Agile Release Train (ART) Preparation/Readiness Checklist

You might be using Agile for some time and have gotten used to it. The next logical step would be to plunge into Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and understand its application to complex organizations. And when you adopt the SAFe framework, there is every chance that you will encounter the principle of  Agile Release Trains (ARTs). And the key to implementing SAFe Agile to scale is understanding the importance of ART, its structure, and how it is deployed. This is also vital to the successful execution of complex projects and finishing them on time and well within the allocated budget which is crucial to delivering the maximum business value. ART is like any other train which carries its passengers to a fixed destination and strives to reach there by a predetermined time. Just like a train, ART is also a method or system of delivering value to the end customer. 

ART is nothing but a self-organizing team of Agile teams. It takes passengers in the form of members from different departments of the organization like development, Enterprise architecture, DevOps, security, etc. Coming together, they plan, commit, and execute as a team. And they are supposed to do this within a specified time box or Program Increment (PI). The strength of the ART team varies from 50 to 125 who strive to work coherently toward the business goals that would help the organization to respond quickly and positively to the changes occurring in the market and deliver value faster. By the time an organization decides to launch its first ART, it would have identified its value streams and created a plan for implementation. It would also have more or less defined its first ART. It is a crucial time as the plan is now coming to implementation. If seen from the viewpoint of change management, the first ART is very crucial and has wide-ranging consequences. This is so because the first ART is the first actual change in the manner in which the organization works and will produce some short-term wins to start with which will help the organization in building momentum.

So, when the time to launch the first ART arrives, enterprises need to check the readiness for the successful launch of ART. And there are ten steps to see if the organization is prepared to launch the ART. We will discuss these steps here in this article. But before we start with these steps, you need to understand the principles that govern the Agile Release Trains. 

Principles governing ART

As we have already said, ART is a team of Agile teams comprising teams from different parts of the organization like development, DevOps, security, enterprise architecture, etc. So, there are a few principles that govern ART. These are:

• ART must stick to a value delivery model for regular planning and timely release
• Agile Release Train must adhere to a common length of iteration within the PI
• ART must have explicitly defined goals and standards
• ART has to follow a culture of continuous system integration. All the work completed by different teams has to be integrated into each sprint so that development is ready for release.
• At the system level, Agile Release Train has to take the customer's viewpoint, internal evaluations, and quality assurance into account

 Once you have understood the principles governing Agile Release Trains, it's time to check your readiness for releasing ART. There are ten steps to launching the Agile Release Train for the first time. Let's know about them.

Steps to launch the first SAFe Agile Release Train:

1. Define ART and perform value stream

Before starting any other activity, it is important to define ART. This involves identifying the first value stream which is a series of actions for optimizing the value delivery to the customer. At this point, ART is defined just enough to ascertain that it is a potential ART. The SAFe ART is a methodical system so it becomes imperative that the responsibilities pertaining to defining the solution, building it, its validation, and deployment are made amply clear. Similarly, a value stream has to be performed keeping in mind the ultimate value it will deliver to the end-user. So, a workshop is held for this purpose. This helps in understanding and defining the value streams in the organization, choosing a new value stream, and setting up the first Agile Release Train.

2. Train SAFe Program Consultants (SPCs)

SAFe Program Consultants are the ones who work as change agents and lead the transformation while integrating the SAFe framework into an organization. They are instrumental in organizations coming to terms with the agile methods and also teach them to the managers, leaders, and project teams. They provide training to the concerned people in the organization on designing and enabling ARTs. This will help them to drive the ART to its destination. There may be many ART leaders and stakeholders in an organization and their number may vary according to the scope and time of release. These leaders may include Release Train Engineers. System Architects, and Product managers. The other stakeholders may include business owners, internal suppliers, and operations people. They may be unfamiliar with the SAFe practices. So, all of them need to be trained. That is why it is important that the SPCs should be trained well. Only then the success of the implementation of SAFe and the launch of ART would be ensured. 

3. Provide training to Lean and Agile leaders

Lean Agile leaders are the ones who understand the principles and philosophy of SAFe like practices, artifacts, and role activities. They are expected to implement them also. They lead the organization in adopting the SAFe framework for better results. They provide guidance across the organization for familiarity with SAFe. Every organization would like to have a smooth transition to the SAFe framework. and to achieve this goal, Lean-Agile leaders need to be trained to the highest possible standards. 

