Release Train Engineer

STARTER GUIDE
Contents
Introduction .................................................................... 3
What is an Effective RTE? ....................................................... 4
The Lean-Agile Mindset .......................................................... 5
Traits of a Release Train Engineer ................................. 6
RTE Responsibilities as a Servant Leader .................... 7
Optimize the Flow of Value .................................................... 7
Coach ............................................................................................. 7
Facilitate ART Processes and Events .................................. 8
Support the ART Externally .................................................... 8
Getting Started ............................................................... 9
Create an RTE Backlog ............................................................. 9
Commit to Self-Improvement ............................................... 10
Develop an ART Improvement Roadmap .......................... 10
Syncs .............................................................................. 11
Scrum of Scrums ...................................................................... 11
The PO Sync ............................................................................... 12
Triad Sync. ................................................................................... 13
PI Planning Prep............................................................. 14
The RTE Facilitates PI Planning ............................................ 14
Logistics ...................................................................................... 15
How to Write Objectives ......................................................... 16
How to Build Team PI Boards ............................................... 17
The Program Board .................................................................. 18
The Day Before PI Planning ................................................... 19
The PI Planning Event ................................................... 20
PI Planning Begins ................................................................... 20
Walk the Walls: Coach the Roles .......................................... 21
Walk the Walls: Team Boards ............................................... 22
Walk the Walls: Program Board ........................................... 22
PI Planning’s Scrum of Scrums ............................................ 23
Facilitate PI Planning’s Team Draft Plan Review ............ 23
Facilitate PI Planning’s Management Systemic Review .24
Facilitate PI Planning’s Final Plan Review ......................... 24
Facilitate ROAMing .................................................................. 25
Facilitate the Fist of Five ........................................................ 25
Facilitate the Retrospective of the PI Planning Event ... 25
Post PI Planning ........................................................................ 26
Inspect & Adapt ............................................................. 27
Each PI Ends with Inspect and Adapt ................................. 27
Inspect and Adapt: Facilitate the PI System Demo ........ 28
Inspect and Adapt: Metrics .................................................... 29
Inspect and Adapt: The Retrospective ............................... 30
Inspect and Adapt: The Problem-Solving Workshop ..... 31
Observe ....................................................................................... 32
Conclusion ..................................................................... 33
Resources ...................................................................... 34
About Sila ...................................................................... 35
About the Author ........................................................... 35
Introduction

You’ve been chosen to be a SAFe®1 Release Train Engineer

on an Agile Release Train. As a first-time RTE, it is an
exciting challenge to stretch and grow your facilitation,
coordination, and leadership skills. Congratulations!

A new Release Train Engineer (RTE) is not only certified by

Scaled Agile but also continually searches for additional
insights to facilitate 35-100+ people towards Lean-Agile
execution.

This guide explains how to excel at the primary

responsibilities and activities expected of an RTE. Its practical
advice will set you on a path to become an effective SAFe
Release Train Engineer and servant leader. The following
pages do not seek to replace the invaluable Scaled Agile RTE
training, Scaled Agile Toolkits, or continuous learning.

You can do it!

“Servant-leadership is all about making the goals clear and

then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to
help people win. In that situation, they don’t work for you,
you work for them.”
– Ken Blanchard

1
SAFe and Scaled Agile Framework are registered trademarks of Scaled Agile, Inc.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 3

WHAT IS AN EFFECTIVE RTE?

A Release Train Engineer is a servant leader who steers the Agile Release Train (ART) of five to ten agile teams
(product developers, their Product Owners, and Scrum Masters), the Product Manager, and the System Architect/
Engineer.

The RTE uses their knowledge to tailor Lean-Agile to work well within the ART’s specific environment. The RTE
facilitates the Lean-Agile processes to speed the workflow and to grow the agility of the ART’s people, improving
the ART’s value delivery.

Think back to when you worked with a great RTE. How did they model the role? What made them so effective? If
you have not been that fortunate, find a mentor in your organization, or follow a role model’s podcast or blog for
ideas and advice.

The SAFe Big Picture is always a good reference.

SAFe® for Lean Enterprises

Measure
Business Agility & Grow

Organizational Enterprise Government

PORTFOLIO
Kanban

Agility
Epic
NFRs Epic
Enabler
Portfolio Backlog

Epic Enterprise Strategic Portfolio Lean Budgets Coordination KPIs

Lean Portfolio Owners Architect Themes Vision Vision
Management Guardrails
Value Streams

Solution Solution
Demo Demo LARGE SOLUTION
Roadmap

Enabler
Pre

Pre
Kanban

Compliance
Post

Post
Solution Solution Variable
Enterprise Arch/Eng Mgmt Fixed MBSE Capability
Milestones
Solution Set-Based NFRs
Delivery S O LU T I O N
Solution Backlog
STE TRAIN Supplier

Shared
Services
Customer Centricity Continuous Delivery Pipeline ESSENTIAL
Business
Agile Owners
Product AG I L E R E L E A S E T R A I N CoP
Delivery Solution

Continuous Continuous Continuous Release

Exploration Integration Deployment on Demand Solution
System Product Design Thinking Context System
Arch/Eng Mgmt Team
PI Objectives System Demos System Demos
C
XP
Kanban

Team and Goals Goals

R A
RTE • Plan
Technical • Execute CD Feature CD Enabler M L Lean UX
Agility
PI Planning

PI Planning

PI Planning

NFRs • Review
Agile Teams Program Scrum
• Retro DevOps
IP Iteration

IP Iteration

Enabler

Backlog
CI CI Feature
Metrics
Product Story
Owner
Architectural Built-In
NFRs CE Iterations CE Story Runway
Continuous Quality
Learning Scrum Team Kanban Program Increment Program Increment
Master Backlogs
Culture Leffingwell, et al. © Scaled Agile, Inc.

Core Lean-Agile SAFe N Implementation SAFe Program

Business | Dev | Ops | Support
Values Mindset Principles Roadmap Consultant 5.0

Lean-Agile Leadership

In each environment, what is needed from the RTE is different. As a servant

leader, the RTE adjusts to what is called for to grow the people of the ART.

SAFe and Scaled Agile Framework are registered trademarks of Scaled Agile, Inc.
Source: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/#

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 4

THE LEAN-AGILE MINDSET

The Release Train Engineer consistently demonstrates the Lean-Agile mindset through their actions and words in a
non-transactional work environment. The intent of this guide is not to dive into the Lean-Agile mindset. However,
the Lean-Agile mindset is crucial and essential to becoming an effective RTE.

The following approaches and

principles bring value to our work.
• The Agile Manifesto

• Twelve Agile Principles

• Four Core SAFe Values

• SAFe House of Lean

• Ten SAFe Principles

• DevOps Approach

• Business Agility: Customer

Centricity, Design Thinking

The RTE is responsible for applying principles in the ART. Apply principles over practices, tools and processes. Above
all, apply values.

