Duration: 30 minutes

As we embark on our immersive PI Planning Simulation journey, it’s essential to set the right tone and ensure everyone is comfortable and familiar with the environment. That’s where our Kick-off Warm-up Activity comes into play.

What to Expect?

1. Welcoming & Introductions: A brief moment for participants to introduce themselves, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie right from the start.

2. Environment Familiarization: We’ll guide you through the simulation tools and platforms we’ll be using, ensuring you’re comfortable navigating and utilizing them effectively.

3. Setting the Stage: This is where we lay down the ground rules, set expectations, and clarify any queries. It’s all about ensuring everyone is on the same page and ready to dive into the simulation with confidence.

4. Engaging Icebreakers: A couple of light-hearted activities to break the ice, get those creative juices flowing, and build team synergy.

This warm-up is not just a precursor but an integral part of our simulation. It ensures that when the main event begins, everyone is engaged, familiar with the tools, and, most importantly, excited about the journey ahead. So, come prepared to mingle, explore, and set the stage for an enriching PI Planning Simulation experience!

Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours

The Business Executive Briefing is a pivotal moment in our PI Planning Simulation. It sets the strategic direction for the entire Program Increment, ensuring that every participant understands the broader vision and the specific expectations for the upcoming PI.

Key Highlights:

1. Vision Presentation: The Business Executive, played by a well-prepared volunteer, will present the overarching vision for the Program Increment. This vision will serve as the guiding light, ensuring all teams align their efforts towards a unified goal.

2. Expectations Clarification: Beyond the vision, it’s crucial to understand the tangible expectations. The briefing will delve into the specific outcomes, milestones, and deliverables expected by the end of the PI.

3. Interactive Q&A: After the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, seek clarifications, and ensure they have a clear understanding of the vision and expectations.

4. Realistic Simulation: Our volunteers are meticulously prepared ahead of the training to ensure that the briefing mirrors a real-world scenario. Their role is not just to present but to emulate the nuances, challenges, and dynamics of a genuine Business Executive Briefing.

The Business Executive Briefing isn’t just about imparting information; it’s about inspiring, aligning, and motivating all teams to work cohesively towards a shared vision. With our realistic simulation, participants will not only grasp the content but also experience the intricacies of navigating and absorbing strategic briefings in a real-world setting.

Duration: 1 hour

In the heart of any successful Program Increment lies a clear and actionable product vision. The Product Visions segment of our simulation delves deep into this crucial aspect, ensuring that every participant is aligned with the product’s direction and understands its significance in the broader business landscape.

Key Highlights:

1. Customer Expectations & Feedback: Product Management will shed light on the invaluable insights gathered from customers. This feedback is the cornerstone of our product development, ensuring we’re not just building products, but solutions that resonate with our user base.

2. Vision for This PI: Beyond the immediate feedback, it’s essential to understand the broader vision for this Program Increment. Product Management will present the strategic direction, goals, and objectives for this PI, ensuring all teams are aligned and motivated towards a common purpose.

3. Top 10-ish Features: The crux of the session will be the unveiling of the top features slated for development in this PI. These features, carefully curated and prioritized, represent the most significant value propositions and are pivotal to the product’s success in the upcoming increment.

4. Interactive Discussion: This isn’t a one-way street. After the presentation, teams will have the opportunity to discuss, ask questions, and provide their insights, ensuring a holistic understanding and collaborative approach to the product’s vision.

The Product Visions session is more than just a presentation; it’s a collaborative dialogue. It’s about ensuring that every team member, from developers to testers, understands the “why” behind the “what.” With a clear vision and a set of prioritized features, teams are empowered to deliver products that truly make a difference.

Duration: 20 minutes

As we navigate through the virtual corridors of our PI Planning Simulation, it’s essential to take a momentary pause. We present to you a 20-minute Tea Break – an ideal opportunity to step away from your screens, stretch a bit, and refresh your mind.

What to Expect?

1. Home Comforts: Being at home has its perks! Brew your favorite tea or coffee, grab a snack from your kitchen, and enjoy a few moments of relaxation in the comfort of your own space.

2. Digital Detox: Use this time to disconnect from the digital realm. A short break from screens can help reduce eye strain and improve focus for the sessions ahead.

3. Stretch & Move: Sitting for extended periods can be taxing. Use this break to stand up, stretch, or even take a quick walk around your home. Physical movement can invigorate the mind and body.

4. Personal Time: Whether you want to reflect on the session, make some quick notes, or just enjoy the tranquility, this break is yours to use as you see fit.

Remember, even in a virtual setting, breaks play a crucial role in enhancing the learning experience. They provide a moment of respite, allowing us to absorb information better and return with renewed energy.

Resumption: Once our break concludes, ensure you’re back online promptly. We’ll dive right back into the next segment of our PI Planning Simulation, continuing our collaborative and enlightening journey!

Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours

The foundation of any successful product lies in its architecture. The Architectural Vision segment of our simulation delves into the intricate details of the system’s architecture, ensuring that every participant comprehends the technical direction and its implications for the upcoming Program Increment.

