development. The key

characteristics of Scrum include its use of cross-functional teams, iterative development cycles called

sprints, and regular reflection and adaptation sessions. It is designed to accommodate changes in

requirements and encourages close collaboration between the development team and stakeholders

to deliver the highest value product increments1.

In the context of SAFe, Scrum is integrated into the framework as one of the primary methods for

Agile teams to manage their work. SAFe expands upon the Scrum framework by providing additional

roles, events, and artifacts to support the coordination and alignment of multiple teams within an

Agile Release Train (ART). This ensures that teams work together effectively towards common

objectives, facilitating the delivery of large-scale solutions in an enterprise environment1.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in this process by facilitating ART events and

processes, supporting teams in delivering value, and driving relentless improvement. The RTE helps

to ensure that the Scrum framework is applied consistently across teams and that the principles of

Lean and Agile are upheld within the ART1.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) is a servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART), who

facilitates ART events and processes, and supports teams in delivering value. The RTE’s

responsibilities include facilitating Program Increment (PI) planning, where they play a vital role in

the success of the event, helping the ART prepare for PI planning, and facilitating the PI planning

event itself1.

The Scrum Master also plays a crucial role in facilitating ART syncs. As part of their responsibilities,

Scrum Masters help their Agile teams work together effectively, and they also participate in ART

events, including the ART sync2. This collaboration ensures that the teams on the ART are aligned

and can address any impediments or issues that may arise.

In summary, the Release Train Engineer and the Scrum Master are the two roles that should facilitate

an ART sync, as they both have responsibilities that directly involve the coordination and facilitation

of ART activities.

To stay informed about employee satisfaction, a Release Train Engineer (RTE) can conduct an

employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey. This method is a standard practice for gauging overall

employee engagement and satisfaction within an organization. The NPS survey provides insights into

how likely employees are to recommend their workplace to others, which is a strong indicator of

their satisfaction and loyalty1. By regularly conducting these surveys, an RTE can track trends over

time, identify areas of improvement, and take action to enhance the work environment, thereby

supporting the teams in delivering value more effectively. This practice aligns with the SAFe principle

of respecting individuals and culture, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and

empathizing with others, and encourages the personal development of each individual and the

development of teams2.