Pi Planning Template

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pi_planning_template.md
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---
title: "Pi Planning Template"
methodology: "agile"
complexity: "advanced"
owner: "mirichard"
updated: "2026-09-19"
primary_principles: ["collaborative-leadership", "systems-thinking"]
secondary_principles: ["risk-optimization"]
principle_rationale: "Brings teams together to negotiate interval objectives, capacity and dependencies while exposing risks and assessing confidence in the plan."
---

# SAFe Program Increment (PI) Planning Template

## When to Use

- When a SAFe train needs coordinated planning across several teams.
- When objectives, capacity, dependencies, and risks must be negotiated for the planning interval.

## When NOT to Use

- For a single team's sprint planning with no train-level dependencies.
- Do not impose enterprise coordination or approval layers where team size and risk do not justify them. See [Maximum governance](../../../../../../docs/principles/anti-patterns.md#maximum-governance).

## Pairs Well With

- [Art Coordination Template](../../../../../../domains/delivery/methodology-frameworks/agile-scrum/scaling-frameworks/safe/art_coordination_template.md).
- [Portfolio Kanban Template](../../../../../../domains/delivery/methodology-frameworks/agile-scrum/scaling-frameworks/safe/portfolio_kanban_template.md).

Selection context: Delivery domain; agile methodology; advanced complexity. Match the situations above to project phase, risk, team size, and industry using the [decision-engine context model](../../../../../../meta/architecture-research/800-801-context-assessment-model.md).

## Overview
This template provides a comprehensive framework for conducting SAFe Program Increment (PI) Planning events, typically held every 8-12 weeks to align teams within an Agile Release Train (ART) on a common mission and vision; coordinate multiple ARTs separately when needed.

## Template Information
- **Framework:** SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
- **Event Type:** PI Planning
- **Duration:** 2 days (typical)
- **Participants:** 50-125 people per ART
- **Frequency:** Every 8-12 weeks

---

## Pre-Planning Checklist

### 30 Days Before PI Planning
- [ ] **Vision and Roadmap Preparation**
  - [ ] Product/Solution vision is current and compelling
  - [ ] Program roadmap is updated with latest priorities
  - [ ] Business context is prepared for presentation
  - [ ] Top 10 features are prioritized and refined

- [ ] **Logistics and Setup**
  - [ ] Venue booked (or virtual platform prepared)
  - [ ] All teams confirmed attendance
  - [ ] Facilitation materials prepared
  - [ ] Technology setup tested (projectors, wifi, collaboration tools)

- [ ] **Content Preparation**
  - [ ] Program backlog is prioritized and refined
  - [ ] Architectural runway items identified
  - [ ] Dependencies mapped between teams
  - [ ] Capacity calculations completed

### 1 Week Before PI Planning
- [ ] **Final Preparations**
  - [ ] PI Planning agenda finalized and distributed
  - [ ] Team breakout spaces assigned
  - [ ] Parking lot boards prepared
  - [ ] Confidence vote materials ready
  - [ ] Risk/impediment tracking boards set up

---

## PI Planning Agenda Template

### Day 1 Schedule

| Time | Activity | Facilitator | Participants |
|------|----------|-------------|--------------|
| 8:00-8:30 | Welcome & Business Context | Business Owner | All |
| 8:30-9:00 | Product/Solution Vision | Product Manager | All |
| 9:00-9:30 | Architecture Vision & Development Practices | System Architect | All |
| 9:30-10:00 | Planning Context & Guidance | RTE | All |
| 10:00-10:15 | **Break** | - | - |
| 10:15-12:00 | Team Breakouts #1 | Scrum Masters | Teams |
| 12:00-1:00 | **Lunch** | - | - |
| 1:00-2:30 | Team Breakouts #2 | Scrum Masters | Teams |
| 2:30-3:30 | Draft Plan Review | RTE | All |
| 3:30-3:45 | **Break** | - | - |
| 3:45-4:30 | Management Review & Problem Solving | RTE | All |
| 4:30-5:00 | Day 1 Wrap-up | RTE | All |

### Day 2 Schedule

| Time | Activity | Facilitator | Participants |
|------|----------|-------------|--------------|
| 8:00-8:15 | Day 2 Opening | RTE | All |
| 8:15-10:00 | Team Breakouts #3 | Scrum Masters | Teams |
| 10:00-10:15 | **Break** | - | - |
| 10:15-11:00 | Final Plan Review | RTE | All |
| 11:00-11:30 | Program Board Walk-through | RTE | All |
| 11:30-12:00 | Vote of Confidence | RTE | All |
| 12:00-1:00 | **Lunch** | - | - |
| 1:00-2:00 | Planning Retrospective | RTE | All |
| 2:00-2:30 | PI Planning Wrap-up | Business Owner | All |

