The problem-solving workshop is more effective than traditional lessons learned documents because

it directly translates improvements into actionable backlog items for the next Program Increment

(PI). This approach aligns with the SAFe principle of relentless improvement and the Agile

Manifesto’s emphasis on collaboration and working solutions.

Actionable Outcomes: The workshop format ensures that the improvements identified are not just

discussed but are also captured as backlog items, making them actionable. This contrasts with

lessons learned documents, which may not always lead to immediate action or change.

Engagement and Collaboration: Workshops encourage active participation and collaboration among

all ART stakeholders, which is more engaging than the passive process of writing and reading

documents. This engagement leads to a deeper understanding and commitment to the

improvements.

Inspect and Adapt: SAFe’s Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event includes a problem-solving workshop

where the current state of the Solution is demonstrated and evaluated1. This structured approach

helps identify improvement backlog items in a collaborative environment.

Continuous Learning Culture: SAFe fosters a continuous learning culture where regular reflection and

adaptation are key. The problem-solving workshop is a practical application of this principle, ensuring

that lessons learned are immediately incorporated into the ART’s way of working1.

Lean-Agile Principles: The workshop embodies Lean-Agile principles by promoting face-to-face

communication and immediate feedback, which are more effective for problem-solving than

asynchronous document reviews.

In summary, the problem-solving workshop’s effectiveness lies in its ability to foster collaboration,

engage stakeholders, and produce tangible, actionable items that drive continuous improvement

within the ART.

The Agile Product Delivery is a core competency of the SAFe framework that emphasizes a

customer-centric approach to defining, building, and releasing a continuous flow of valuable

products and services. It is focused on delivering value through validated learning in short, fast

increments1. This competency aligns teams to a common goal via the Agile Product Delivery model,

which combines Design Thinking to ensure the solution is desirable, Feasible, Viable, and

Sustainable. It also includes DevOps and the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which helps to automate

the delivery process and make it more efficient2.

The key aspects of Agile Product Delivery include:

Developing on Cadence and Releasing on Demand

Building quality in

Product Management

DevOps and Release on Demand

Business Solutions and Lean Systems Engineering

These elements ensure that the solutions are built incrementally and iteratively, allowing for fast

feedback and adaptation based on customer needs and market changes. This competency ensures

that the enterprise’s work is aligned with customer needs and strategic goals, thereby enhancing

business agility12.

The creation of a Vision within the SAFe framework involves the Product Management team

answering several critical questions, one of which is identifying the problem that the solution will

solve. This is essential as it sets the direction for the development efforts and ensures that the

solution is customer-centric and addresses real needs.

The SAFe documentation emphasizes that the Vision should be a compelling description of the future

that the solution seeks to create, providing a long-term context and purpose for the Agile Release

Train (ART). It should inspire and guide the teams, helping them understand why they are building

what they are building. The Vision is crafted through a Continuous Exploration process, which drives

the synthesis of a Vision, a Roadmap, and Backlogs, ensuring strategic alignment and readiness for

planning. It is not merely about the features already released or the themes on the roadmap; it is

fundamentally about the customer’s problem that the solution aims to address1.

The core competency of Agile Product Delivery is pivotal in fostering faster lead time, quicker

recovery from setbacks, fewer defects, and more frequent deployments within the SAFe framework.

This competency focuses on delivering value through the continuous flow of valuable products and

services to customers. It encompasses the principles and practices that help teams and ARTs deliver

quality solutions to the market faster and more predictably. This includes the implementation of

DevOps and Release on Demand, which are essential for achieving the mentioned outcomes1.

The SAFe tool that a Release Train Engineer (RTE) might use to identify areas for an Agile Release

Train (ART) to improve how its Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) functions is the Agile Product

Delivery core competency assessment.

This assessment tool is part of the Agile Product Delivery competency, which is a key aspect of the

SAFe framework. It focuses on developing the ability to deliver quality solutions to the customer in

the shortest sustainable lead time. The Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP), which includes

continuous exploration, integration, deployment, and release on demand, is a significant element of

this competency1.

The core competency assessment helps the RTE and the ART to evaluate their current state, identify

improvement areas, and measure progress towards the goal of achieving more effective and efficient

delivery practices as part of their continuous improvement journey. This tool is designed to guide the

ART through a self-assessment process to determine how well they are implementing SAFe

principles and practices related to Agile Product Delivery and the CDP1.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in facilitating events and processes that support

relentless improvement within the Program Increment (PI). According to the SAFe framework, one of

the primary responsibilities of the RTE is to “facilitate ART practices and PI execution” and to "drive

relentless improvement"1.

