What is a program increment?
Program increments are the heartbeat of the Scaled Agile Framework. Here's what a PI is, how it's structured, and how teams plan and track one.
Updated
Definition
A program increment (PI) is a fixed timebox, typically 8 to 12 weeks, in which an Agile Release Train delivers incremental value. It usually contains four development iterations followed by one Innovation and Planning iteration. Each PI starts with PI planning and ends with an Inspect and Adapt event.
How a PI is structured
A PI moves through four parts.
- PI planning: a one-to-two-day event where teams agree what they'll deliver, identify dependencies and commit to PI objectives.
- Development iterations: usually four sprints of two weeks where the work gets built.
- Innovation and Planning (IP) iteration: a final iteration for innovation, learning and preparing the next PI.
- Inspect and Adapt: a review at the end of the PI to demo results, measure progress and improve.
PI objectives
Each team sets PI objectives: short statements of what they intend to achieve in the PI. Business owners assign each one a business value, and objectives are marked committed or uncommitted. At the end of the PI, teams compare planned against actual business value achieved.
Tracking dependencies and risks in a PI
Dependencies between teams are usually shown on a program board. Risks raised during PI planning are sorted using ROAM: Resolved, Owned, Accepted or Mitigated. The hard part is keeping both current after planning ends.
How Ondule handles program increments
In Ondule, a PI is a real record with dates, shown on every product. PI objectives link to the milestones and epics that deliver them, and dependencies and risks stay on the product record, so the plan you make at PI planning is the plan you track all PI long.
Questions
- How long is a program increment?
- Typically 8 to 12 weeks. Ten weeks, as five two-week iterations, is common.
- What is the difference between a PI and a sprint?
- A sprint is one iteration of a single team, usually two weeks. A PI spans several sprints and aligns many teams on shared objectives.
- What happens at PI planning?
- Teams review the vision and priorities, plan their work for the PI, identify dependencies and risks, and commit to PI objectives.