Program Increment (PI) Planning is a foundational event within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) that drives alignment, collaboration, and focus among multiple Agile teams working together on complex projects. If your team is working in a scaled Agile environment, mastering PI Planning is essential to ensure smooth coordination, clear objectives, and consistent delivery of business value.
In this training, we’ll break down what PI Planning is, why it matters, the roles involved, and how to get the most out of it for your IT team—including Business Analysts (BAs), Product Owners (POs), Quality Assurance (QA) professionals, and Developers. By the end, you’ll understand how PI Planning helps teams unite around a shared vision and deliver meaningful results every eight to twelve weeks.
What is PI Planning and Why is it Important?
PI Planning is a dedicated, two-day event typically held every 8–12 weeks that brings together all the teams within an Agile Release Train (ART) or program to plan the upcoming Program Increment—the next major cycle of work.
Unlike daily standups or sprint planning, PI Planning is a large-scale, cross-team planning session. Its purpose is to:
Align teams to a shared mission and goals
Establish a clear, coordinated roadmap for the next 8-12 weeks
Identify dependencies between teams early
Recognize risks and plan how to mitigate them
Foster collaboration and collective ownership of outcomes
By doing this together, teams move beyond working in silos and build a cohesive plan that balances priorities, timelines, and resources. This collaborative planning reduces surprises, streamlines delivery, and maximizes business value.
Preparing for PI Planning: The Foundation of Success
Successful PI Planning doesn’t just happen on the event day. Preparation starts well in advance and is key to ensuring productive discussions and realistic plans.
Vision and Program Backlog Ready
Before the event, leadership and Product Management communicate a clear vision for the upcoming increment, along with prioritized features in the program backlog. This gives teams the big picture and the work items they’ll be planning around.
Team Readiness
Individual Agile teams review the backlog items relevant to them and prepare by breaking down features into user stories, clarifying requirements, and thinking through potential challenges or dependencies.
Logistics and Tools
Whether PI Planning happens in person or virtually, the logistics—like scheduling, technology setup, and agenda planning—must be well organized to keep the event flowing smoothly.
The PI Planning Event: What Happens Over Two Days?
Day 1: Set the Stage and Draft Plans
Program Vision Presentation: Leaders share the business context, goals, and vision for the increment. This sets the tone and direction.
Team Breakouts: Each Agile team reviews their portion of the backlog, discusses stories, estimates effort, and drafts objectives for the PI. Teams identify any dependencies on other teams or external resources.
Dependency Mapping: Teams share identified dependencies and collaborate to sequence work to reduce blockers.
Day 2: Finalize Plans and Commit
Management Review and Problem Solving: Leadership and teams discuss any unresolved conflicts, resource constraints, or risks raised on Day 1.
Team Plan Presentations: Each team presents their final PI objectives, dependencies, and risk mitigation plans to the entire group. This promotes transparency and collective ownership.
Confidence Vote: Teams vote on their confidence in meeting the PI objectives. Low confidence sparks further discussion and adjustment.
Plan Commitment: Teams formally commit to the objectives and roadmap for the increment.
Key Roles in PI Planning and Their Responsibilities
Business Analysts (BAs)
BAs are the vital connectors between business stakeholders and development teams. In PI Planning, they:
Clarify and refine features to ensure they align with business goals
Assist Product Owners with backlog prioritization and story elaboration
Translate stakeholder needs into clear user stories and acceptance criteria
Facilitate understanding across teams to reduce ambiguity and risk
Example: For a new user interface redesign, the BA gathers detailed requirements from marketing and customer service teams, then works closely with developers and testers to make sure the implementation matches those needs.
Product Owners (POs)
POs own the team backlog and are responsible for maximizing value. During PI Planning, they:
Prioritize features and stories based on business impact and stakeholder feedback
Represent customer interests and align team goals with product vision
Collaborate with other POs to synchronize cross-team dependencies
Adjust priorities based on new information and risks identified during planning
Example: A PO working on a mobile banking app might prioritize adding biometric login features to improve security and user experience, coordinating with security and backend teams for seamless delivery.
Quality Assurance (QA)
QA professionals ensure that quality is baked into the planning and delivery process. Their contributions in PI Planning include:
Highlighting potential testing challenges and resource needs
Ensuring testing timelines align with development schedules
Advocating for automated and manual testing coverage of planned features
Raising quality risks and suggesting mitigation strategies
Example: QA might point out that a complex checkout flow requires early automation scripting to meet release deadlines and propose scheduling test cycles accordingly.
Developers
Developers bring technical expertise to the planning table. Their responsibilities during PI Planning involve:
Estimating effort and complexity for user stories and features
Identifying technical dependencies and constraints
Collaborating with QA and DevOps to align development, testing, and deployment
Suggesting alternative solutions or timelines to address risks
Example: Developers working on a new API integration may need to coordinate with external vendors and adjust plans based on their delivery schedules.
Scrum Masters
Scrum Masters play a facilitative role in PI Planning by:
Guiding teams through the agenda and timeboxes
Ensuring that all team members participate and their voices are heard
Mediating conflicts or resource disputes during planning
Supporting teams in maintaining focus and momentum
Example: A Scrum Master might help resolve a dispute between teams competing for the same infrastructure resources, helping find a compromise that keeps both teams on track.
Benefits of Effective PI Planning
When done well, PI Planning delivers several significant advantages:
1. Enhanced Communication and Transparency
Bringing all teams together ensures everyone understands the program goals, dependencies, and challenges. This openness reduces misunderstandings and builds trust.
2. Proactive Risk and Dependency Management
Early identification of risks and inter-team dependencies enables timely mitigation strategies, reducing delays during execution.
3. Faster, More Reliable Delivery of Value
With a clear plan and aligned priorities, teams can focus on what truly matters, delivering customer value predictably and efficiently.
