Aligning IT and business teams is often a headache. Between business priorities that are constantly evolving, tech teams that juggle technical constraints, and silos that complicate communication, we quickly end up with projects that are progressing... but not necessarily in the right direction.
Result? Frustrations on both sides, delays, and a loss of value for the business.
That's where the PI Planning come into play. A pillar of the SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) framework, this quarterly event brings together all teams involved in an Agile Release Train (ART) to synchronize their efforts around a clear and realistic plan. For two days, IT and businesses work together to define priorities, remove dependencies and ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction.
In short: it's the moment when everyone agrees on what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how we're going to get there.
But be careful: a poorly prepared PI Planning can quickly become an interminable meeting that lacks impact. For it to be effective, it is necessary good preparation, strong involvement of stakeholders and a real dynamic of collaboration. Otherwise, you risk leaving with a fuzzy plan and a false sense of alignment.
So, how can you turn this exercise into a driver of performance and commitment for your teams? What are the pitfalls to avoid? And above all, how can we ensure that PI Planning is a driver of value creation and not just another constraint?
In this article, we are going to dissect the keys to a successful PI Planning, with concrete feedback and actionable advice. Because well done, this event can change the dynamics of your projects and finally align IT and Business with a common goal.
First, focus on the definition of PI Planning, and some key concepts to know to get started.
PI Planning is a large-scale team meeting, aimed at organizing tasks for a defined period of time, called Program Increment or PI (and Planning Interval since SAFe version 6). This collaborative session allows you to align goals and coordinate the actions of all the stakeholders in a project, guaranteeing clear and concerted planning for the period in question.
A PI Planning is often used in the context of IT product development. However, it can just as easily be implemented in more traditional and structured projects, such as organizational change management, hardware creation or even the production of documentary projects.
At scale, PI Planning can make it possible to structure the entire build of an organization, all projects and product developments in progress.
Through the PI Planning process, you can:
This meeting generally lasts one to two days, segmented in order to address all future IP topics: key milestones, functionalities to be developed, priorities, risks...
Program Increment (PI), and by extension PI Planning, is part of the SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) methodological framework. In this agile approach, teams collaborating on a PI are called “Agile Release Train” (ART).
Traditionally, according to SAFe principles, a PI extends over a period of 8 to 12 weeks. However, if you do not adopt this framework to the letter, you can adjust this duration according to the needs of your organization, for example by choosing a quarterly cycle.
This flexibility does not exclude the possibility of maintaining shorter sprints and regular deliveries, thus ensuring an iterative pace for the development team.
When moving to scale, to align a company with its strategic or vital projects, we strongly recommend choosing the pace of the quarter. The Sun offers us a quarterly rhythm for the seasons, the financers offer us a quarterly rhythm for financial publications, why not follow a natural rhythm for building, for projects?
The large-scale project management practice that is PI Planning has many advantages — whether for teams that follow the agile manifesto to the letter or not.
Thanks to a well-oiled PI Planning, you can in particular:
Therefore, PI Planning also allows you to control the budget of your projects and products more closely.
In short, PI Planning is an iterative development practice to accelerate the delivery of value from your projects, and to enter into a continuous improvement process.
But to benefit from these advantages, you need to understand how to set up a well-designed Planning at Scale PI. Good news: that's exactly what this article tells you!
Find out here what two typical days of PI Planning look like.
One of the keys to the success of a PI Planning is to succeed in creating an environment where everyone feels free to share their constraints, in order to collectively plan the future of the project over the coming period.
Simple on paper. A real challenge for organizers, who must “feel” the mood of the company and make sure to distribute the word while constantly relaunching to seek compromises.
Not lying to yourself during these times is essential. Basing your thoughts on available objective data does not prevent you from making reasonable bets as well.
The point of view of the glass that is half full will be an ally in always making progress in resolving portfolio complexities.
To do this, use during the PI Planning collaborative tools, which make it possible to structure exchanges and to show that everyone's voice is taken into account.
Use:
Also, be sure to Recall the rules of PI Planning as soon as you start the meeting. Go into detail, for example by highlighting the colors of the various post-its to be used on the boards (depending on whether they are risks, key milestones, features, user stories, etc.).
These rules will be transmitted prior to the speeches, to each team, who will also be able to prepare the ground skilfully.
And it is the role of the PI Planning coordinator, the Release Train Engineer (RTE), to succeed in distributing the word fairly, to ensure peaceful exchanges.
The precarious balance, especially in initial experiments, between reasonable goals and total impact should not discourage. A PI Planning is a process that is learning for all parties. Make sure to target the objective that solves one of the problems most shared by teams.
At the very beginning of PI Planning, it is the Release Train Engineer who speaks to introduce the meeting. It presents the agenda for the coming days, and highlights the goals to be achieved.
“Here are all the challenges that IP allows us to address, but for these first implementations, we will focus on...”
