Appendix A
This appendix expands the 5 Content Tab from the 01 ART Readiness Workbook (V6.0) from the SAFe® PI Planning Toolkit.
In the following table, you will see the key activities outlined as well as tasks/activities that are typically executed to meet the overall deliverable. Although the list is not comprehensive, you can use it as a template and refine and enhance each PI for specifics within your organization.
The dates make the following assumptions:
|
PI event start date | |
|
Inspect and Adapt (I&A) date | |
|
Number of iterations in PI |
Five |
|
Innovation and Planning (IP) iteration start date |
An additional column is displayed with the formula used to calculate the recommended due dates. The parameters are as follows:
- ParmPIStart – The date the PI event starts
- ParmIADate – The date of the I&A event
- ParmIPStart – Start date for the IP Iteration
You can download a copy of the Excel spreadsheet here: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/SAFe-Coaches-Handbook/blob/main/Appendix_A.xlsx
|
No. |
Item |
Description |
Responsibility |
Recommendation |
Due Date |
Formula |
Assigned To |
Status |
Notes |
|
5.01.00 |
Scope, context, and organizational readiness established |
Review items from Part 1 |
All |
ASAP/ ongoing |
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5.01.01 |
Agile Teams defined |
All team members are assigned to an agile team that is appropriately sized, and Product Management (PM) and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches are identified |
Organization Leadership |
Reviewed each PI |
4-Apr-23 |
Parm PIStart-63 |
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|
|
|
5.01.02 |
Key Agile roles identified |
The following roles have been assigned: Release Train Engineer (RTE), Product Management, and System Architect, and appropriate time is allocated to responsibilities (preferably 100% dedicated) |
Organization leadership |
Reviewed each PI |
4-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-63 |
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|
|
|
5.01.03 |
Product Vision |
Product Vision is created, reviewed, and updated as appropriate |
Product Management |
Reviewed each PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
|
5.01.04 |
System Team and user experience (UX) team |
The System Team and UX members are identified, and availability and needs have been clarified |
Organization Leadership |
Reviewed each PI |
4-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-63 |
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|
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5.01.05 |
Product backlog created |
Product backlog workshop is held with Product Management, Product Owner (PO), Customers, Management, and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
Product Management, facilitated by RTE |
Hold workshops as needed. Particularly if Agile Release Train (ART) backlog is insufficient or unrefined |
Ongoing |
Ongoing |
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|
|
5.01.06 |
Value Stream mapping |
Activity engaging Product Management, Organization Leadership, and System Architect to create a long-lived series of steps that deliver value from concept to delivery |
Facilitated by RTE |
Workshops as needed, review for each PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
|
|
|
|
5.01.07 |
ART working agreement |
Agreement activities AND guidelines that will be abided by. High level and adoptable by all ART members |
Facilitated by RTE |
Reviewed each PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
|
|
5.01.08 |
ART definition of done (DOD) |
Agreed upon list of activities that are necessary to complete the PI. High-level DOD that all teams are expected to meet |
Facilitated by RTE |
Reviewed each PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
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5.02.00 |
Final agenda |
Final agenda with start and stop times, timeboxes, speaker callouts, and so on. Take into account time zone differences if the planning meeting is spread across multiple locations |
RTE |
Three weeks before PI |
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5.02.01 |
Schedule |
Finalize PI event schedule, including start/stop times accounting for multiple time zones if necessary |
RTE |
Three weeks before PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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|
|
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5.02.02 |
Identify presenters |
Identify presenters and notify them of their responsibilities and due dates |
RTE |
Six weeks before PI |
25-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-42 |
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|
|
5.03.00 |
Facilitator preparation |
Facilitators understand the context and mechanics of the event and facilitator guidelines. For the first PI Planning meeting, if the RTE is not a SAFe® Practice Consultant (SPC), they will need to be paired with an SPC to use the PI Planning Toolkit |
Facilitator/ RTE |
One week before PI |
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|
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5.03.01 |
Complete Readiness Workbook |
Review and work through the Readiness workbook. Continuously improve it by adding, updating, and removing items as necessary |
RTE |
Ongoing |
Ongoing |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
|
5.03.02 |
Facility reservations |
Ensure that facilities have been reserved and that there is enough space to accommodate the teams. See 6. Facilities tab in the ART Readiness Workbook |
RTE |
ASAP |
28-Mar-23 |
ParmPIStart-70 |
|
|
|
|
5.03.03 |
Supplies |
Ensure that supplies are on hand at the PI event for each team. Order if necessary. See 7. Supplies tab in the ART Readiness Workbook |
RTE |
Six weeks before PI |
25-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-42 |
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|
|
5.03.04 |
Create PI slide deck |
Ensure that the PI slide deck is created and in a location where presenters can update it. If reusing, delete any information for the current PI to give presenters a blank slate to add content to |
