How to Make PI Planning Incredible, by Dwayne Stroman

PI Planning is the heartbeat of the Scaled Agile Framework and the single most important event for aligning multiple Agile teams around a shared mission. In this in-depth session, we sit down with experienced SAFe Program Consultants and Release Train Engineers who have facilitated PI Planning events across organizations ranging from 50-person startups to 10,000-person enterprises. They share exactly what separates a forgettable two-day meeting from a truly incredible planning event that energizes teams and unlocks real business agility.

Whether you are an RTE preparing to facilitate your first PI Planning event, a Product Manager looking to sharpen your vision presentation, or a Scrum Master helping your team navigate cross-team dependencies, this video gives you proven techniques to elevate every aspect of the ceremony. We cover pre-planning preparation, Day 1 and Day 2 agendas, management review and problem-solving, confidence voting, and the critical post-PI activities that sustain momentum across the Program Increment.

Key Takeaways

Capture and visualize cross-team dependencies on a program board to prevent integration failures downstream

Invest heavily in pre-PI Planning preparation — a well-crafted vision briefing and refined backlog set the tone for success

Ensure Business Owners, Product Management, and System Architects are aligned and present for the full two days

Use breakout sessions effectively to let teams draft plans, identify risks, and negotiate dependencies face-to-face

Facilitate a meaningful management review and problem-solving session to unblock teams before Day 2 planning

Drive toward an honest confidence vote — anything below 3 out of 5 must be addressed before committing to PI Objectives