Scaled Agile SSM - SSM (6.0) - SAFe Scrum Master

A constructive IP Iteration is one of the recommended practices for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to help teams avoid burnout, address technical debt, and foster innovation. An IP Iteration is a unique, dedicated iteration that occurs every PI and provides an estimating buffer for meeting PI Objectives and dedicated time for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and Inspect and Adapt events. During the IP Iteration, teams can work on activities such as hackathons, research and design, spikes, refactoring, automation, training, and other improvement initiatives that are difficult to fit into a continuous, incremental value delivery pattern. An IP Iteration also allows teams to prepare for and participate in the PI Planning and Inspect and Adapt events, which are essential for alignment, collaboration, and learning across the ART. A constructive IP Iteration can improve the predictability and flow of value delivery, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, enhance the agility and resilience of the teams, and create a competitive advantage for the enterprise.

One benefit of PI Planning is that it allows for faster decision-making by bringing together all the members of the Agile Release Train (ART) and the relevant stakeholders in a face-to-face (or virtual) event. PI Planning provides an opportunity for the ART to align on a common vision and mission, review the business context and priorities, identify and resolve dependencies and risks, and commit to a realistic and achievable plan for the next Program Increment (PI). By having everyone involved in the planning process, the ART can leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of the participants, reduce ambiguity and uncertainty, and make informed and timely decisions that support the delivery of value to the customers.

One practice Scrum Masters/Team Coaches can use to facilitate conflict management is to enforce working agreements. Working agreements are a set of guidelines that define how a team wants to work together, communicate, and collaborate. They are created by the team members themselves and reflect their shared values, norms, and expectations. Working agreements can help prevent or reduce conflicts by establishing clear boundaries, roles, and responsibilities, as well as by promoting respect, trust, and transparency among team members. Working agreements can also help resolve conflicts by providing a common reference point and a framework for constructive feedback and dialogue. Scrum Masters/Team Coaches can support the team in creating, reviewing, and updating their working agreements, as well as in holding each other accountable for following them.

One benefit of holding regular system demos is that execution can be measured across the whole ART. A system demo is a significant event that provides an integrated view of new Features for the most recent Iteration delivered by all the teams in the Agile Release Train (ART). Each demo gives ART stakeholders an objective measure of progress during a Program Increment (PI). The system demo offers the ART a fact-based measure of current, system-level progress within the PI. It’s the true measure of ART velocity and progress. Achieving this requires implementing the scalable engineering practices necessary to support Continuous Integration across the ART. By holding regular system demos, the ART can evaluate the quality, functionality, and usability of the solution, as well as identify and resolve any issues, risks, or dependencies. The system demo also provides an opportunity for feedback and learning from the customers, Business Owners, and other stakeholders, which can help the ART to align with the vision and goals, and to adapt to changing needs and expectations.