Then he presents the vision of the future IP, based on the strategic priorities he collected prior to the meeting.
The key stakeholders — Product Manager, responsible for the various areas — present the goals of the PI, its vision, the roadmap and the strategic priorities. The intervention of top sponsors of the organization may be required and prepared so that they themselves can carry out the major strategic changes. Invite business owners, business managers, even big bosses if necessary. Give the necessary weight to these interventions, which are the raison d'être of your event.
Finally, the introduction ends with a reminder strategic challenges and changes to be taken into account in the coming period, a detailed overview of the backlog and priority features or deliverables to be planned for the coming period.
During the second half-day of PI Planning, each team launches its planning workshop. The idea: plan the deliveries of the various functionalities for the future PI, detailing each user story, and giving an estimate of the efforts to be made.
Each team also analyzes The dependencies that she might encounter with other teams, and plans iterations according to her capacity and the priorities of the features to be released.
During this stage, the Scrum Master helps each team to prioritize and organize work. It's good to build a team of referents who are ultra-committed to the success of the event and multi-team to counter the enlightened guru side that too often sticks to the pegs of a Scrum Master...
Ensure the presence of a representative of business sponsors in all phases of the PI. The big bosses at the beginning and at the end, the “knowledgeable” business experts at the heart of the exchanges.
While the teams work on their planning, RTE is not sitting idly by. Its role is to monitor the progress of each team over time, based on a “Scrum of Scrum” board that asks the right questions:
This table is a simple but extremely effective management tool. It makes the state of preparation of each team visible and allows RTE to intervene at the right time, before a blockage sets in.
When the planning workshops are over, each team presents their plan to the entire agile train. Collectively, dependencies are validated, and each team's plans are adjusted to prevent these dependencies from creating bottlenecks.
Ensure that these dependencies don't stay on the board until the next PI, but integrate them directly into your project and product tracking tools.
During the third half-day, the PI Planning participants analyze the risks that the projects are likely to encounter, and that would potentially hinder deliveries. These risks are generally prioritized. Then the collective sets up actions to mitigate these risks.
Once again, particular attention will be paid to the use of this rich material (risks) that emerge during PI Planning. Choose a solution that makes these risks visible at the heart of your portfolio, program, project, and product management.
During the last half-day of PI Planning, team plans are finalized. Business representatives provide feedback on these plans, and final adjustments are made if necessary.
Then everyone participates in A vote of confidence : the teams are thus committed to aligning themselves with the plan they have defined. In very rare cases, if the vote of confidence is very low, it may be decided to rework the plans. But generally, planning workshops and the study of interdependencies resulted in a square plan, adopted by all.
A PI Planning does not end with a vote of confidence. The final stage of the meeting is the retrospective — a time for participants to share what worked well and what needs to be improved for future sessions.
Two formats work particularly well in this context:
The ROTI (Return On Time Invested) allows each participant to quickly note the perceived usefulness of the time invested. It is a flash indicator, perfect for taking the collective pulse at the end of the day.
The DAKI (Drop, Add, Keep, Improve) goes further: each participant identifies what to give up, add, keep, or improve in the process. It is a structuring format that directly feeds the evolutions of the next PI Planning.
Don't underestimate this step. A PI Planning that improves from one quarter to the next is a PI Planning that is permanently rooted in the culture of the organization. And it is precisely this logic of continuous improvement that distinguishes the teams that “do PI Planning” from those that really derive value from it.
You may have already understood it: a successful PI Planning is a meeting that leaves nothing to chance, and that is well planned in advance. Here are some key steps to go through for a smooth Program Increment Planning.
First, you need to create a list of the participants in your PI Planning. All the stakeholders in your project must be present — but be careful: it is also a question of bringing together the people who are really decision-makers.
Otherwise, you take the risk of aligning the teams that do and those that organize without involving those who decide. Big warning: you are off to a bad start and will create high expectations. No sponsor, no IP.
The following should be present at your planning session:
Having the right people in the room is not enough: everyone needs to know what is expected of them. Take the time to explain the responsibilities of each profile prior to PI Planning:
The Release Train Engineer (RTE) coordinates and facilitates the entire PI Planning. He is the one who distributes the word, manages the timing, and ensures that each workshop produces the expected deliverables.
The Product Management (including Product Owners) defines priorities and features to be developed. It is the voice of “what” and “why.”
Les Scrum Masters help agile teams prepare their plans, estimate their capacity, and remove operational bottlenecks.
Les Business Owners provide strategic guidelines and validate the objectives proposed by the teams. Their presence is non-negotiable for arbitrations.
The mindset of the participants is as important as their presence. Take time in advance with skeptical profiles: remove their fears, identify their constraints. If certain personalities risk hampering the collective dynamic, prepare the ground with their direct manager. A simple deal often works: a personal issue addressed in exchange for a constructive attitude during the meeting.
