We're about to do our first PI process where I work... should be interesting. We have a number of smaller individual teams working on various apps with various interdependencies and shared resources. I think as long as it remains flexible (ie Agile) and doesn't devolve into an inflexible waterfall-like pattern, it should be helpful.
The biggest issue for us was not having a single full company-wide PI. Our company is global and our main office is in Australia. They did their PI before us, but a lot of the work done here is dependent on work done there. So it would have been much better to have them directly in on the discussions here. The teams got to present what we had planned but there was no single open discussion where people could bring up ideas, features, blockers, etc. This I think is needed on the first day, where ideas can be accepted, rejected, or tabled, so the following days all the major issues are already on the table and can be prioritized around.
For my team specifically, all it did was force us to reorganize the priority of stuff we'd already had previously planned so it could fit into the sprint lengths we decided on as well as release date/feature commitments.
Wow that doesn't sound like it was an ideal process from your perspective.
I can only go on what the literature says about all the teams working to the same cadence. Is there any scope for you to suggest aligning your next PI event with the rest of the company?
Even if you couldn't have a single company wide planning event there might at least be the scope for the sessions to feed into each other in some meaningful way.
From what I know your suggestions sound sensible. Certainly the idea of presenting plans on the first day is so there is a chance to get a consolidated view of any blockers and issues. As you say so people know what needs tabled and worked through on the second day.
It sounds as if at the very least you have some feedback from this one that would help improve future PI events. Will you get a chance to feed back?
Yeah we'll have a feedback mechanism. I know they already want to do a single company-wide PI next time, there wasn't enough lead time to organize it this time apparently.
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We're about to do our first PI process where I work... should be interesting. We have a number of smaller individual teams working on various apps with various interdependencies and shared resources. I think as long as it remains flexible (ie Agile) and doesn't devolve into an inflexible waterfall-like pattern, it should be helpful.
We haven't yet had our first planning increment, so it would be interesting to hear how it goes for you.
Our frst SAFe PI planning event where all the teams get together is in a couple of weeks.
The biggest issue for us was not having a single full company-wide PI. Our company is global and our main office is in Australia. They did their PI before us, but a lot of the work done here is dependent on work done there. So it would have been much better to have them directly in on the discussions here. The teams got to present what we had planned but there was no single open discussion where people could bring up ideas, features, blockers, etc. This I think is needed on the first day, where ideas can be accepted, rejected, or tabled, so the following days all the major issues are already on the table and can be prioritized around.
For my team specifically, all it did was force us to reorganize the priority of stuff we'd already had previously planned so it could fit into the sprint lengths we decided on as well as release date/feature commitments.
Wow that doesn't sound like it was an ideal process from your perspective.
I can only go on what the literature says about all the teams working to the same cadence. Is there any scope for you to suggest aligning your next PI event with the rest of the company?
Even if you couldn't have a single company wide planning event there might at least be the scope for the sessions to feed into each other in some meaningful way.
From what I know your suggestions sound sensible. Certainly the idea of presenting plans on the first day is so there is a chance to get a consolidated view of any blockers and issues. As you say so people know what needs tabled and worked through on the second day.
It sounds as if at the very least you have some feedback from this one that would help improve future PI events. Will you get a chance to feed back?
Yeah we'll have a feedback mechanism. I know they already want to do a single company-wide PI next time, there wasn't enough lead time to organize it this time apparently.