Key Highlights:

1. Current Architecture & Challenges: Our System Architect, a dedicated volunteer, will provide insights into the existing system architecture, highlighting its strengths and pinpointing the challenges that need addressing.

2. Proposed Architectural Changes: As the product evolves, so does its architecture. The briefing will cover the proposed changes to the architecture, ensuring that teams understand the rationale behind each modification.

3. Recommendations to the Engineering Team: Beyond the architectural changes, the System Architect will provide specific recommendations to the engineering teams. These insights will guide development efforts, ensuring alignment with the architectural vision.

4. Top 10-15 Enablers: The session’s focal point will be the introduction of the top enablers that teams should prioritize in their current PI. These enablers, vital for the system’s evolution, will pave the way for feature development and ensure the product’s scalability and robustness.

5. Pre-Simulation Preparation: Our volunteers, playing the role of the System Architect, undergo a meticulous pre-simulation session. This preparation ensures that the Architectural Vision presented is not only informative but also mirrors real-world scenarios, enhancing the realism of the simulation.

The Architectural Vision session is a blend of strategic direction and technical depth. It equips teams with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions, ensuring that the product’s architecture supports and enhances the broader business objectives.

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

As we transition from understanding the architectural and product visions, it’s crucial to set the stage for the actual planning process. The Planning Context session, led by the RTE (Release Train Engineer), is designed to provide teams with a clear roadmap of the planning process, tools, and expected outcomes.

Key Highlights:

1. Planning Process Overview: The RTE will present a comprehensive overview of the planning process, ensuring that every participant is aligned with the steps and stages involved.

2. Team Formation: A crucial aspect of the planning process, teams will be formed during this session. The formation ensures that each team has the right mix of skills and expertise to tackle the challenges ahead.

3. Capacity Planning & Allocation: Understanding and allocating capacity is pivotal for a successful PI. The RTE will guide teams through capacity planning, ensuring that resources are optimally utilized. This includes allocating capacity to different work types, ensuring a balanced approach.

4. Tools Introduction: A brief introduction to the tools that teams will use during the planning process. This ensures that everyone is comfortable and familiar with the tools, enhancing efficiency and collaboration.

5. Feature and Enabler Distribution: The RTE will oversee the distribution of features and enablers to the respective teams, ensuring that priorities are maintained and teams are equipped to deliver maximum value.

6. Preview of the Team Breakdown Session: To set the stage for the next segment, the RTE will provide a glimpse into the upcoming 3-hour Team Breakdown session. This preview ensures that teams are mentally prepared and clear about the objectives of the next exercise.

Following the Planning Context, participants will have a lunch break, offering a moment of relaxation and refueling before diving into the intensive Team Breakdown session.

The Planning Context session is not just about process and tools; it’s about setting the right tone, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that every team is empowered with the knowledge and resources they need for a successful planning exercise.

Duration:  1 hour

Recognizing the diverse time zones of our participants, we’ve scheduled a Dinner/Lunch Break after our Planning Context session. Whether it’s lunchtime or dinnertime in your part of the world, this break offers a moment of relaxation and refueling before we dive deeper into the simulation.

What to Expect?

1. Home Comforts: One of the perks of joining from home is the comfort of your own kitchen. Prepare your favorite meal, be it lunch or dinner, and enjoy it in the cozy ambiance of your space.
2. Digital Detox: A brief respite from screens can do wonders for focus and energy. Use this time to disconnect, savor your meal, and perhaps even take a short walk or stretch.
3. Mental Refresh: Beyond just a meal break, use this time to reflect on the session so far, jot down any thoughts or questions, or simply relax and recharge for the sessions ahead.
4. Networking Opportunity: If you wish, you can use this break to connect with fellow participants informally. Sharing insights or discussing the day’s events can provide valuable perspectives.

As we reconvene post this break, we’ll be diving into the heart of our PI Planning Simulation. Ensure you’re back on time, rejuvenated, and ready for the collaborative and enlightening journey ahead!

Duration: 3 to 4 hours

The Team Break Out session is where the rubber meets the road. After absorbing the broader visions and contexts, teams now dive deep into the practical aspects of planning their iterations. This hands-on session is designed to simulate the real-world challenges and intricacies of agile planning, ensuring teams are well-equipped to translate visions into actionable plans.

Key Highlights:

1. Capacity Estimation: Each team will estimate their capacity for every iteration, ensuring that they have a clear understanding of their bandwidth and capabilities.

2. Backlog Prioritization: With capacity in mind, teams will identify and prioritize the backlog items essential to realize the features. This step ensures that the most critical items are addressed first, aligning with the broader product and architectural visions.

3. Draft Plans Creation: Teams will create draft plans for each iteration, making them visible to all participants. This transparency fosters collaboration and ensures that every stakeholder is aligned with the team’s direction.

4. Risk & Dependency Identification: As teams delve into planning, they’ll inevitably identify risks and dependencies. These will be documented, ensuring that they’re addressed proactively.

5. Drafting PI Objectives: Each team will draft their initial team PI objectives, setting clear goals and expectations for the upcoming Program Increment.

