#09 Agile Release Train #KeepLearning

June 12, 2019 Today I have learned about Agile Release Train [ART], here is my understanding

Agile Release Trains align teams to a common business and technology mission. Each is a virtual organization (typically 50 – 125 people) that plans, commits, develops and deploys together. ARTs are organized around the enterprise’s significant Value Streams and exist solely to realize the promise of that value by building Solutions that deliver benefit to the end user.

 ARTs are cross-functional and have all the capabilities—software, hardware, firmware, and other—needed to define, implement, test, deploy, release, and where applicable, operate solutions.

 ARTs operate on a set of common principles:

•  The schedule is fixed – The train departs the station on a known, reliable schedule, as determined by the chosen PI cadence. If a Feature misses a timed departure, it can catch the next one.
•  A new system increment every two weeks – Each train delivers a new system increment every two weeks. The System Demo provides a mechanism for evaluating the working system, which is an integrated increment from all the teams.
•  The PI timebox is fixed – All teams on the train are synchronized to the same PI length (typically 8 – 12 weeks) and have common iteration start/end dates and duration.
•  The train has a known velocity – Each train can reliably estimate how much cargo (new features) can be delivered in a PI.
•  Agile Teams – Agile Teams embrace the ‘Agile Manifesto’ and the SAFe values and principles. They apply Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, and other Built-In Quality practices.
•  Dedicated people – Most people needed by the ART are dedicated full time to the train, regardless of their functional reporting structure.
•  Face-to-face PI Planning – The ART plans its work at periodic, largely face-to-face PI Planning events.
•  Innovation and Planning (IP) – IP iterations provide a guard band (buffer) for estimating and a dedicated time for PI planning, innovation, continuing education, and infrastructure work.
• Inspect and Adapt (I&A) – An I&A event is held at the end of every PI. The current state of the solution is demonstrated and evaluated. Teams and management then identify improvement backlog items via a structured, problem-solving workshop.
•  Develop on Cadence. Release on Demand – ARTs apply cadence and synchronization to help manage the inherent variability of research and development. However, releasing is typically decoupled from the development cadence. ARTs can release a solution, or elements of a solution, at any time, subject to governance and release criteria.