The Release Train Engineer Handbook (eBook)

Transform your Agile Release Train (ART) with practical, result-driven approaches

Glenn Smith, Tim Jackson, Gez Smith (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
418 Seiten
Packt Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-83620-522-7 (ISBN)

Infos

Scaling Agile is a complex undertaking, and the SAFe® Release Train Engineer (RTE) is key to its success. Written by three SPCT-certified experts with over 20 years of experience each, this book is your essential guide to mastering the RTE role.
You'll learn how to differentiate the RTE role from Scrum Masters and PMOs and understand how to enable flow across the Agile Release Train (ART). The book walks you through every critical phase of PI Planning, including pre-planning logistics, live and online facilitation, and post-planning execution. You'll also explore advanced areas, such as working with Solution Trains, Lean Portfolio Management, and the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE).
With real-world examples, tips, and a guided approach, this book builds your competence and confidence, from launching new ARTs to running effective System Demos and Inspect and Adapt workshops. It also offers exam prep tips for SAFe RTE certification and insights on coaching PI execution and delivery improvements.
By the end of this book, you'll be equipped to lead ARTs with authority, drive meaningful change in your organization, and expand your influence across the enterprise.

Textauszug

Contents

1. Contributors
   1. Acknowledgements
2. Preface
   1. About SAFe®
   2. Who this book is for
   3. What this book covers
   4. To get the most out of this book
      1. Disclaimer about AI usage
   5. Get in touch
   6. Free Benefits with Your Book
      1. How to Unlock
3. Part 1: The Release Train Engineer Role
4. Introducing the RTE Role
   1. Free Benefits with Your Book
   2. What does an RTE do all day?
      1. Facilitating ART events
         1. PI Planning
         2. ART Syncs
         3. System Demos
         4. I&A events
      2. Supporting PI execution
         1. Tracking progress
         2. Risk management
         3. Optimizing flow
      3. Driving relentless improvement
         1. Pattern identification
         2. Problem Solving workshops
         3. Metrics and assessments
         4. Quality standards
      4. Supporting the change
         1. Coaching others on the train
         2. Delivering training
         3. Supporting the wider enterprise
         4. Modeling servant leadership behaviors
   3. The importance of the RTE role in SAFe®
   4. RTE vs Scrum Master and traditional Program Management Office (PMO) roles
      1. RTE vs. Scrum Master
      2. RTE vs. PMO or Program Manager
   5. Summary
   6. References
      1. Get This Book’s PDF Version and Exclusive Extras
5. Your Initial Journey to Become an RTE
   1. The RTE job description
      1. Where do RTEs come from?
         1. Program and Project Managers
         2. Scrum Masters
         3. Lean-Agile coaches
         4. Technical Leads/Managers
      2. Developing RTEs
   2. Building basic knowledge
      1. Lean and Agile foundations
   3. Grounding yourself in SAFe® and the mechanics of the ART
      1. Key capabilities
         1. Servant leadership
         2. Facilitation
         3. Coaching
   4. Exploring the RTE role
      1. Gaining experience leading to certification
      2. Getting practical experience
   5. Summary
   6. References
   7. Exercise
      1. Get This Book’s PDF Version and Exclusive Extras
6. Interacting Within the Scaled Agile Framework® as an RTE
   1. The RTE and the ART
      1. The complexity of scaling
   2. The definition and role of an ART
      1. PI Planning and the Planning Interval
   3. Your first team
      1. The ART leadership SAFe® roles
         1. Product Management
         2. System Architect (SA)
         3. Business Owners
      2. Working with people at the team level
         1. Scrum Masters
         2. Product Owners
      3. Large solution-level roles
         1. The Solution Train Engineer
      4. Portfolio-level roles
         1. Lean Portfolio Management
         2. The Enterprise Architect
         3. Epic Owners
   4. The RTE and organizational support structures in SAFe®
      1. The RTE and the LACE
      2. The RTE and the VMO
   5. Summary
   6. References
      1. Get This Book’s PDF Version and Exclusive Extras
7. Part 2: The RTE and the Agile Release Train
8. Understanding the RTE’s Role in Launching an Agile Release Train
   1. The Implementation Roadmap and the RTE
   2. Value stream identification
      1. Why perform VSI
      2. When to revisit an existing ART design?
         1. Market conditions
         2. Changing strategy
         3. Operational performance
         4. Periodic review
      3. What to do when the ART does need to change?
      4. What if you do not have a choice over ART design?
   3. Facilitating ART readiness
      1. Why does PI Planning suffer without training?
      2. Don’t game the metrics
   4. Getting the right stakeholders engaged
      1. Choosing stakeholders based on value
      2. What if people are resistant to launching an ART?
   5. Summary
   6. References
      1. Get This Book’s PDF Version and Exclusive Extras
9. Pre-PI Planning: Creating and Understanding the Backlog
   1. What preparation do you need for a successful PI Planning event?
      1. Areas of preparation
   2. Understanding the purpose of the backlog and reflecting on its management
      1. How to record work on the backlog?
      2. How big to make it?
         1. Big backlogs affect overheads
         2. The problem of working on too many things at the same time
         3. The shelf-life risk
         4. Large backlogs
         5. Too small backlogs
      3. The backlog versus the roadmap
      4. The power of no!
      5. Building the initial backlog
      6. Types of work on the backlog
         1. Technical debt
         2. Improvement items
      7. Where to store the backlog?
      8. Who owns the ART backlog?
      9. Prioritizing using Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)
   3. Cadence of creating the PI Planning Backlog
      1. Product Management and the System Architect
      2. Business Owners
      3. Product Owners
      4. The teams
   4. Preparing PI Planning presentation content
      1. Executive briefing
      2. Product Management briefing
      3. System Architecture briefing
      4. RTE – planning context
         ...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.11.2025
• Vorwort: Andrew Sales
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Informatik
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Projektmanagement
• ISBN-10: 1-83620-522-8 / 1836205228
• ISBN-13: 978-1-83620-522-7 / 9781836205227