4. Increased Team Empowerment and Morale
Involving teams in planning and decision-making builds ownership and motivation, which translates into higher productivity and better quality.
Making the Most of PI Planning: Tips for IT Teams
Prepare Thoroughly: Ensure backlog items are well defined and teams come ready with initial thoughts and questions.
Encourage Open Communication: Foster a safe environment where teams can raise concerns and dependencies without hesitation.
Use Visual Tools: Dependency boards, timelines, and digital collaboration platforms help keep everyone on the same page.
Plan for Flexibility: Be ready to adapt plans as new information emerges during the event.
Follow Up Post-Planning: Regularly review progress against PI objectives and address any emerging issues quickly.
Program Increment Planning is not just a meeting; it’s a vital process that brings multiple Agile teams together to create a unified plan that drives the success of complex IT projects. For Business Analysts, Product Owners, QA, Developers, and Scrum Masters alike, understanding their roles and actively participating in PI Planning helps ensure that everyone moves forward with clarity, confidence, and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality solutions that meet business needs.
By embracing the collaborative spirit of PI Planning, your IT team can improve communication, manage risks effectively, deliver value faster, and foster a motivated, empowered workforce—all essential ingredients for Agile success at scale.
PI Planning Checklists for IT Teams
1. General PI Planning Checklist (for all participants)
Before PI Planning:
Review the program vision and goals shared by leadership
Study the prioritized backlog and features relevant to your team
Prepare any questions or clarifications about features and objectives
Confirm logistics: dates, times, location (or virtual links), tools needed
Ensure required data, documents, and backlog items are up to date
Coordinate with other teams if you anticipate dependencies
Set personal goals for the PI Planning session
During PI Planning:
Attend all plenary sessions and team breakout meetings
Actively participate in discussions and planning activities
Identify and communicate dependencies with other teams
Raise potential risks or blockers early
Collaborate to sequence work logically and realistically
Confirm understanding of your team’s PI objectives
Vote on confidence in the plan honestly
After PI Planning:
Share the agreed objectives and plan with your team members
Update your team’s backlog and sprint plans accordingly
Communicate dependencies and risks to stakeholders
Schedule follow-up meetings to track progress and adjust plans
Document lessons learned and improvement ideas for next PI
2. Business Analyst (BA) Checklist
Before PI Planning:
Collaborate with Product Owners and stakeholders to clarify features
Break down features into detailed user stories with acceptance criteria
Ensure requirements align with business goals and customer needs
Prepare relevant documentation and examples to share during planning
During PI Planning:
Present and explain user stories to development and QA teams
Facilitate discussions to clear up ambiguities and questions
Identify potential impacts on business processes or user experience
Highlight risks related to requirements or scope changes
Help prioritize stories with the PO based on value and complexity
After PI Planning:
Maintain clear communication with stakeholders on planned deliverables
Support developers and testers during implementation with clarifications
Monitor scope changes and update documentation as needed
Collect feedback post-PI to improve future planning and requirements
3. Product Owner (PO) Checklist
Before PI Planning:
Prioritize backlog items with a focus on business value and urgency
Review feature dependencies and coordinate with other POs
Prepare to communicate product vision and priorities clearly
Identify any constraints or assumptions to share during planning
During PI Planning:
Represent the customer and stakeholder interests in team discussions
Collaborate with teams to adjust priorities based on feasibility and dependencies
Communicate clearly about trade-offs and scope adjustments
Confirm team commitments align with product goals
Participate in confidence voting and provide constructive feedback
After PI Planning:
Update the team backlog and sprint plans to reflect agreed priorities
Engage with stakeholders to communicate plans and gather feedback
Monitor progress toward PI objectives and adjust priorities as needed
Facilitate backlog refinement sessions regularly
4. Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
Before PI Planning:
Review upcoming features and understand their testing requirements
Identify potential quality risks and resource needs (tools, automation, environments)
Coordinate with DevOps and developers about testing environments and CI/CD pipelines
During PI Planning:
Highlight testing challenges and schedule constraints early
Collaborate on defining testable acceptance criteria with BAs and POs
Ensure adequate time is allocated for testing in the plan
Suggest automation strategies where possible to speed up testing cycles
Raise concerns about any quality trade-offs or risks
After PI Planning:
Prepare and maintain test plans aligned with PI objectives
Track testing progress and report quality metrics regularly
Communicate blockers or defects promptly to teams
Participate in retrospectives to improve testing practices
5. Developer Checklist
Before PI Planning:
Review feature descriptions and technical requirements
Estimate effort and identify technical dependencies or constraints
Prepare to discuss feasibility and potential challenges
During PI Planning:
Provide realistic estimates and feedback on scope and timelines
Communicate any technical risks or resource limitations
Collaborate with QA and other teams to align development and testing
Suggest improvements or alternatives to meet objectives effectively
Engage in dependency mapping and problem solving
After PI Planning:
Break down work into tasks and update sprint boards
Coordinate with QA and DevOps during development and deployment
Report progress and blockers regularly
Participate actively in demos and retrospectives
6. Scrum Master Checklist
Before PI Planning:
Ensure all team members understand the PI Planning process and objectives
Coordinate logistics and communication for the event
Prepare facilitation materials and tools (timers, boards, digital platforms)
During PI Planning:
Facilitate team discussions and keep sessions on schedule
Encourage equal participation and manage conflicts constructively
Help teams navigate dependencies and resource challenges
Support confidence voting and help teams adjust plans as needed
After PI Planning:
Help the team translate PI objectives into sprint goals and tasks
Monitor progress and facilitate removal of impediments
Collect feedback on the PI Planning process and suggest improvements
Support continuous improvement through retrospectives and coaching