Don't be naive on this point: a single poorly engaged person can damage the impact of a PI Planning, especially during the first few implementations.
In preparing your PI Planning, you need to determine what is the vision that will guide the period you need to plan for. The idea: align everyone around the transformation your business will experience in the future.
Take into account the environment in which your business operates and will evolve in the coming times. Your vision can be based on positive elements (such as innovative projects that the company will carry out), negative (such as the arrival of new competitors on your market), or on constraints (such as new regulations).
Also, talk to the business managers involved, and ask them what their strategic priorities are, and what friction points they will need to address during PI Planning.
Note that the vision you are going to communicate to the participants of your PI Planning does not necessarily impact the period to come. Above all, it is a major guideline that should guide the prioritization of future actions.
Also remember to prepare your Product roadmap and your backlog. Make sure that the features are mature, understandable, doable, cut to fit in the PI, and loaded. Features that are too fuzzy or too big will waste precious time during planning workshops.
Even if the purpose of the PI Planning is to identify the blockages that could interfere with your project, take the time if possible to anticipate these blockages during your preparation.
For this:
You know it: large-scale project management requires considerable logistics. And this is also the case for the organization of a PI Planning!
Take the time to:
Are you opting for online PI Planning? Don't underestimate the complexity of logistics. Quality of the videos, collaborative tools for workshops, dedicated virtual rooms... Tests and a dress rehearsal the day before seem essential. We personally do not recommend conducting your PI Plannings entirely remotely!
Launching the iterative approach of PI Planning in a company is a real act of communication. You need to make sure that your participants are ready to commit to it firmly, over the long term, and that they understand the benefits that they can derive from it.
Indeed, developers are often used to working incrementally, using agile methods. But businesses often have more difficulty implementing such a fine and detailed planning method. The PI Planning process requires real change management: communication on the benefits, lifting everyone's obstacles, and implementing concrete techniques to better plan together.
Hence the fact that you have to lead a consistent change management, by communicating in a motivating way. Remove everyone's brakes before the meeting, and remind everyone of the advantages of this mode of operation.
Effective PI Planning is not based solely on methodology: the right tools make all the difference. Without thorough preparation and structured follow-up, this exercise can quickly become a waste of time, with unclear commitments and poorly managed dependencies.
This is where a tool like Airsas makes perfect sense. Even before PI Planning, it allows prepare the capacity of teams in advance, to prioritize key features and to anticipate dependencies. By giving a clear vision of the goals and available resources, Airsaas facilitates the review of initiatives and aligns stakeholders with what is really feasible in the coming quarter.
During the event, Airsas structures the planning by making the arbitrations and commitments made visible. No need to juggle dozens of tables: everything is centralized, readable and actionable. And after PI Planning, it ensures continuous monitoring of commitments and the execution of projects, to avoid excesses and adjust priorities according to realities on the ground.
Successful PI Planning involves solid preparation, smooth execution and rigorous monitoring. With Airsaas, you give IT and business teams a clear and pragmatic framework so that their efforts are truly aligned with the company's strategy.
Interested? Discover Airsas, and request your demo now.
The PI Planning is over. Two intense days, dozens of decisions taken, commitments formalized. But all of this is worthless if the momentum falls again the following Monday. Here's how to capitalize on the power of IP.
First instinct: gather all Program Increment goals and team plans and share them widely. Each participant must be able to easily find what was decided, everyone's commitments, and the associated deadlines.
Your plan in a hidden Sharepoint or a PowerPoint sent by email will not be enough. Opt for solutions that make your plans understandable and accessible at all times — for teams and sponsors alike.
You did not deploy all this energy, mobilized so many brains, to keep the decisions made confidential.
Throughout the PI, regular follow-up is essential to ensure that the plan is respected and that obstacles are removed quickly. Three levels of rituals are to be put in place:
Les daily meetings (Daily Stand-ups) and risk management meetings allow teams to deal with irritants as they go along.
Les Scrum of Scrums And the PI Reviews ensure synchronization between teams at regular intervals. It is time to check that the dependencies identified are well managed.
Les System Demo (or at least team demos) offer an objective and regular measure of progress, with the possibility of receiving feedback.
The pitfall that many organizations encounter: the PI Planning information remains on post-its in Miro or on a flipchart taken with a photo... and six months later, we start again to identify dependencies and risks that we had already removed. Integrate the data produced during the PI into your project monitoring tools, and use it continuously.
Just before the next PI Planning, take the time to review the actual realization of the PI — in terms of value achieved, more than in terms of features delivered. It is the ceremony ofInspect & Adapt : a key moment to identify what worked, what went wrong, and what needs to change.
It is this complete loop — planning, executing, monitoring, adjusting — that makes PI Planning go from a one-time event to a real engine of continuous transformation.
You are now ready to launch or optimize your next Program Increment Planning!