6. Tool Utilization:

   • Miro or Jira: Teams will use Miro or Jira for planning their iterations, ensuring that tasks, stories, and epics are organized and tracked efficiently.
   • Confluence: For documenting objectives, risks, and other essential information, teams will leverage Confluence, ensuring that knowledge is centralized and accessible.

7. Experienced RTE Alignment: To enhance the learning experience and ensure that teams are guided appropriately, we’ll align an experienced RTE to each Team Break Out. Their expertise will be invaluable in navigating challenges and ensuring that teams get the most out of the session.

The Team Break Out session is the heart of the PI Planning Simulation. It’s where teams transition from understanding to action, ensuring that they’re not just equipped with knowledge but also with practical skills and experience to excel in real-world PI Planning scenarios.

Duration: 20 minutes

After the intensive “Team Break Out” session, it’s time for another brief pause. We present to you a 20-minute Tea Break – a perfect opportunity to step away from your screens, stretch, and refresh your mind.

What to Expect?

1. Home Comforts: Being at home offers the luxury of your own kitchen. Brew your favorite tea or coffee and perhaps grab a light snack to recharge.

2. Digital Detox: A short break from screens can help reduce eye strain and improve focus for the sessions ahead. Use this time to disconnect, relax, and rejuvenate.

3. Stretch & Move: It’s always a good idea to move around a bit after sitting for an extended period. Stand up, stretch, or take a quick walk around your home to invigorate your mind and body.

4. Reflection Time: Use this break to reflect on the “Team Break Out” session, jot down any thoughts or questions, or simply enjoy the tranquility.

As we reconvene post this break, we’ll be diving into the “Management Review and Problem-Solving” session. Ensure you’re back on time, refreshed, and ready to engage in this critical segment of our PI Planning Simulation.

You can place this description right after the “Team Break Out” section and before the “Management Review and Problem-Solving” section in your course outline.

Duration: 1 hour

The Draft Plan Review is a pivotal checkpoint in our PI Planning Simulation. After the intensive breakout sessions where teams dive deep into planning, this session serves as a platform for teams to present, review, and refine their draft plans. It’s a collaborative space where feedback is exchanged, ensuring that the plans are robust, aligned, and set up for success.

Key Highlights:

1. Presentation of Key Outputs: Each team will present their primary planning outputs. This includes:

   • Capacity and Load: A clear breakdown of the team’s estimated capacity for the upcoming Program Increment.
   • Draft PI Objectives: The objectives that each team aims to achieve by the end of the PI.
   • Potential Risks: Challenges and uncertainties that might impact the team’s ability to meet their objectives.
   • Dependencies: Interdependencies with other teams or external factors that need to be managed.

2. Stakeholder Review: Key stakeholders, including Business Owners and Product Management, will review the presented plans. Their insights, coming from a broader business perspective, are invaluable in refining and optimizing the plans.

3. Team-to-Team Collaboration: This session isn’t just about top-down feedback. Other teams will also review and provide input, ensuring that inter-team dependencies and challenges are addressed collaboratively.

4. Feedback Loop: The essence of the Draft Plan Review is feedback. Teams will receive constructive input on their plans, and they’ll have the opportunity to clarify, adjust, and refine based on this feedback.

5. Alignment & Consensus: The ultimate goal of this session is to ensure alignment across all teams and stakeholders. By the end of the review, there should be a consensus on the direction, objectives, and approach for the upcoming Program Increment.

The Draft Plan Review is more than just a presentation session; it’s a collaborative forum. It ensures that every team’s plan is not only robust in its own right but also perfectly aligned with the broader organizational goals and objectives.

Duration: 1 hour

As we wrap up the first day of our PI Planning Simulation, the Management Review and Problem-Solving session serves as a critical checkpoint. This session is designed to address and resolve the challenges that have emerged from the draft plans, ensuring that the teams are set up for success as they move into Day 2.

Key Highlights:

1. Review of Draft Plans: Management will conduct a thorough review of the draft plans presented by the teams. This review will identify challenges related to scope, resource constraints, dependencies, and other potential roadblocks.

2. Collaborative Problem-Solving: Recognizing challenges is just the first step. The core of this session lies in collaboratively finding solutions. Whether it’s negotiating scope changes, reallocating resources, or addressing dependencies, the focus is on ensuring that the plans are both robust and achievable.

3. RTE Facilitation: The RTE (Release Train Engineer) plays a pivotal role in this session. As the facilitator, the RTE ensures that discussions remain productive, stakeholders stay engaged, and decisions are made in a timely manner.

4. Stakeholder Engagement: This isn’t just a top-down review. All primary stakeholders are actively involved, ensuring that decisions made are holistic, considering both strategic objectives and ground realities.

5. Decision-Making: The ultimate goal of this session is decision-making. By the end of the hour, there should be clear resolutions to the identified challenges, ensuring that teams have a clear path forward for Day 2.

The Management Review and Problem-Solving session is the culmination of Day 1’s efforts. It ensures that the hard work put into planning is complemented by effective problem-solving, setting the stage for a successful and productive Day 2.