Values and principles hold truths.

The Agile Manifesto was written in 2001 by developers for developers. The original words were written to
relate to software development, yet the intent of those words holds true for other work (e.g., marketing
or HR). As agile expands into non-technology work, it’s essential to translate the intent of the Manifesto’s
four core values.
For example when we use real-time collaborative technology tools well, we are able to be brought
together virtually.
Agile principles will guide how to evolve practices. Keep this intent as you adopt new technology.

If you find yourself quoting Lean-Agile words, yet do not embody

the words’ intent, it’s time to pivot and refocus your attention.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 5

Traits of a Release Train Engineer

The RTE doesn’t push out

the old, they enable others
to pull in the agile approach.

• Servant leader of self-organizing, self-managing ART

• Resilient Agile mindset

“When you are out observing on
• Lean-Agile knowledge tempered through experience the Gemba, do something to help
• Comprehensive critical thinker
them. If you do, people will come
to expect that you will help them
• Thinks systemically beyond the details and will look forward to seeing
you again on the Gemba.”
• Savvy negotiator for win-win-win outcomes
– Taiichi Ohno
• Energizing, motivating facilitator and communicator

• Coaches by encouragement and guiding support

• Reliably accountable and trustworthy

• Demonstrates courage and persistence

• Active listener: empathetic, respectful, and open

• Translator of metrics

• Agile budgeteer of customer-based efforts

• Cultivator of a respectful, innovative environment

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 6

RTE Responsibilities as a
Servant Leader
OPTIMIZE THE FLOW OF VALUE

The RTE drives relentless improvement to optimize the ART’s execution.

• Cultivate a positive environment and experiences for the people of the ART.

• Help teams manage risks, constraints, and dependencies.

• Ensure the health of the Program Kanban.

• Escalate roadblocks when the team cannot remove them by themselves.

• Ensure valuable metrics are in place. Transparently report ART standing while
helping to track features and capabilities.

• Coach how to get the best use out of the tools available and lobby for better
tools.

• Work towards strategy and execution alignment with Product Manager,

Product Owners, and stakeholders.

• Facilitate the Lean User Experience innovation cycle.

COACH

The RTE supports the Lean-Agile transformation by coaching the ART (agile
teams, Product Manager, System Architect/Engineer, and Business Owner(s)).

• Configure scaled agile to the organization while upholding principles and

essential practices.

• Assess and persistently drive continuous improvements through

assessments, focused training, Communities of Practices, and 1-on-1
discussions.

• Encourage collaboration among teams, System Architects/Engineering, and

the Product Manager.

• Assess and support the improvement of customer-centricity, built-in quality,

DevOps, and Release-on-Demand practices.

• Ensure principle-based practices in the ART.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 7

FACILITATE ART PROCESSES AND EVENTS

The RTE ensures the ART utilizes Lean-Agile processes and events.

• Develop and broadcast the ART calendar of events.

• Ensure the input for PI Planning is well-crafted (Vision, Roadmap, and Backlogs)

• Facilitate the PI planning event. Develop an agenda and keep everyone on track to
complete within the short timebox.

• Facilitate Inspect & Adapt’s Problem-Solving Workshop, System Demo, Metric

review, and Retrospective.

• Summarize Team PI Objectives as published Program PI Objectives.

• Facilitate the Scrum of Scrum and PO Sync with purpose and tangible outcomes.

When you read “facilitate,” “enable and empower”

replace it with in your mind and heart.

SUPPORT THE ART EXTERNALLY

The RTE works tirelessly on a systemic level to support the ART within the
larger organization.

• Understand and operate within Lean Budgets and ensure adherence to

the guardrails.

• Assist with economic decision-making by facilitating feature and

capability estimation by teams and the roll-up to Epics.

• Provide input on resourcing to address critical bottlenecks.

• Work alongside the APMO and LACE on program execution and

operational excellence.

• Nurture relationships between ART members and others outside the ART.

• Communicate with stakeholders.

• Escalate impediments to managing risks.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 8

Getting Started
CREATE AN RTE BACKLOG

The RTE backlog isn’t something you learn about in
your certification course, but it will make a difference
as you perform your responsibilities as your ART’s
Servant Leader. Consider the agile backlog – an agile
tool teams use to track the stories and other work
they want to complete in an Increment.
By developing, refining, and prioritizing your own
RTE backlog, you’ll be able to pull stories into
iterations that set realistic expectations, maintain a
steady pace of improvement, and align dependencies
and constraints.
OUTSIDE YOUR BOARD
• If an ART has teams with different holiday
calendars, develop a comprehensive holiday
calendar and provide it to the ART to remove
potential issues.
• Depending on how the ART’s Product
Manager schedules customer sessions, the
RTE may want to keep those on their radar.
In less experienced ARTs, these sessions tend
to become a five-alarm fire drill that affects
teams. Get ahead of it.

Events and Milestones

Place your facilitation efforts for ART events in the
RTE Backlog. If you are part of a Solution Train or
have other organization deliverables, add those “I got my start by giving myself a start.”
efforts into the RTE Backlog. From the RTE backlog, – Madame CJ Walker
pull items into iterations as appropriate.

The role of RTE is daunting. If it’s beginning to

feel that the glass is half empty, not half full then
remember, the point is that the glass is refillable.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 9

COMMIT TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT
With ART event facilitation efforts in the RTE backlog,
it’s now time to add self-improvement actions. An RTE
commits to their continuous self-improvement.
Start by reviewing the RTE traits and responsibilities
in the last section. What are your strengths? Where do
you need to improve? Are there any areas of learning
that especially interest you? Add these ideas to the
RTE backlog. Use this RTE backlog to track, prioritize,
and measure your improvement progress.
DEVELOP AN ART IMPROVEMENT ROADMAP
The RTE is responsible for the ART’s agile health.
An Improvement Roadmap helps you improve agile
health.
The ART Improvement Roadmap is built from
retrospectives, problem-solving workshops, and
keen observations. Although the RTE maintains it,
it takes everyone’s input on the ART to construct a
useful ART Improvement Roadmap. Over time, these
improvements build healthy Lean-Agile practices that
benefit the ART and organization.
An agile roadmap is not a locked plan. As the backlog
is continually re-prioritized, the roadmap changes. It
takes skill to proactively improve the ART’s processes.
and Lean-Agile health without distracting from the
ART’s solution intent. An ART has a limited capacity
for change; so be sure to prioritize changes. Keep
your servant leadership firmly in place, balancing
the need for continuous improvement with product
development work.
Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC
Be sure to commit time each week to read blogs,
participate in online classes, talk to other RTEs, get
involved in Agile Communities of Practice, or reach out
to mentors.
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear
what you say.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Operationalize improvement activities:
• Add identified efforts from team discussions
to the ART Improvement Roadmap when they
don’t belong in a team backlog. For example, an
ART refresh on consistent metric gathering and
reporting.
• Gather the appropriate buy-in for each action on
the roadmap. For example, you may need funding
for training, or you may need to persuade the team
to join a 30-minute assessment exercise.
• During PI Planning, ensure that the larger efforts
are on the teams’ Iteration Boards in their Capacity
allocation. For example, you may need to negotiate
and divert team capacity in future PIs for a two-
day training.
“Agile isn’t ever really about being Agile. It’s
about creating business outcomes.”
– Leading Agile
10
SYNCS
As you read about these three types of syncs, note the
differences and similarities between them.