RTE |
Two weeks after the PI event |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
|
|
5.03.05 |
PI slide deck finalized |
Ensure that slide deck materials are complete and accurate. Copy to local device to prevent network access issues |
RTE |
The day before the PI event |
4-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-2 |
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|
|
5.03.06R |
Remote technology identified |
Ensure that technology is identified and tested to support remote PI Planning, including breakout rooms, conference lines, ART boards, team boards, and so on |
RTE |
ASAP |
28-Mar-23 |
ParmPIStart-70 |
|
|
|
|
5.03.07R |
Remote technology training |
Ensure that ART team members are familiar with the technology and can navigate and use technology systems for PI Planning |
RTE |
One week before PI |
30-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-7 |
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|
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5.04.00 |
Introductory briefing |
Establishes schedule, objectives, context, and requirements for the session |
Facilitator/ RTE |
Two weeks before PI |
|
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|
|
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5.04.01 |
Intro Briefer identified |
Identify who will present the introduction to the PI event |
RTE |
At least six weeks before PI |
25-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-42 |
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|
|
|
5.04.02 |
Intro Briefer responsibilities |
Establishes schedule, objectives, context, and requirements for the session |
Introduction Briefer |
At least six weeks before PI |
25-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-42 |
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|
|
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5.04.03 |
PI slide deck – introductory briefing |
Update the PI slide deck |
Briefer |
At least one week before PI |
30-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-7 |
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5.05.00 |
Executive briefing |
Defines the current business context |
Executive identified |
Two weeks before PI |
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5.05.01 |
Executive Briefer identified |
Identify who will present the executive briefing at the PI event |
RTE |
At least eight weeks before PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
|
5.05.02 |
Executive Briefer responsibilities |
Defines current business context and investment themes |
Executive Briefer |
At least eight weeks before PI |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
|
|
5.05.03 |
PI slide deck – executive briefing |
Update the PI slide deck |
Executive Briefer |
At least one week before PI |
30-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-7 |
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|
|
5.06.00 |
Product Vision briefing(s) |
Briefings prepared by Product Management. Handouts/backlogs are prepared with supporting detail (Features, priorities, market reports, use cases, UX guidelines, and so on) |
PMs and Business Owners |
Two weeks before PI |
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|
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5.06.01 |
PI Vision |
Optional – some ARTs like to have a vision or goal for each PI to help align the ART. Similar to the Product Vision, but timeboxed to PI |
Product Management |
Three weeks before PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
|
|
|
|
5.06.02 |
PI slide deck – Product Vision section |
Once Epics and Features for PI are determined, the PM can update the PI presentation slide deck with the ART Epics and any other additional Product Vision information |
Product Management |
At least two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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|
|
|
5.06.03 |
PI slide deck - Product Vision section |
Once the Features are identified, update slides reflecting details for the Features, including the business hypothesis |
Product Management and POs |
At least two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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|
|
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5.07.00 |
ART backlog |
Top 10 Features. To prepare, review the Vision, understand Strategic Themes, and gain alignment with product strategies |
PMs and POs |
Six weeks before PI |
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|
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5.07.01 |
PI Features identified and prioritized |
Features for the next PI are identified |
Product Management |
6–8 weeks before the PI event |
25-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-42 |
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|
|
5.07.02 |
ART backlog refinement |
ART backlog is decomposed/refined with Features, Benefit Hypothesis, and Acceptance Criteria |
Product Management and POs |
6–8 weeks before the PI event (rolling refinement preferred) |
11-Apr-23 |
ParmPIStart-56 |
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|
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5.07.03 |
Feature decomposition |
Work with teams to begin to create stories for each Feature. Note: stories do not have to be “ready” but should have enough information to allow for rough sizing |
POs |
At least 4–6 weeks before the PI event (rolling refinement preferred) |
30-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-7 |
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|
|
|
5.07.04 |
Story print outs |
Print stories for the Features of the PI event. Print on paper or sticky notes that matches the story sticky note color (ex. green) |
Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
One day before PI |
4-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-2 |
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|
|
|
5.07.05R |
Story exports |
Export/import stories or ensure linkage to the Agile tool |
RTE and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
One week before PI |
30-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-7 |
