PI Planning

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

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