SCRUM OF SCRUMS If there is a lack of participation in syncs,

there may not be psychological safety in the
Before an incoming RTE begins the Scrum of environment. If not, then that’s Job One. Start
Scrums (SoS), it’s a good idea to have an extended immediately, this will take a long time to
session with the ART’s Scrum Masters. Discover resolve but it is crucial.
where they and their teams are in the agile journey.
Note the gaps. Start with how they maneuver
basic agile activities like the daily standup, boards,
collaboration, etc.
15
Then meet with each Scrum Master (SM) one-on- MINUTES

one to further understand their environment and

explain how you can support them. Build your ART
knowledge as you build their trust in you, their new
RTE and servant leader.

Then follow-up with a weekly 30-minute Scrum of

Scrums (SoS) with the Scrum Masters and the RTE.
The Scrum Masters will take turns answering three
As RTE, listen to any impediments or
questions that show if the teams are on track to
challenges and take concrete steps to
meet their PI Objectives:
eliminate or reduce them. For example, some
• What has your team done since our last non-technical teams struggle to understand
meeting? how to translate agile into their world.
• What will your team do before our next Agile is agnostic to the content of the
meeting?
development. Ask the Scrum Master to show
• Will your team be blocking any other teams or the team or if they would prefer, you can
become blocked? coach. If, as the RTE, you notice this same
issue on multiple teams, then ask if the
If you notice a Scrum Master is having difficulty teams have the bandwidth for a 15-minute
in an area, ask them to meet after the SoS with focused coaching session.
another Scrum Master who does well in this area.
Perhaps the SMs would find value in a Scrum
Uncover an issue, find the cause of the issue,
Master Community of Practice. Help them build
and facilitate the solution.
their own support system without depending on
you. Cross-pollinate success!

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 11

THE PO SYNC

Before the first PO (Product Owner) Sync, meet with

each PO one-on-one to learn more about them and
explain how you can support them as their RTE. Build
a rapport. Uncover how they maneuver the basic agile
activities like role definition, backlog, the flow of story
elaboration, enabler work, WSJF, etc. Like with the
Scrum Masters, build your ART knowledge as you build
their trust in you.
In the PO Sync, a team’s PO may have a very
different status of the team’s PI commitment
than the Scrum Master. The RTE should
discover what is creating this red flag so the
Agile team can align.

At the first weekly 60-minute PO Sync, kick off with

a flow down by the Product Manager of customer
feedback, upcoming customer sessions, potential
ART roadmap revisions, other product news, and a
celebration of good work. The RTE facilitates the PO
“It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s
Sync. However, some Product Managers prefer to
hard work that creates change.”
lead this meeting, which is fine when the intent and – Shonda Rhimes
outcome remain the same.

Because syncs are timeboxed, they are often followed

with a ‘meet-after,’ just like Daily Standups. Keep the
sync on track and timeboxed.

Listen as each Product Owner provides

an update towards their agile team’s
PI Objective delivery and any feature
development challenges or discoveries.
Would they like to escalate to the
RTE to negotiate a dependency with
another team or bring an issue to an
executive? Or does a PO need clarity
or support to overcome a challenge as
they refine the backlog?

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 12

TRIAD SYNC

The ART is a long-lived team organized around a value

stream. It needs the three roles that equally support it: “Those who say it can’t be done are usually
Product Manager, Release Train Engineer, and System interrupted by those doing it.”
Architect/Engineer. The RTE needs to fully understand
– James Baldwin
the product’s intent (the Product Manager) and the
system that will provide that product (the System
Architect/Engineer) and build a strong relationship with
these peers. One way to do this is with a Triad Sync.

In this sync, you will again want to uncover how the ART
currently maneuvers the Lean-Agile activities (customer
centricity, roadmap, runway, dependencies, non-
functional requirements, enabler work, releases, etc.). R S P
T A/ d
It’s a good idea to begin syncing as a triad on a regular
weekly cadence, especially if you don’t sit shoulder-to-
E E M
shoulder. These syncs will quickly evolve into problem-
solving discussions, brainstorming exercises, or a
coffee break about your weekend (remember it’s about
building relationships).
A Triad Sync, or something similar, is not something
Bring the insights gained from your other syncs as all ARTs do. We find it builds a strong ART and often
topics to discuss. If you find that you no longer need resolves risks before they occur. The RTE tailors Lean-
this sync, that’s great. You’ve established an openness Agile to support the ART within the environment. What
between each other. novel idea would help your ART?

If a Product Manager or System Architect/

Engineer is new to Scaled Agile, it may be
necessary to explain the RTE’s role and
responsibilities. The RTE works hard to make
everyone’s workflow smoother. Soon, the
RTE’s value will be obvious. In the meantime,
show them the RTE Responsibility summary
from this guide. The RTE’s responsibilities
may evolve over time as the organization
becomes more agile. Be patient and work
towards the future.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 13

PI Planning Prep
THE RTE FACILITATES PI PLANNING

As RTE, PI Planning is where your facilitation, Lean-
Agile knowledge, and servant leadership skills are
put to the test and shine the brightest. It’s the RTE’s
happy place, so enjoy every minute!
PI Planning is an essential activity held regularly
at the end of each Program Increment (PI). The
PI Planning event aligns the ART team members
to one clear set of PI Objectives to be delivered in
the PI timebox (often 10 weeks). This short-term
commitment shared by all is a powerful accelerator.
It’s a crucial sync between the agile teams, System
Engineers, Architects, the Product Manager, Business
Owners, and stakeholders. The intent to align the
ART remains the same, whether it’s virtual or co-
located. Agile often enhances the virtual environment
experience. Tailor the virtual PI Planning event to your
culture with the right tools.
“A goal without a method is nonsense.”
– W. Edwards Deming

RTE’s unique position

As a non-product management role and non-development
role, the RTE is the singular person who can appeal to
both sides of the value flow impartially during PI Planning.
Wield the RTE non-political position wisely.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 14