|
|
Test one week prior, export/import one day before |
|
5.08.00 |
Architectural vision briefing |
Communicate any new architectural Epics and system quality (non-functional) requirements |
Chief technology officer (CTO)/Architects, Security Directors, and so on |
Two weeks before PI |
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|
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5.08.01 |
PI slide deck – architectural vision section |
Update the slide deck with information relevant to the PI for the teams. Items to consider are architectural vision statement, solution context, and solution intent. Additionally, non-functional requirements, compliance items, architectural roadmap, and so on |
System Architect |
Two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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|
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5.09.00 |
Development practices briefing |
Changes to standard practices, new tools (Agile Project management tool, test automation, continuous integration), expectations for DOD, and so on |
Senior Development Management |
Two weeks before PI |
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|
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5.09.01 |
PI slide deck – development practices briefing |
May be combined with the architectural briefing. Additional topics to consider are DevOps, Capitalize Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), coding standards, automated testing, system outages, and so on |
System Architect |
Two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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|
|
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5.10.00 |
Meeting notice |
Finalize agenda and send meeting notice to attendees with the venue, access requirements, and so on |
RTE |
Placeholder immediately after previous PI – final notice four weeks before PI |
|
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5.10.01 |
PI save the date |
Send a note out to PI participants to save the date for the PI event |
RTE |
Immediately after the PI event |
28-Mar-23 |
ParmPIStart-70 |
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|
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5.10.02 |
PI meeting invite |
Send the calendar invite to all attendees. Include travel information if needed. Advise attendees of start and end times, dress code, access requirements, and so on |
RTE |
At least four weeks before the Event |
9-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-28 |
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|
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5.10.03 |
PI custom meeting invites |
Send invites to Executives for specific sessions they should attend (excluding briefings, plan readouts, etc.) |
RTE |
At least four weeks before the Event |
9-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-28 |
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5.11.00 |
Iterations and PI events schedule |
Based on iterations and PI cadence, finalize the calendar. Teams events include Iteration Planning, iteration review, and iteration retrospective. ART events include PI Planning, system demo, I&A, Coach sync, and PO sync |
RTE |
Four weeks before PI – should be set a year in advance |
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5.11.01 |
ART and Team Events Calendar Workbook |
Complete/update the ART calendar spreadsheet. Resolve any holiday conflicts. Recommend to create and update it for a year in advance |
RTE |
Update/extend after each PI |
28-Mar-23 |
ParmPIStart-70 |
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|
|
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5.11.02 |
Team events |
Send invites for team events (Team Sync, Iteration Planning, Iteration Review, Retrospective and Backlog Refinement) |
Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
Three weeks before the PI event for the next PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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5.11.03 |
ART events |
Send invites for ART Events (System Demos, Pre-PI Planning, etc.) |
RTE |
Three weeks before the PI event for the next PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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5.11.04 |
PO events |
Send invites for PO Sync |
PM |
Three weeks before the PI event for the next PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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5.11.05 |
Architecture events |
Send invites for Architecture Sync |
System Architect |
Three weeks before the PI event for the next PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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5.11.06 |
Scrum Master/Team Coach events |
Send invites for Coach Sync |
RTE |
Three weeks before the PI event for the next PI |
16-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-21 |
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5.12.00 |
PI event activities |
Verify, validate, and prepare for the event |
RTE |
Before the PI event |
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5.12.01 |
Verify facilities |
Visit the facility and ensure proper setup for tables, and so on, as well as technology, mics, and network connectivity |
RTE |
The day before PI |
4-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-2 |
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5.12.02 |
Verify technology |
Ensure that the proper technology is available and participants have access. |
RTE |
Two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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5.12.03 |
Print out PI signs and handouts |
Print out any signs that will be needed for the event. See the list on Tab 7 |
RTE and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
The day before PI |
4-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-2 |
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5.12.04 |
Set up team space |
Set up each of the team board areas following the legend |
Scrum Masters |
The day before PI |
5-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-1 |