4. Define and set up the ART and the team

The best practices for setting up the Agile Release Train are:

• Presenting a clearly defined product with features and/or components
• Getting support from the leadership
• Building collaboration
• Important challenge or opportunity

After this, those agile teams are established which will be on the Agile Release Train. There are two ways to do this. One is to let the members of the ART themselves organize into agile teams with minimum limitations. The other is that the people are initially selected by the management on the basis of their goals, their knowledge of the talents of individuals, and timing. etc. However, most of the time, some adjustment between the management and the teams would be required. Whichever way of forming the agile teams is adopted, there are a few common factors on which the agile teams in a SAFe environment are based. These are:

• Features/components of the product
• Minimum dependencies
• Addressing integration
• DevOps activities being carried out

5. Define and fill all ART members' roles

The important roles in SAFe ART are the Release Train Engineer, Product Owner, Scrum Master, Product Management, System Architect, and last but not the least, the Customer. These critical roles must be defined clearly to help them work smoothly. 

6. Fill and define all the important roles

Now is the time to fill all the critical roles of the Agile Release Train. These include Release train engineers, System architects, Product owners, Scrum masters, and Product Managers. These roles must be defined clearly so that each one of them can give their best performance as per the customer's expectations and match with the organizational goals. Clearly defined roles would encourage better collaboration and cooperation among the teams and they will work with a sense of mission.

7. Prepare and fine-tune the Product backlog

When the launch date of ART is used as a forcing function, it makes defining of scope and vision of Program Increment (PI) urgent. No one would like to attend the PI planning without having a clear understanding of the mission. It is highly possible that opinions would vary about what the new system is expected to do and it may take a little time before the launch date to connect these points. The scope of the PI or 'what has to be built' is mostly defined by a Product backlog. This Program backlog has information about upcoming features, architectural work, and Non-functional requirements (NFRs). These define the future behavior of the system. The vision so obtained of the future behavior of the system helps build short stories for the SAFe agile teams.

8. Train the teams

Organizations must train their teams well so that they can achieve maximum value in each sprint. This is one of the more important parts of ART preparation for delivering the maximum value of the highest quality on time. A common, baseline understanding of the SAFe framework by the teams is essential. Well-trained teams are crucial to the successful launch of Agile Release Trains. So, the teams must be provided with ample time and opportunities to get acquainted with the SAFe framework.

9. Train the Product Owners and Product Managers

The product owner and Product manager are the people who navigate the ART together. They have authority over the content of features and stories. Both of these are important roles if ART has to succeed. Therefore, people in these roles should be very well trained and must learn the new way of working so that they can have excellent collaboration. They must be clear about how best they can carry out their specific responsibilities. Moreover, both of these people will have most of the responsibility for creating the initial Program backlog, which is so crucial for PI planning. So, the importance of training the Product owner and the Product manager can't be emphasized enough.

10. Set the program calendar and launch date

Having clearly understood the definition of ART, it is time now to schedule your first PI planning event. This will focus on the specific date of launching the first ART along with the PI calendar. The process starts with setting up a cadence for the program that will include both the PI and the iteration lengths. The PI planning event is a face-to-face meeting. In this way, all the agile teams in the ART adapt to the SAFe framework and environment with a shared vision and mission. The PI calendar includes all the activities that have been scheduled including PI planning, system demos, ART sync, Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshops, etc. 

11. Conduct Innovation and Planning (IP) iteration

You have almost done it. Now you must conduct the Innovation and Planning iteration. This is done to soak up any variations in estimates, allocate time for innovation, refine the backlog, and make a plan for the ‘Inspect and Adapt’ workshop. This IP iteration is the final two-week sprint. 

Launching your first Agile Release Train (ART) can be a daunting task. It can prove to be complex too. So, having an experienced and well-trained team will help you a lot in guiding you through it and making sure that you fulfill your objectives. You should remember that the SAFe framework is not a coercive system.  So, these steps can be adjusted to meet specific requirements, and needs of the organization, or its goals. 

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