LOGISTICS
In organizations without an Agile Project
Management Office (APMO), the RTE may handle
the logistics for PI Planning. After multiple calendar
cross-checks, schedule a year of PI Planning events,
months in advance. Broadcast the events to teams,
stakeholders, and leaders. These dates don’t shift.
Here are some other things to prepare.
Co-located PI Planning
• Ensure the meeting space has large walls for each
team’s multiple 25”x30” boards, the ART Program
Board, and the ART’s long-term roadmap. You need
a lot of physical wall space! Measure it before you
book the space.
• Book smaller rooms for conference calls for remote
participants or for two teams to collaborate. Don’t
forget the projector/monitor and conference room
phone.
• Do you need a sound system, microphone, or a
larger presentation screen?
• Make sure the room has tables and chairs for
everyone, including participants like business
owners, stakeholders, and shared services.
• Make sure you have enough outlets (bring extra) to
charge laptops and phones.
• Pre-order enough food and drinks. Food makes
people happy. Make people happy.
• If PI Planning is in a secured building, double-check
everyone’s security access well in advance.
Sila RTE Guide
Schedule in some fun! It depends on your ART’s
culture but now is your chance to get creative.
Everybody can wear their favorite sport team
or band t-shirt. Virtual teams can use a virtual
team background. How about celebrating a
milestone with streamers set off by the team?
Virtual PI Planning
The intent is the same; the logistics simply shift.
• If your organization allows, try the Scaled Agile’s
Collaborate tool. It’s well designed with boards and
templates.
• Ensure the tools work well for boards and breakout
rooms. Are the tools and the content approved by
the organization’s security team? Can the tools
handle the number of participants and traffic?
Technology is changing quickly, revisit virtual tool
options often. Bots for Zoom meetings really help!
• Ensure the Scrum Masters have coached the
teams on how to use the tools.
• Coach the Product Manager, System Architect/
Engineer, Business Owners, Stakeholders, and
other participants on how to use the virtual tools.
• Ensure access to secure systems is approved for
the participants.
BACK TO TOC 15
HOW TO WRITE OBJECTIVES

Weeks before the PI Planning ceremony, coach the Objectives are both committed and uncommitted.
ART on how to develop the content needed for PI Some necessary work is fraught with unknowns or
Planning. inherent impediments. When doing this work, has the
The end goal of the PI Planning event is to agree and team tagged it as an uncommitted objective, adding spikes
commit to realistic Team PI Objectives. Proactively into an early iteration? If not, do they think that is realistic?
coach the Scrum Masters so they can coach the Why?
teams. Many Product Managers and agile teams find
Objectives confusing; be sure to volunteer to coach.
Objectives don’t hold all the work.
Objectives differ from Epic/Features/Stories. Are there too many Objectives? Is the team trying too hard
Objectives tell the business in business language to cover each story in its Objectives?
what the team is committed to delivering at the
end of the PI. It’s a great idea to provide Objective
examples to show the language and summary level
of detail.
SMART PI Objectives
S pecific
The Objectives will align to a clear, compelling
Vision and mission.
Before PI Planning, review the vision and mission to
M easurable
prevent misalignment. Does your ART have a Vision
that the Product Manager, System Architect/Engineer, A ttainable
and other stakeholders agree on? Does the vision align
with the teams’ reality? R ealistic
At PI Planning, as you review the Team PI Objective
board, ask yourself clarifying questions to keep the T ime-Bound
ART and teams on track. When it’s not quite right,
you’ll ask the ART guiding questions, leading them to
find a better approach.

Objectives are the team’s effort in business

language.
Does the team have a product backlog with over one
PI of content refined enough to pull into the next PI?
Have enabler features been identified and prioritized? Is
acceptance criteria clear?
Sometimes, a team will have a commitment-
phobic member. Coach that a PI commitment
is made with what you know today. Of course,
things may change and make it not possible.
When we set PI goals, it’s time to reach
(realistically). The one or two Objectives that
have some unknowns can be Uncommitted PI
Objectives. If there are too many unknowns,
then it needs to be refined further before it can
be added to a PI.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 16

HOW TO BUILD TEAM PI BOARDS

All Scaled Agilists use a consistent common language to communicate efficiently, clearly, and quickly. Ensure the
ART develops useful, consistent PI Planning Boards. Be available during PI Planning to guide the ART as boards are
developed.

It all starts with the Team PI Boards. They make work, risks, dependencies and constraints, end goals, and team
capacity allocation to different types of work visible. As a team is building their boards, many potential issues jump
out for the team to self-correct as it becomes visible. It also enables others to review a team’s boards without
disrupting the team.

• Scrum Masters coach the team on how to format the boards.

• The RTE teaches the Product Manager and Business Owners how to read the boards. The RTE coaches
Stakeholders during PI Planning.

Here’s a review of what everyone should know about the Team PI Boards.

Team PI Objective board

• Use the “SMART” acronym to write both committed and uncommitted
Objectives.
• Remember the three columns: Objective, Business Value, Actual Value.
• Coach the business owners and Product Manager before PI Planning on
how to assign Business Value. If needed, coach WSJF.

Iteration boards: one sheet for each Iteration

• The Iteration timebox is readable from 10’ away in the upper left corner
• Capacity and load are readable from 10’ away in upper right corner
• Uses correct colors (see legend above) in large characters
• User stories are written “As , I want so that ”
• Enabler stories are written in a technical voice.
• On IP Iterations, capacity is added but load is not added to the totals.

Risk board
• To start, the team posts risks to escalate to the
Program level (not team risks).

• After the final plan presentation, these risks will

be “ROAMed” into four quadrants. As RTE, ensure
that each risk is discussed and understood as it’s
ROAMed. Open, transparent, and honest is key.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 17

THE PROGRAM BOARD

All Scaled Agilists use a consistent common language to communicate clearly and efficiently. It’s important that
everyone understand the Program Board, as it can be a source of confusion during PI Planning. As RTE, you want to
ensure everyone reads the boards the same way. Coach the Product Manager and Business Owners on how to read
the Program Board. Scrum Masters should teach the teams how to read it.

Before the PI Planning ceremony, you want to receive

assurance from the Scrum Masters that they will
consistently update the Program Board throughout PI “The single biggest problem in communication is
Planning to avoid misunderstandings. the illusion that it has taken place.”
– George Bernard Shaw

As RTE, explain the acceptance criteria for the teams’ final PI Plan.

All Iterations have a sensible plan loaded at less than capacity with all interdependencies
agreed to and on the Program Board. All teams use the same capacity calculation.

All teams have a SMART PI Objective Sheet with business values.

All teams understand their program-level risks and have them on a board.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 18

THE DAY BEFORE PI PLANNING

“The way a team plays as a whole

determines its success.”
– Babe Ruth

Co-located PI Planning The RTE will:

Enlist a prep team to help with the following: • Post the empty Program Board. A large roll of
• Move tables and chairs until every seat can see butcher paper works well. Place red yarn and
the large screen/s. scissors nearby.