---

## Team Breakout Session Template

### Team Breakout Structure
Each team should follow this structure during breakout sessions:

#### Session 1: Story & Dependency Identification
- **Duration:** 1 hour 45 minutes
- **Objective:** Identify and size stories, map dependencies

**Activities:**
1. **Story Identification (45 minutes)**
   - Review top 10 features
   - Identify user stories for the PI
   - Estimate story points
   - Consider capacity constraints

2. **Dependency Mapping (45 minutes)**
   - Identify dependencies on other teams
   - Map external dependencies
   - Note assumptions and risks
   - Update dependency board

3. **Initial Planning (15 minutes)**
   - Draft iteration plans
   - Identify major milestones
   - Note questions for parking lot

#### Session 2: Plan Refinement
- **Duration:** 1 hour 30 minutes
- **Objective:** Refine plans based on feedback and dependencies

**Activities:**
1. **Dependency Resolution (30 minutes)**
   - Review feedback from dependency board
   - Adjust plans based on other team commitments
   - Negotiate critical dependencies

2. **Capacity Planning (45 minutes)**
   - Validate team capacity
   - Account for holidays, training, etc.
   - Adjust story commitments
   - Plan innovation and planning time

3. **Risk Assessment (15 minutes)**
   - Identify technical risks
   - Note business risks
   - Assess dependency risks
   - Update risk board

#### Session 3: Final Planning
- **Duration:** 1 hour 45 minutes
- **Objective:** Finalize PI commitments and prepare presentation

**Activities:**
1. **Final Adjustments (45 minutes)**
   - Incorporate management feedback
   - Resolve remaining dependencies
   - Finalize story commitments
   - Complete iteration planning

2. **Presentation Preparation (30 minutes)**
   - Prepare team PI objective slides
   - Practice presentation
   - Identify spokesperson
   - Prepare for Q&A

3. **Confidence Assessment (30 minutes)**
   - Assess team confidence in plan
   - Identify remaining risks
   - Prepare confidence vote rationale
   - Update commitment statements

---

## Program Board Template

### Board Structure
Create a physical or digital board with:

**Rows:** Teams (one row per team)
**Columns:** Iterations (typically 5 iterations per PI)

### Content Guidelines

#### Features and Stories
- **Blue stickies:** Features
- **Yellow stickies:** Stories
- **Red stickies:** Milestones
- **Green stickies:** Dependencies

#### Dependencies
- **Red yarn/lines:** Dependencies between teams
- **Dotted lines:** External dependencies
- **Thick lines:** Critical path dependencies

### Program Board Template

```
Program Board - PI [X] - [Quarter Year]

Team Name        | Iteration 1 | Iteration 2 | Iteration 3 | Iteration 4 | Iteration 5 | PI Objectives
-----------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------------
Team Alpha       | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Objectives]
Team Beta        | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Objectives]
Team Gamma       | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Objectives]
Team Delta       | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Features]  | [Objectives]
Milestones       | [Key Dates]| [Key Dates]| [Key Dates]| [Key Dates]| [Key Dates]| [PI Demo]
```

---

## PI Objectives Template

### Team PI Objectives Format

**Team:** [Team Name]
**PI:** [PI Number and Quarter]

#### Objective 1: [Objective Title]
- **Business Value:** [1-10 scale]
- **Description:** [Clear, measurable objective]
- **Success Criteria:**
  - [ ] [Specific, measurable criterion]
  - [ ] [Specific, measurable criterion]
  - [ ] [Specific, measurable criterion]

#### Objective 2: [Objective Title]
- **Business Value:** [1-10 scale]
- **Description:** [Clear, measurable objective]
- **Success Criteria:**
  - [ ] [Specific, measurable criterion]
  - [ ] [Specific, measurable criterion]

### Program PI Objectives Rollup

**Program:** [Program Name]
**PI:** [PI Number and Quarter]

#### Strategic Theme 1: [Theme Name]
**Teams Contributing:** [List of teams]
**Combined Business Value:** [Total across teams]

**Objectives:**
- Team Alpha: [Objective summary]
- Team Beta: [Objective summary]
- Team Gamma: [Objective summary]

**Success Metrics:**
- [ ] [Program-level success criterion]
- [ ] [Program-level success criterion]

---

## Confidence Vote Template

### Confidence Vote Process

**Instructions:** Each participant votes on their confidence in achieving the PI objectives using a fist-of-five vote.

#### Confidence Scale
- **5 - High Confidence:** I'm confident we can achieve our objectives
- **4 - Confident:** I'm confident with minor concerns
- **3 - Medium Confidence:** I have some concerns but think we can do it
- **2 - Low Confidence:** I have serious concerns
- **1 - Very Low Confidence:** I don't think we can achieve the objectives
- **0 - No Confidence:** I don't believe this plan will work