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5.12.05R |
Set up team space – remote |
Ensure each of the team boards is configured in the tooling |
Scrum Masters |
Two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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5.12.06 |
Set up ART board |
Create the ART board following the legend |
RTE |
The day before PI |
5-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-1 |
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5.12.07R |
Set up ART board – remote |
Ensure the ART board is set up and configured in the tooling |
RTE |
Two weeks before PI |
23-May-23 |
ParmPIStart-14 |
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5.12.08 |
Arrive early |
Arrive early to the PI event to ensure boards have not fallen down and to connect/validate the technology |
RTE and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
The day of the PI event |
6-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart |
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5.12.09R |
Populate the Agile PI tool |
Populate or ensure the Agile tool has all stories, Features, and so on available |
RTE and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
The day before PI |
5-Jun-23 |
ParmPIStart-1 |
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5.13.00 |
I&A workshop |
The current state of the solution is demonstrated and teams reflect on and identify improvement backlog items |
RTE |
Before the PI event |
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5.13.01 |
I&A save the date |
Send a note out to I&A participants to save the date for the I&A event |
RTE |
Immediately after the PI event |
27-Mar-23 |
ParmIADate-70 |
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5.13.02 |
I&A meeting invite |
Send the calendar invite to all attendees. Include travel information if needed. Advise attendees of start and end times, dress code, access requirements, etc. |
RTE |
At least four weeks before the event |
8-May-23 |
ParmIADate-28 |
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5.13.03 |
I&A custom meeting invites |
Send invites to the Executives for specific sessions they should attend (excluding system demo) |
RTE |
At least four weeks before the event |
8-May-23 |
ParmIADate-28 |
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5.13.04 |
Create Slide Deck |
Create Slide Deck Template with placeholders |
RTE |
6–8 weeks before the I&A |
24-Apr-23 |
ParmIADate-42 |
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5.13.05 |
Prepare teams for system demo |
Meet with PO/PM to identify Features to demo |
RTE, PM, PO, and others |
Two weeks before |
22-May-23 |
ParmIADate-14 |
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5.13.06 |
Dry run the system demo |
Complete a dry run of the demo to ensure it fits in the timebox (one hour) and to work out any kinks |
RTE, PM, PO, and others |
One week before |
29-May-23 |
ParmIADate-7 |
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5.13.07 |
Complete ART Predictability Measure |
Complete the ART Predictability Measure workbook |
RTE |
The beginning of the IP Iteration |
31-May-23 |
ParmIPStart |
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5.13.08 |
Team self assessment |
Work with Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to conduct team self assessments – Recommended during last iteration retros |
RTE and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches |
End of last iteration |
30-May-23 |
ParmIPStart - 1 |
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5.13.09 |
Compile team metrics into a slide deck |
Ensure the following metrics are included: ART Predictability Measure, team performance assessments, team performance reports, and ART performance metrics |
RTE |
During the IP Iteration |
31-May-23 |
ParmIPStart |
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5.13.10 |
Finalize slide deck |
Ensure that all Slide deck is finalized and demo, metric and retro information is included. |
RTE |
At least one day before the event |
3-Jun-23 |
ParmIADate-2 |
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5.13.11 |
I&A workshop boards |
Print out/create boards, signage, and instructions for the problem-solving workshop |
RTE |
One week before |
29-May-23 |
ParmIADate-7 |
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5.13.12 |
Set up room |
Ensure the room is set up and any handouts/boards are created to facilitate the meeting |
RTE |
The day before the event |
4-Jun-23 |
ParmIADate-1 |
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5.13.13R |
Set up tools – remote |
Ensure that tools are setup and configured to support the problem-solving workshop |
RTE |
One week before |
29-May-23 |
ParmIADate-7 |
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5.14.00 |
Training |
Ensure that all participants have had training/SAFe® certifications as applicable |
RTE |
As needed and planned for |
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5.14.01 |
All ART participants |
Leading SAFe® Agilist (SA) and/or SAFe® for Teams (SAFe® Practitioner (SP)) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.02 |
Developers |
SAFe® Agile Software Engineering (ASE) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.03 |
Scrum Master/Team Coach |
SAFe® Scrum Master (SSM) and/or SAFe® Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.04 |
RTE |
SAFe® RTE and Implementing SAFe® (SAFe® Practice Consultant (SPC)) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.05 |
Product Management |
SAFe® Product Owner/Product Management (POPM) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.06 |
POs |
SAFe® POPM |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.07 |
Developers, System Team |
SAFe® DevOps (SDP) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.08 |
System Architect |
SAFe® for Architects (ARCH) |
Management |
As needed |
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5.14.09 |
Program Management, Organization Leadership |
Leading SAFE (SA) and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) |
Management |
As needed |
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