• Test the sound system and video conferencing • Post the most current ART Roadmap that can be
system, if applicable. doodled on.

• Scrum Masters should post the team’s empty
boards on the walls. Ensure there is plenty of
room in front of the boards for collaboration and
review.
• Create team areas in front of their wall space. In
each space have seating with tables. Make sure
there is enough room for people to spread out
and for other teams and stakeholders to sit and
talk.
• Post breakout room sign-up sheet with locations
and timeboxes.
• Confirm (and re-confirm) that cleaning crews will
not “clean” the room until the PI Planning event is
complete. Post multiple huge notes so the cleaning
crew does not alter the room.
Virtual PI Planning

• Make sure each team has enough supplies on • Check that the technology tools work well and are
their tables. Include plenty of black markers and ready for PI Planning.
square post-it notes in the correct colors. Don’t • Broadcast links and tool instructions as
forget the extra charging outlets. appropriate.

• Set up two non-team tables: a triad table for the

RTE, Product Manager and System Architect/
Engineer and a table for stakeholders.

There is a lot of room preparation. It always takes

longer than expected. Always set-up the day before
the event so no-one starts PI Planning exhausted
and stressed. Enlist the Scrum Masters, turn up the
music and have fun with it!

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 19

The PI Planning Event
PI PLANNING BEGINS
As RTE, actively welcome everyone as they arrive.
If you don’t know someone, introduce yourself. It
doesn’t matter if it’s virtual or co-located: set the tone
to cultivate a positive community environment and
experience.
The RTE keeps things moving. Each team and ART
has sticky points. Prioritize and work through them as
you walk the walls. Keep your eyes on the clock; time
flies during PI Planning. Don’t micro-manage, instead
support and facilitate. Perfection is not the goal.
“Success is a decision.”
– David Fischman
DAY ONE
Kickoff
• Executive: Business context
• Product Manager: Vision of the Solution
• Product Manager: Top ~10 features
• System Arch/Engineer: Architecture Vision,
Development practice, UX
• RTE: PI Planning process, acceptance criteria
Breakouts
• Teams plan
• PdM, SA/E, RTE, and stakeholders walk the
walls.
Teams present draft plans (Capacity/load, rough
PI Objectives, risks) for a peer Q&A review
Review by management (teams leave for the day)
RTE takes photos of the walls before locking the
door
Sila RTE Guide
During kickoff, ensure that everyone understands the
PI Planning process and the definition of done. Ask
yourself the following questions and follow-up with
individuals as needed:
• Has a sense of purpose toward the Vision filled the
room and its people?
• Is everyone clear on their deliverables at the end of
Day Two?
• Team commitment to Team PI Objectives
• One board per iteration
• One Risk board ROAMed
• Team features, milestones, and cross-team
dependencies on the Program Board
DAY TWO
Executive or Product Manager: Adjustments
RTE: Day Two process and goal
Breakouts
• Teams plan
• PM/SE/RTE ‘walk the walls’; BO assigns
business values to Objectives
Teams present final PI Plans
BO formal acceptance of the PI Plan
Fist of Five PI confidence vote: Teams and Program
Program-level risks ROAMed
Retrospective of the PI Planning event
BACK TO TOC 20
WALK THE WALLS: COACH THE ROLES

After kickoff, the ART breaks out into their team groups. Walk around (“Walk the Walls”) and quietly make sure
everyone has what they need. If virtual, join the breakout rooms. At this time, don’t interrupt unless asked a
question. If needed, stay in touch with PI Planning participants via text to avoid disruptions. Be available as a
servant leader.

Throughout PI Planning, the RTE continually walks the room (or virtually
enters the team space) to observe and ask guiding questions. Each person
at the PI Planning event has a responsibility and role to play. Don’t let the
ART go through the motions without understanding the reasons behind
the actions. As you notice areas for improvement, gently coach and guide.
As RTE, observe and ask yourself the following questions:

Agile Teams: Product Manager:

Has everyone on each team absorbed the solution intent
and Vision during Day One briefings to guide them during
development? Are they listening to each other? Are teams
critically thinking through stories? Are they engaging with
other teams to flush out potential dependencies and
constraints?
Scrum Masters:
Is each Scrum Master guiding the Agile Team with leading
questions for clear and concise boards? Is team capacity
calculated consistently? Is the Scrum Master on track to
add features and dependencies to the Program Board? Is
the Scrum Master coaching and escalating issues to the
RTE appropriately? Is the Scrum Master guiding the team
to be reliable and predictable?
Is the Product Manager actively walking the walls (or
virtually entering the team space), asking and answering
questions? Is the Product Manager applying pressure on
the teams or engaging and listening to team ideas and
concerns?
Business Owners, Stakeholders, and others:
Are they actively seeking out others and engaging with
the ART? When virtual, are they openly participating
in breakout room discussions? Are they available? Are
business values assigned so teams can prioritize?
System Team:
Are infrastructure enablers accounted for?

Product Owners:
Has each Product Owner clearly articulated dependencies
and constraints to teams and product management? Are
these visible? When you introduced POs to stakeholders
“Success breeds confidence.”
and others, are they using this opportunity to build – Beryl Markham
genuine relationships they’ll need as they refine the
backlog in the future?

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 21

WALK THE WALLS: TEAM BOARDS

After teams begin to fill their boards, it’s the time to ask leading questions to prompt thought and action, if needed.
Don’t pressure them. Keep your eyes and ears open; this is when your critical thinking skills and empathy shines
bright. Here’s a list of common things that prompt further investigation.

Iterations are loaded to allow time for dependencies The Risk board is overflowing. Are these new risks not
and constraints. Check that the dependencies and discussed in backlog refinement? If not, perhaps these
constraints are on the other teams’ boards and the stories are not ready. Do they have the right people at PI
program board in the correct iterations. Planning to ROAM these risks?

Iterations are loaded at higher than 80% of capacity.
Why do they feel this is responsible and reliable?
Team capacity is calculated correctly. What is reducing
a specific iteration’s capacity – vacations, maintenance,
or support allocations? If need be, sketch a capacity table
while you explain. Visuals help.
The draft PI Objective board has committed
and uncommitted Objectives. Look to ensure the
uncommitted objectives are counted in their capacity.
A team’s boards have blue post-its. Coach teams to
keep boards at a story level, no larger than a pre-decided
amount (often 8) of story points.

The Risk board is empty. Have they talked through risks

and simply not placed any risks on board yet? Give the
teams time to populate their boards before you begin to
ask questions.
“The opposite of success is not failure ... it’s being stuck.”
– Jennifer Villarreal

WALK THE WALLS: PROGRAM BOARD

Once the team is ready, each Scrum Master will add to the Program Board‘s iteration columns. They must use the
correct colors to broadcast if it’s a feature (blue), significant dependency (red/pink), or milestone/event (orange).
This board can become confusing – fast.