#### Vote Tracking Template

| Team | Vote 1 | Concerns | Adjustments Made | Vote 2 | Final |
|------|--------|----------|------------------|--------|--------|
| Team Alpha | 3 | [Concerns listed] | [Adjustments] | 4 | ✓ |
| Team Beta | 2 | [Concerns listed] | [Adjustments] | 4 | ✓ |
| Team Gamma | 4 | [Minor concerns] | [Minor adjustments] | 4 | ✓ |

### Confidence Vote Results
- **Target:** All teams at 3 or higher
- **Actual Results:** [Record final votes]
- **Action Items:** [Any remaining items to address]

---

## Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies (RAID) Log

### Template Structure

#### Risks
| ID | Risk Description | Impact | Probability | Mitigation Plan | Owner | Status |
|----|------------------|--------|-------------|-----------------|-------|--------|
| R001 | [Risk description] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | [Mitigation strategy] | [Name] | Open/Closed |

#### Assumptions
| ID | Assumption | Validation Plan | Owner | Status |
|----|------------|-----------------|-------|--------|
| A001 | [Assumption description] | [How to validate] | [Name] | Open/Validated |

#### Issues
| ID | Issue Description | Impact | Resolution Plan | Owner | Target Date | Status |
|----|-------------------|--------|-----------------|-------|-------------|--------|
| I001 | [Issue description] | High/Med/Low | [Resolution approach] | [Name] | [Date] | Open/Resolved |

#### Dependencies
| ID | Dependency Description | Dependent Team | Provider Team | Needed By | Status |
|----|------------------------|----------------|---------------|-----------|--------|
| D001 | [Dependency description] | [Team needing] | [Team providing] | [Date] | Open/Resolved |

---

## Post-PI Planning Activities

### Immediate Actions (Within 24 Hours)
- [ ] Distribute final PI objectives to all stakeholders
- [ ] Update program board with final commitments
- [ ] Share RAID log with all teams
- [ ] Schedule dependency coordination meetings
- [ ] Send thank you note to all participants

### Within 1 Week
- [ ] Load PI objectives into tracking tools (Jira, Azure DevOps, etc.)
- [ ] Set up iteration planning meetings for all teams
- [ ] Establish ART sync meeting cadence
- [ ] Create PI dashboard for tracking progress
- [ ] Schedule mid-PI checkpoint meeting

### Ongoing Activities
- [ ] Weekly ART sync meetings
- [ ] Bi-weekly dependency coordination
- [ ] Monthly stakeholder updates
- [ ] Quarterly PI planning preparation
- [ ] Continuous improvement based on retrospectives

---

## Success Metrics

### PI Planning Event Metrics
- **Preparation Score:** [1-10 based on pre-planning checklist completion]
- **Participation Rate:** [% of expected participants who attended]
- **Confidence Vote Results:** [Average final confidence score]
- **Time to Resolution:** [Time taken to resolve major issues during planning]

### PI Execution Metrics (Track During PI)
- **PI Objective Achievement:** [% of objectives met]
- **Feature Delivery Rate:** [% of planned features delivered]
- **Dependency Resolution Rate:** [% of dependencies resolved on time]
- **Predictability Score:** [Ratio of planned vs. actual delivery]

---

## Tools and Templates

### Digital Tools
- **Program Board:** Miro, Mural, or SAFe Program Board tool
- **Backlog Management:** Jira, Azure DevOps, or Rally
- **Collaboration:** Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom
- **Documentation:** Confluence, SharePoint, or Google Workspace

### Physical Materials (if in-person)
- Sticky notes (multiple colors)
- Markers and pens
- Flip chart paper
- Red yarn or string for dependencies
- Voting dots for prioritization
- Tape and scissors

---

## Customization Guidelines

### Scaling Considerations
- **Single ART (50-125 people):** Use full template as provided
- **Multiple ARTs:** Add solution-level coordination activities
- **Remote/Hybrid:** Emphasize digital collaboration tools
- **New to SAFe:** Include additional coaching and explanation time

### Industry Adaptations
- **Software Development:** Emphasize technical dependencies and architecture
- **Hardware/Manufacturing:** Include supplier dependencies and longer lead times
- **Financial Services:** Add compliance and regulatory considerations
- **Healthcare:** Include patient safety and regulatory requirements

---

## Related Templates
- [SAFe Portfolio Kanban Template](./portfolio_kanban_template.md)
- [ART Coordination Template](./art_coordination_template.md)
- [SAFe Metrics Dashboard Template](./metrics_dashboard_template.md)
- [Release Train Engineer Role Guide](../../../../../../role-based-toolkits/release-train-engineer/README.md)

---

## Version History
| Version | Date | Changes | Author |
|---------|------|---------|--------|
| 1.0 | [Date] | Initial template creation | [Author] |

---

*This template is part of the PM Tools Templates library. For more information and additional templates, visit [repository root](../../../../README.md).*