Lesson 10: Launching an Agile Release Train (3-4 questions)

Question 1

A < blank > function is a commitment that forces a sequence of actions to happen

Answer 1

A forcing function
is a commitment that forces a sequence of actions to happen. Use it to set a launch date.

By scheduling the PI Planning event, you will create the timebox in which the preparation must happen

Question 2

What SAFe Toolkit includes all the presentation slides, workbooks, and templates needed to guide an ART through these preparation activities and to facilitate a successful PI Planning event.

Answer 2

PI Planning Toolkit

Question 3

What are the benefits of training all the teams
on the ART together?

A) Accelerated learning
B) A common scaled agile paradigm
C) Cost efficiency
D) Collective learning
E) All of the above.

Answer 3

All the above

Question 4

Preparing for an ART launch includes what activities?

Answer 4

1. Set the ART launch date and cadence calendar
2. Train ART leaders and stakeholders
3. Form Agile teams and fill their roles
4. Train Product Managers and Product Owners
5. Train Scrum Masters/Team Coaches
6. Train System Architects
7. Assess and evolve launch readiness
8. Prepare the ART backlog

Question 5

A vital benefit of the Agile Relase Train Canvas is that it help teams identify what?

Answer 5

The principal ART roles.

ARTs work only when the right people are given the right blend of responsibilities. After all, the ART organization is a system that must be in flow.

Question 6

The PI calendar usually includes the following activities?

Answer 6

PI planning
System Demos
ART, Coach, and PO Sync events
Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshop

Question 7

For the first ART launch the PI, or ‘what gets built,’ is primarily defined by the ART Backlog, which contains the set of upcoming features, NFRs, and architectural work that define the system’s future behavior.

To that end, < who > often facilitate bringing the ART stakeholders together to prepare a common backlog.

Answer 7

SPCs, LACE stakeholders

Question 8

What is the ‘quick start’ approach to ART launch

Describe the schedule and what is accoplished on each day.

Answer 8

In the ‘Quick-Start approach’, the Agile teams are trained, and the first PI planning session is scheduled in a single week.

Day 1 – 2: (TRAINING) The Agile Release Train attends big room training with SAFe for Teams
(Train everyone at same time, most cost effective, same instructor, same message, same methods

Day 3 - 4: (PI PLANNING) Training is followed immediately by PI planning. This way, the teams are still present and in context, and their first PI planning experience builds on the previous day’s training.

Day 5: (WORKSHOP) This day is reserved for mentoring people in their new roles, tool training, discussion of needed Agile technical practices, open space, and any other activities the teams need to prepare for the first iteration.

Question 9

Who runs the PI Planning Session for the first ART launch

Answer 9

Getting off to a good start with PI planning is essential to the success of the first PI. It demonstrates a commitment to the new way of working for all the teams and stakeholders.

Therefore, this first planning session is critical for SPCs, other leaders, and change agents. To ensure a good outcome, an experienced SPC will typically co-facilitate the session, coaching the RTE along the way.

Question 10

What is the recommended duration of a Program Increment (PI)?

Answer 10

The recommended duration of a PI is between 8 to 12 weeks, with a bias toward the shorter period (10 weeks, for example)

Question 11

The fixed cadence of the ART also allows a full year of events to be scheduled on people’s calendars. The PI calendar usually includes the following activities?

Answer 11

• PI planning
• System Demos
• ART, Coach, and PO Sync events
• Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshop

Question 12

There may be several ART leaders (Release Train Engineer, Product Managers, System Architects) and stakeholders (Business Owners, managers, internal suppliers, operations, and so on) who have not attended a Leading SAFe training session.

After training these individuals, SAFe recommends what?

Answer 12

This is usually followed by a one-day implementation workshop, where newly trained stakeholders and SPCs can address the specifics of their launch plan.

Question 13

True of False

Having identified and filled the System and Shared Services teams is vital and required for a successful ART launch.

Answer 13

False

System and Shated services teams are deemed as undoubtedly desirable, depending on circumstances, they can also be addressed over the first few PIs.

Question 14

True of False
Is knowing who will set and present the business context and strategy required in order to launch an ART?

Answer 14

True
This activity is deemed as necessary

Question 15

According to SAFe, is a Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) required in order to lanch an ART?

Answer 15

A CDP are deemed as undoubtedly desirable but not required. Depending on circumstances, they can be addressed over the first few PIs.

Question 16

In preparing for our first ART launch, the scope of the PI, or ‘what gets built,’ is primarily defined by the < what Agile artifact>, which contains the set of upcoming features, NFRs, and architectural work that define the system’s future behavior.

Answer 16

ART Backlog

SPCs and LACE stakeholders often facilitate bringing the ART stakeholders together to prepare a common backlog. This is typically done in a series of backlog refinement workshops and other activities

Question 17

What are the advantages of ‘Big Room Training’?

Answer 17

Accelerated learning – This training happens in two days rather than over months. That speeds up the timing and assimilation by all the train members, which accelerates the launch.
A common scaled Agile paradigm (uniform) – All team members receive the same training, at the same time, from the same instructor. This eliminates the variability of different training sessions by different instructors using different courseware over time.
Cost-efficiency – One of the challenges with Agile implementation at scale has been the availability and expense of training. Talented, proven instructors are hard to find and not consistently available, and their value and cost are commensurately high. The Big Room approach is typically three to five times more cost-effective than individual team training.
Collective learning– There is no substitute for big room training learning experience. Face-to-face interaction is one of the critical ingredients of Agile at scale. Training everyone together starts building the social network that the ART relies upon and creates a far better experience than what can be accomplished when working separately. There can be a transformative aspect to it, something you have to experience to believe.

Question 18

Name some practices associated with respect to facilities in holding a distrubted PI planning sessions

Answer 18

► Have a dedicated facilitator and tech support person (Audio Visual) at each location.
► Have a common understanding of how plans will be shared (video, Wiki, email, PowerPoint, etc.)
► Establish team-based audio and video communication for breakout session rooms

Question 19

What is the recommend time duration for Distributed PI planning.

Answer 19

SAFe recommends creating a 2.5-day split agenda (further extended to 3 or more days as required) that accommodates various participating time zones.

Overlaps between time zones are carefully selected to facilitate live interaction at critical points in the agenda.

Significant additions to the regular PI planning agenda are the team synchronization points. These are the overlapping times when the teams can work with key stakeholders and collaborate with the other teams in different time zones. Given the time zone restrictions, these synchronization points should be as long as possible.

Question 20

The ‘SAFe ART Readiness Workbook’ and ‘ART Backlog Workbook ‘ can be found where?

Answer 20

The SAFe PI Planning toolkit contains:
► ART Readiness Workbook
► PI Planning Overview and Briefings
► ART Backlog Workbook
► ART and Team Events Calendar
► Capacity Allocation Spreadsheet
► Facilitators Guide to PI Planning and more

Question 21

Why is it considered inportant that the first PI planning event be successful?

Answer 21

► First impression of SAFe
► Generates a short-term win
► Builds the ART as a team
► Teaches teams about assuming
responsibility for planning and delivery
► Creates visibility
► Creates confidence in the commitment of
Lean-Agile leaders to the transformation

Question 22

True of False

If members on the same team are distributed establish more planning overlap time for intra-team collaborations?

Answer 22

True

When members on the same team are distributed:
- establish more planning overlap time for intra-team collaborations.
- have more intra- and inter-team checkpoints and synchronization.

When the ART has distributed whole teams:
– Team planning is easier; however, dependency management with other teams becomes more complex
– Have more inter-team checkpoints and synchronization