The RTE systemically reviews the Program Board to get ahead of any issues in the upcoming PI. The time to fix it is
in PI Planning. As you review, consider the following:

A team front-loads their iterations. If you are unsure
if this is realistic, ask why it is realistic. Remind them
that reliability is key. There may be reasons why it is the
optimal way to load.
Review each dependency and constraint. Check the
red string: does the iteration work for dependencies
and constraints match on each teams’ boards and the
Program Board? Is there is enough lead time or lag
between when a dependency feature is being worked
and completed, and a dependent feature is to begin? Are
there too many dependencies on a feature? If you see
a potential issue, talk it over with the team. The team
may have a very good reason for it. Is the Program Board
covered in overabundance of red strings? Perhaps the
teams need to be restructured; take a note to discuss it in
the Retrospective.
Notice any milestones or events that may potentially
take focus away from the team. If the team boards do
not indicate it, ask the Scrum Master if they’ve accounted
for it in their iteration load.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 22

PI PLANNING’S SCRUM OF SCRUMS
The intent of the PI Planning Scrum of Scrum
(SoS) sync is to get ahead of any potential issues.
The RTE may facilitate a formal Scrum of Scrums
during PI Planning. The SoS is timeboxed same
as a Daily Standup. Start with three questions:
1. Do you have what you need (space, planning
requirements, materials, and Vision)?
2. Is everyone you need available (PO, PM,
product developers, other teams, business
owners, stakeholders, architects, vendors…)?
3. Do you understand the PI Planning
acceptance criteria?
As Day One progresses, is the team ready to
present their draft plan with iterations loaded
and Objectives drafted?
In Day Two Scrum of Scrums, gauge where the
teams are with their Final Plan. Step in and help.
Day Two will fly by.
FACILITATE PI PLANNING’S TEAM DRAFT PLAN REVIEW
As RTE, use your facilitation skills to ensure that the
stakeholders attend the draft plan review. Before the
review, ensure the team knows the presentation order.
Encourage the team to review just these three items
below, then open the floor to Q&A. Each team has less
than a 10-minute timebox. Keep it moving.
1. Capacity and load per iteration
2. Draft of the Team PI Objectives
3. Program-level risks and impediments (not the
risks within the team)
After the teams have finished, celebrate everyone’s
hard work during Day One.
Sila RTE Guide
When an RTEs knows each team and ART
member well, they enter PI Planning
differently than an RTE new to the ART.
The longer you are on your ART, the more
you will know the potential weak points
in the ART’s dynamics and each team’s
individuals. Calmly walking the walls, you
will uncover potential issues quicker. The
RTE is continuously available to each person
and engages the teams. The RTE will know
which team needs support and which are
self-organizing without a challenge. The RTE
supports the agile teams, Scrum Masters,
Product Owners, Product Manager, System
Engineers, Business Owners, and stakeholders
continuously. An RTE may find formal PI
Planning SoS meetups are redundant and
unnecessarily disrupt the flow once they know
their ART.
At the end of Day One, if you aren’t positive that the
Scrum Masters have done so, take a photo of each
board. Accidents happen.
As the teams leave PI Planning, the RTE guides the
Business Owners, Program Manager, Stakeholders (as
applicable), System Architect/Engineer, to gather for
the Management Review. As a facilitator, the RTE will
have previously explained to them why this review is
crucial. Again, use your RTE facilitation skills to secure
participation.
BACK TO TOC 23
FACILITATE PI PLANNING’S MANAGEMENT SYSTEMIC REVIEW

The RTE begins the review with a simple question: Are • Will the teams’ Draft Plans produce a clear outcome
there any issues to resolve? towards the Vision?

During the team’s Draft Plan reviews, management
may have either seen issues with the plans or
recognized that management-level decisions need to be
made for the teams to be successful. The Management
Review adjusts and avoids potential issues.
• Does the ART have any bottlenecks; how can we
alleviate it?
• Does the Vision need to be adjusted to alleviate or
propel teams’ efforts?
• Are the features correctly prioritized?
• Where are our sticky points; how do we grease the
rails to go faster?
• As RTE, what unsaid issues did you notice? What
underlying issues are we not talking about? What
could derail or slow the train?
The RTE collects any “Issues and Actions (adjustments)”
to present to the teams in the morning.

ISSUE ADJUSTMENT

Feature B has too many spikes and dependencies De-prioritize until more refinement provides
on teams outside the ART; it doesn’t meet clarity.
uncommitted objective criteria.

Team 1 may not deliver the Feature D Team 2 and 3 remove Feature D from PI Plans.
components to team 2 and 3 by the end of
iteration 4.

FACILITATE PI PLANNING’S FINAL PLAN REVIEW

Day Two starts with a review of any requested
revisions due to the Day One Management Review.
Then teams break out to complete their boards.
Before the Final Plan Review (especially if virtual),
ensure the team knows the presentation order.
Encourage the team to review just the following
three items, then open the floor to Q&A. Each team
has a <10-minute timebox.
After each team presents their Final Plan, ask the
Business Owners if the plan is accepted. If accepted,
celebrate! If not, teams need to continue to work with
the Business Owner towards an acceptable final plan.
Actively lend your support to this team and Business
Owner; it’s difficult!

1. Capacity and load per iteration (if changed from

draft)

2. Final Team PI Objectives with business value

3. Program-level risks and impediments

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 24

FACILITATE ROAMING

Ask each Scrum Master to virtually present or come to the front

of the room with their board of Program Risks. As the Scrum
Master reads each risk, discuss it, and agree upon the quadrant in
which it should be placed. This visible exercise ensures all risks are
understood and have an agreed-upon approach. If virtual, ensure
changes are made in real-time. As RTE, look for genuine closure
or an agreed-upon path forward. If virtual, you can try the Scaled
Agile ROAM template, found in the PI Planning Toolkit provided
by Scaled Agile. Virtual PI Planning events can also use the Scaled
Agile Collaborate tool template.

FACILITATE THE FIST OF FIVE

When you announce it is time for the confidence vote for the team and the program, expect cheers! Ask each
team individually for a show of hands: As an individual, do they have confidence that the team can meet the PI
objectives? Any low confidence vote should be thoroughly discussed and resolved without rancor. If a low vote
happens at this time, as RTE you should note it for future follow-up as the person should have been heard earlier
by his/her teammates. If virtual, ensure your tool supports voting or even better - make it fun by using a tool like
mentimeter.com.

Once an acceptable confidence vote is reached (3 or 4), ask the team if they are committed to their PI Objectives.
Again, if no commitment, lend your RTE facilitation skills as they work through it. Never push; the goal is a
predictably reliable commitment. Once all teams have an acceptable confidence vote and commitment, ask for an
ART Confidence vote. If virtual turn off mute, then loudly cheer and celebrate this hard-won accomplishment!

