Scaled Agile SAFe-RTE - SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE)

In the SAFe framework, a Scrum Master’s role as a coach is to support and enable the team to improve their processes and work. The two behaviors that a Scrum Master should represent as a coach are:

Encourage the team to learn from their mistakes (Option C): A Scrum Master should foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the team. By encouraging team members to reflect on their mistakes, learn from them, and apply those learnings to future work, the Scrum Master helps the team to grow and improve1.

Set long-term goals for the team (Option D): While the Scrum Master does not dictate the team’s plan, they play a crucial role in helping the team to set and strive for long-term goals. These goals align with the team’s mission and the broader objectives of the organization, providing direction and motivation1.

These behaviors are essential for a Scrum Master to effectively coach their team, guiding them towards self-organization, enhanced performance, and the achievement of their goals within the SAFe framework.

During Program Increment (PI) Planning in SAFe, it is the responsibility of Product Management to own the feature priorities. Product Management is tasked with defining the features, prioritizing them, and accepting the final implementation. They play a crucial role in aligning the features with the business strategy and ensuring that the development work maximizes value delivery to stakeholders. This is in line with the SAFe principle of decentralizing decision-making and empowering those closest to the value stream to make decisions regarding the prioritization of work12.

 Program risks can be categorized based on whether they are Deferred or Owned. A deferred risk is one that has been identified but is not being actively addressed at the moment, possibly due to prioritization of other risks or resource constraints. An owned risk is one that has been assigned to an individual or team who is responsible for managing and mitigating the risk. This categorization helps in tracking and accountability within the SAFe framework.

The “5 Whys” is a problem-solving technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Its primary goal is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating the question “Why?” five times. Each answer forms the basis of the next question. In the context of SAFe 6 Release Train Engineer, the 5 Whys are utilized within the Lean-Agile principles to drive relentless improvement by identifying the root causes of impediments and issues that may be affecting the Agile Release Train’s (ART) performance. This method helps in creating a culture of transparency and continuous improvement, which is essential for the successful execution of SAFe1.

The Definition of Done (DoD) is a critical concept within the SAFe framework that ensures quality and completeness in deliverables. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of why the DoD should evolve as system capabilities evolve:

Initial Establishment: Teams within an Agile Release Train (ART) initially establish a DoD to ensure that all deliverables meet a certain quality standard and are truly “done”.

Continuous Improvement: As the system capabilities grow and the product evolves, the DoD must also evolve to incorporate new criteria that align with the current state of the system.

Alignment with System Growth: The evolution of the DoD is necessary to accommodate the increased complexity and new technological advancements that come with system growth.

Ensuring Quality: An evolving DoD ensures that the quality of the product does not degrade as new features and capabilities are added.

Reflecting Current Standards: The DoD should reflect the most current development, testing, and compliance standards to ensure that the product remains competitive and secure.

Adaptation to Feedback: Feedback from stakeholders, customers, and users may lead to changes in the system that should be reflected in the DoD.

Scaling: As more teams and ARTs are involved, the DoD must scale to ensure uniformity and consistency across the entire solution.

In conclusion, the DoD is not static; it must adapt to the changing landscape of the system’s capabilities to ensure that the ART continues to deliver high-quality, valuable increments to the end-users1.

One effective way to secure stakeholder commitment to the Agile Release Train (ART) is to involve them directly in the process. Having stakeholders attend the Program Increment (PI) Planning event is a key practice in SAFe. It allows stakeholders to understand the ART’s objectives, contribute to the planning, and align with the team’s mission and vision. This direct involvement fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration, ensuring that stakeholders are more committed and supportive of the ART’s efforts and outcomes12.

When individual teams report high levels of success through their quantitative measurements, but the system results indicate otherwise, the Release Train Engineer (RTE) plays a crucial role in aligning team perceptions with actual system outcomes. Here’s how an RTE can help the teams deliver more value:

Coach on Retrospective Techniques: The RTE can coach the Scrum Masters on effective retrospective techniques to ensure that teams can reflect on and improve their processes1.

Systems View Approach: Encourage teams to adopt a systems view approach to understand how their work fits into the larger context and impacts the overall system1.

Facilitate Problem-Solving Workshops: Organize problem-solving workshops during the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) events to collaboratively identify systemic issues and improvement actions2.

Encourage ART Synchronization: Assist teams in synchronizing with other teams on the Agile Release Train (ART) to ensure alignment and collective responsibility for delivering value1.

Drive Relentless Improvement: Emphasize the importance of relentless improvement and foster a culture where continuous growth is valued and pursued1.

By focusing on these areas, the RTE can help bridge the gap between individual team metrics and the broader system results, leading to improved value delivery across the ART.

The outputs of Iteration Planning within the SAFe framework are crucial for guiding the work of Agile teams during an iteration. Two primary outputs of this process are:

Iteration Goals: These are the objectives that the team commits to achieving during the iteration. They provide a clear direction and purpose for the iteration, aligning the team’s efforts with the larger goals of the Agile Release Train (ART).

Iteration Backlog: This is the set of stories, including enablers, that the team plans to deliver by the end of the iteration. Each item in the iteration backlog has defined acceptance criteria and an estimate, which are recorded in the team backlog.

Together, these outputs ensure that the team has a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished and the work items that they have committed to delivering. This alignment is essential for maintaining the flow of value through the ART and achieving the broader objectives of the program increment (PI)1.

 The core competency of Agile Product Delivery is pivotal in fostering faster lead time, quicker recovery from setbacks, fewer defects, and more frequent deployments within the SAFe framework. This competency focuses on delivering value through the continuous flow of valuable products and services to customers. It encompasses the principles and practices that help teams and ARTs deliver quality solutions to the market faster and more predictably. This includes the implementation of DevOps and Release on Demand, which are essential for achieving the mentioned outcomes1.