The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event is specifically designed as a significant event held at the end of

each PI, where the current state of the Solution is demonstrated and evaluated. Teams then reflect

and identify improvement backlog items via a structured problem-solving workshop2. This aligns

with the SAFe principle of relentless improvement, which is a core value and a dimension of the

Continuous Learning Culture competency within SAFe2.

During the I&A event, all ART stakeholders participate along with the Agile Teams. The result is a set

of improvement backlog items that go into the ART Backlog for the next PI Planning event, ensuring

that every ART improves every PI2. This structured approach to reflection and problem-solving is

what makes the Inspect and Adapt event a key mechanism for the RTE to support relentless

improvement for the Program Increment.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in ensuring that the teams within the Agile

Release Train (ART) understand the business value of their work. When teams feel that the business

value does not reflect their effort and progress, the RTE can intervene in two key ways:

Coach the Business Owners’ review of objectives (Option B): The RTE can facilitate a better

understanding between the teams and the Business Owners by ensuring that the scoring of

objectives during the PI Planning reflects the specific details negotiated with the teams1. This

involves coaching the Business Owners to appreciate the nuances of the teams’ efforts and the

complexities involved in their work, leading to a more accurate reflection of the business value

achieved.

Involve the team in the scoring process (Option D): The RTE can work closely with the teams to

ensure they are actively involved when the Business Owners score the business value achieved1. This

active involvement allows the teams to provide their perspective on the effort and progress,

ensuring that the scoring process is transparent and that the business value assigned is a true

representation of the work done.

These actions help in aligning the understanding of business value with the actual work performed

by the teams, fostering a sense of fairness and recognition for the teams’ contributions to the ART’s

objectives.

To unlock intrinsic motivation, a Release Train Engineer (RTE) can:

Foster an Empowering Environment: Encourage knowledge workers to develop innovative and

creative solutions by fostering an empowering and supportive work environment1.

Understand the Role of Compensation: Recognize that compensation is not the primary motivator for

knowledge workers. Instead, focus on intellectual freedom and self-actualization1.

Leverage Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose: Support the development of autonomy, mastery, and

purpose among team members to enhance their intrinsic motivation1.

Encourage Participation and Learning: Facilitate communication across functional boundaries, fast

feedback, continuous learning, and a fulfilling solution development process1.

Practice Healthy Conflict Resolution: While not directly mentioned in the context of intrinsic

motivation, practicing healthy conflict resolution can contribute to a positive work environment,

which indirectly supports intrinsic motivation1.

By implementing these steps, an RTE can help team members find joy and satisfaction in their work,

which is the essence of intrinsic motivation.

When individual teams report high levels of success through their quantitative measurements, but

the system results indicate otherwise, the Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in aligning

team perceptions with actual system outcomes. Here’s how an RTE can help the teams deliver more

value:

Coach on Retrospective Techniques: The RTE can coach the Scrum Masters on effective retrospective

techniques to ensure that teams can reflect on and improve their processes1.

Systems View Approach: Encourage teams to adopt a systems view approach to understand how

their work fits into the larger context and impacts the overall system1.

Facilitate Problem-Solving Workshops: Organize problem-solving workshops during the Inspect and

Adapt (I&A) events to collaboratively identify systemic issues and improvement actions2.

Encourage ART Synchronization: Assist teams in synchronizing with other teams on the Agile Release

Train (ART) to ensure alignment and collective responsibility for delivering value1.

Drive Relentless Improvement: Emphasize the importance of relentless improvement and foster a

culture where continuous growth is valued and pursued1.

By focusing on these areas, the RTE can help bridge the gap between individual team metrics and the

broader system results, leading to improved value delivery across the ART.

One effective way to secure stakeholder commitment to the Agile Release Train (ART) is to involve

them directly in the process. Having stakeholders attend the Program Increment (PI) Planning event

is a key practice in SAFe. It allows stakeholders to understand the ART’s objectives, contribute to the

planning, and align with the team’s mission and vision. This direct involvement fosters a sense of

ownership and collaboration, ensuring that stakeholders are more committed and supportive of the

ART’s efforts and outcomes12.