FACILITATE THE RETROSPECTIVE

OF THE PI PLANNING EVENT
Remind the ART about the PI Planning Retro
The PI Planning Event is important and therefore
during the RTE’s Day One opening remarks.
needs its own focused retrospective. Be ADAPTIVE.
Post the empty boards at the start of Day One to
Liven it up. Keep it short and sweet. How could we
visually remind them or if virtual, send out the
improve the next PI Planning? What worked well?
link to the boards. Prompt the ART so they will
What do we want to not do again? Afterwards, move
have better improvement ideas.
these improvement items forward for the next PI
Planning event. Show the ART that retros work!

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 25

POST PI PLANNING

After the PI Planning Retrospective and a short

reminder of the next steps, acknowledge the ART’s
progress, and be appreciative of all the hard work.
Celebrate the ART and its members! Get loud!!

As RTE, summarize the Teams’ PI Objectives into

Program PI Objectives and make them visible. As “Innovation comes from people who take joy in
always, be transparent. If part of a Solution Train, their work.”
provide Program Objectives to the STE. – W. Edwards Deming
Prompt yourself, the RTE, to critically think through
the PI Planning event – what did you learn about how
you can better support individuals, each team, or the
ART? What does the ART need? Did you micro-manage
anything and need to improve so you don’t do it again?
Put those items in your RTE backlog and potentially
the current PI. If necessary, pivot and make a positive
impact.

Celebrate!
If virtual, pre-send a box to
each ART member before PI
Planning. Everyone opens it at
the same time (team t-shirts,
s’more boxes, or something silly
works well). Build camaraderie!

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 26

Inspect & Adapt
EACH PI ENDS WITH INSPECT AND ADAPT

POP QUIZ: What’s a dependable way for the RTE to

ensure continuous improvement?

Facilitate a thorough Inspect & Adapt (I&A) event that

supports the Lean pillar of relentless improvement in
action. It consists of the following three parts.
The I&A event drives new improvement items for
1. PI System Demo of completed features the backlog. As RTE, ensure that the I&A drives
improvement in each Program Increment.
2. Review of metrics (quantity) and quality of the
solution

3. Retrospective and Problem-solving workshop

Inspect & Adapt is a large event that relies on the

participation and energy of everyone who is concerned “Progress cannot be generated when we are
in the building of the solution: the Agile Teams, satisfied with existing situations.”
Product Manager, stakeholders, Architects, and – Taiichi Ohno
System Architect/Engineer. When everyone is together
(virtually or physically) for the PI Planning event, use
it as a once in a PI opportunity to improve. If virtually,
ensure the technology tool allows for real-time
collaboration and participation.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 27

INSPECT AND ADAPT: FACILITATE THE PI SYSTEM DEMO

As RTE, ensure that the right people truly show up to the

I&A System Demo. How? Nemawashi so they understand
their feedback is crucial. Who does your ART need
in this system demo (it will change over time):
stakeholders, Business Owners, ART team members, “Keep trying. Stay humble, trust
your product end-users (or valued stand-in), sponsors, your instincts. Most importantly,
your organization’s executives? Are you keeping act. When you come to a fork in
the invitees fresh and relevant given your risks, the road, take it.”
dependencies, budgetary needs, and roadmap?
– Yogi Berra
If the PI System Demo begins to devolve into an
iteration demo about stories, steer it back to the PI
Objectives’ completed work. It’s a summary of what
has been accomplished towards the solution. Though
there is a system demo every two weeks at the end
of each iteration, only in the PI system demo is the
Business Value and Actual Value reviewed by the
business owners and the Agile teams.

As RTE, think critically and systemically. If needed, ask

the participants:

• Is integration appropriate, or was it delayed?

• What isn’t being said? Any elephants in the room?

• How does this work affect non-functional

requirements?

• Have new risks been introduced and need to be

discussed?

Keep it within the scheduled short timebox. That’ll also

help to retain long-term participation.

Nemawashi ( 根回し) is a collaborative way to informally

and quietly approach others to gain support for an idea
and to gather feedback to improve. Facilitation at its finest.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 28

INSPECT AND ADAPT: METRICS
As each team demos, team metrics are often
presented at the same time.
• The ART should develop a mix of metrics that
provide value. No vanity metrics! Functionality
metrics are standard but for quality metrics,
use domain-relevant metrics. Track the leading
indicators.
• The organization may find value in Cumulative
Flow charts, Continuous Delivery Pipeline flow
efficiency, release per timebox, etc. Take care as
over documentation is wasteful; be purposeful.
• Translate charts and numbers into how the value is
provided to the customer. Everything else is noise.
• ART Predictability rate: Is the ART reliably
delivering on PI Objective commitments? Did the
customer find value in the work?
• Features: Show how a PI moved the progress on
ART roadmap.
• Story Points: Velocity knowledge enables
roadmaps and resource allocation.
• Progress is not a straight line: Learning to
improve through mistakes is valuable too.
Learn as you go.
Transformation is an evolution.
Sila RTE Guide
“When you punish your people for making a
mistake or falling short of a goal, you create
an environment of extreme caution, even
fearfulness. In sports, it’s similar to playing ‘not
to lose’- a formula that often brings on defeat.”
– John Wooden
The RTE monitors and coaches the Lean-Agile
transformation. What is the data telling you?
• Consistency: Ensure that all teams are gathering
metrics the same way. This may take a few PIs to
stabilize.
• Business Value: Does the Product Manager need
support to assign more accurate business values in PI
Planning?
• ART Predictability rate: Are the teams over-
committing? Or is it realistic to encourage them to
reach higher?
• Features: Is the ART roadmap aligning with the
features’ delivery? Is the roadmap stable yet flexible?
Is the roadmap too aggressive and setting unrealistic
expectations?
• Story Points: Who needs to remember to focus on
the rate, not the number?
The RTE monitors and reports the ART’s progress. To
develop the ART Performance Metric board, automate
data from the team boards.
BACK TO TOC 29
INSPECT AND ADAPT: THE RETROSPECTIVE

Retrospectives can add value … or not.

It’s the RTE’s responsibility to coach the Scrum Masters to ensure value in the Agile team retrospectives
and to provoke value in the Retros that the RTE facilitates. Retros are ADAPTIVE. Make it fun!

• Try boards that are theme-based (The Office? A city?)

• Standup and get your oxygen flowing.

• Use a talking stick (or silly toy elephant).

• Switch it up with a coaching dojo retro. “You make progress by

implementing ideas.”
• If co-located, change your environment; go outside together.
– Shirley Chisholm
• If the group is large, break up into smaller groups to elicit participation.

ADAPTIVE
A ct on Improvements
D iverge and ideate before you converge and align
A ccount for needed follow-through
P robe for genuine understanding
T ry something new
I nvolve all
V isualize
E xpose the one thing no one will say

MAKE IT VALUABLE: TAKE ACTIONS AFTERWARDS

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 30

INSPECT AND ADAPT: THE PROBLEM-SOLVING WORKSHOP
As RTE, guide to discover and reduce (or eliminate)
the root cause of systemic issues during the I&A’s
Problem-Solving Workshop. Timebox the workshop to
under two hours.
State the problem. Is it clear? The issue and the impact
are known? How and what happened? At what point and
where it happened? All agreed?
Sketch the Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram. As
brainstorming begins, talk about the symptoms. If needed,
guide the conversation by grouping ideas by classifying the
“main bones” (e.g., tools or process). As potential causes
are raised, do a Five Why exercise to agree upon the root
cause. Ask quiet participants for their ideas. Work through
each cause to agree on the root cause.
Everyone votes. Ask for a vote on which cause should be
repaired to eliminate or reduce the issue.
Restate the top cause as a problem statement If
participation has dwindled to the same few people,
Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagram
Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC
as RTE ask others for their feedback. Ask yourself, has
psychological safety left the room? What cultural dynamic
is preventing participation?
Brainstorm! Encourage lots of ideas on how to remove
or reduce the cause, don’t let criticism or sarcasm in the
room. No limits!
Everyone votes for the top three solutions. Have these
been restated as stories and features to deliver these
solutions? Have these been placed in the appropriate
backlog?
The value is in the participatory discussion and the
actions prompted by the discussion.
“Having no problems is the biggest problem of all.”
– Taiichi Ohno
31
OBSERVE
As you work, observe. Think through what is not
being said or shown to find the root cause. Read
between the lines. Acting on the underlying reasons
that may make us uncomfortable improves the ART.
If the teams on your ART call themselves “Joe’s team”
or “Marketing”, ask yourself: Where’s the visceral
connection to the team? Is there a camaraderie? As
the product manager, Joe is just another teammate
not their boss. An RTE realizes that agile coaching
and team building needs to be started.
If everyone’s muscles tighten when a top dog walks
in the room, spend time coaching him/her. He/she
should consistently show the ART that there is no
“top dog,” just people with different roles that feed
into each other’s work to make a great product. Over
time, the teams will learn to trust.
If you don’t hear someone speak during a gathering,
ask for their opinion. Think about their lack of
Shu Ha Ri will help you to coach: Which
stage are your ART members in? You?
Sila RTE Guide
“Coaching is taking a player where they can’t take
themselves.”
– Jose Mourinho
participation: is it simply introversion or is it a lack
of psychological safety? How can you make it more
inclusive?
If teams are hesitant about others (like the RTE) joining
their activities, is it a lack of psychological safety? Is it
the way the last RTE (or you) approached them? There
are no shortcuts: you need to earn their trust by being
trustworthy.
Are people genuinely interested in the solution? Are they
looking forward to the IP iteration so they can hackathon
away on a concept? Or do they do the bare minimum?
BACK TO TOC 32
Conclusion
• Spread positivity. Transformation is hard.
• Add enjoyable moments and keep it upbeat so people look forward to team
interaction. They can be a great stay-cation from the daily work (think: food,
mates, long conversations, and laughter).
• Post a ‘drop-in’ hour each day for others to informally ask questions. Later,
post the question (without tagging the person) with the answer. Then
everyone can benefit. If one person has the question, others do too.
• Sometimes, the most impact an RTE can have is to help the business owners
transform.
• Increase your emotional intelligence.
• You’re never prepared for that first time the lightbulb goes off and someone
‘gets’ agile due to your coaching. What a wow moment.
• Be ready and available to jump in and coach ad hoc as opportunities arise.
• Keep learning! You’ll be asked questions that you never thought of before.
• Recognize small changes made towards agile. Call it out. We get there one
small step at a time.
• Enjoy yourself, being an RTE is the best!

“A servant-leader focuses primarily on the

growth and well-being of people and the
communities to which they belong.”
– Robert Greenleaf

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 33

Resources
Agile Alliance. 12 Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto. https://www.agilealliance.org/agile101/12-principles-behind-the-agile-
manifesto/

Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries,
R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J. & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software
Development Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

Blanchard, Ken. (2014). The Secret. . Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Greenleaf, Robert. (2020). The Servant as Leader. https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

Ivan, F. (2015). Becoming Agile with ShuHaRi. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA, London, England.
Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Kim, G., Humble, J. & Debois, P. & Willis, J.. (2016) The DevOps Handbook. IT Revolution Press. Schwaber, Ken & Sutherland, Jeff
(2020, Nov). The Scrum Guide. https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Shimokawa, Koichi & Fujimoto, Takahiro (2009) The Birth of Lean The Lean Enterprise Institute.

The Scaled Agile Framework. (2020). Core Values. https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-core-values/

The Scaled Agile Framework. (2020). Full SAFe Map. https://www.scaledagileframework.com/#

The Scaled Agile Framework. (2020). Release Train Engineer and Solution Train Engineer.
https://www.scaledagileframework.com/release-train-engineer-and-solution-train-engineer/

The Scaled Agile Framework. (2020, Nov). SAFe Collaborate https://collaborate.scaledagile.com/workspaces/

E3QKLJ3CPX4WZ3GDIDO52PKRLOYHM24Y/dashboard

The Scaled Agile Framework. (2020). SAFe Lean-Agile Principles. https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-lean-agile-

principles/

Other resources
www.agnosticagile.org
www.Scrum.org
www.FunRetro.io
“Mistakes are a fact of life. If you are willing to
www.InspectandAdapt.com be wrong then you have earned the right to be
right.”
– Nikki Giovanni

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 34

 About Sila
Sila is a technology and management consulting firm with
specialized insight into what it takes to establish and grow
a successful SAFe organization. Our Agile Coaches are
consistently looked to by our clients for help developing a
Scaled Agile strategy; and executing and growing ARTs.

Helping leaders answer the question, “Where do my people

fit into this new SAFe world?” is our specialty. We think SAFe
is a pretty extraordinary framework and we very much look
forward to sharing it with you.

More information contact us at

agile@silasg.com

About the Author

Chris Maniates is a Lean-Agile coach, SAFe SPC, and Six
Sigma Black Belt at Sila. As RTE and STE, she has worked
with agile teams including leadership, marketing, operations,
security, compliance, HR, finance, data analytics, PMOs,
software development, website development, and enterprise
architectures.

As facilitators, a Release Train Engineer’s work is done quietly

behind the scenes. Therefore, the role often puzzles new
Agilists. The hope is for this guide to support new and aspiring
RTEs on their own Lean-Agile journey. It’s so much more than a
great job. A great RTE makes trains run smoother, teams deliver
more value to the customer, and the ART a happier place. That’s
what an RTE does. I hope this guide is useful to you.

Sila RTE Guide BACK TO TOC 35