In Focus: Who Is The Release Train Engineer?

“A jack of all trades is a master of none,
but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
- William Shakespeare

Many of us are familiar with this quote. Most likely not the full quote, but rather parts of it such as “a jack of all trades” or “jack of all trades, master of none”. However examining the full quote from one of the English language’s best known authors provides the context of our article.

The Release Train Engineer, or RTE, position is a critical and evolving role within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®). Often referred to as the “servant leader” of SAFe®’s Agile Release Train (ART), the RTE works diligently to ensure the objectives defined for the Program Increment, or PI, are fulfilled. For many who have spent years in the realm of project management, as well as “lean” principles and practices, the RTE position and its varied responsibilities can involve a challenging shift in mindset for some managers.

Let’s Jump Right In

Similar to the Scrum Master, actually sometimes referred to as the “Chief Scrum Master” who conducts the Scrum of Scrums in SAFe®, the RTE is focused on continuously improving processes. Their list of responsibilities is varied and all-encompassing for the ART. We’ll take a look at some of the more prominent to-do’s the RTE has on their list over the course of a PI.

Prepares PI Plannings and communicates with teams

The RTE spends a substantial amount of time and effort both planning and communicating with all those involved with the Program Increment (PI). This includes defining the objectives for the PI. PI Objectives can be thought of as a summation of both the technical and business goals to be achieved.

A key aspect of the RTE’s role in this endeavor is enabling the conversation between technology and business stakeholders, creating a vision and focus based on more immediate goals. Using what is known as the Program Predictability Measure, or PPM, the RTE calculates the ratio between planned to actual business value achieved during the PI.

In Focus: Who Is The Release Train Engineer -

Manages risks and dependencies between teams

For each and every agile team as part of the ART, a Scrum Master will be assigned. Each Scrum Master is expected to participate in the “Scrum of Scrums”, in essence, a process to connect and coordinate multiple teams simultaneously with the end goal being the delivery of either a product or solution, most times, very complex in nature. The RTE is charged with leading the Scrum of Scrums.

Identifies and removes bottlenecks & obstacles

In this instance, the RTE helps resolve any issues of gridlock by identifying and providing the resources necessary to do so and facilitating that process. As many times, these bottlenecks can circle back to issues of miscommunication, misunderstandings, and a general disconnect between teams, the RTE keeps the lines of communication open and flowing between all parties.

Coaches team members, scrum masters, and executives

There is a key element at the very core of SAFe® and although it can be encapsulated with one simple word, it is one of the hardest elements to create, embody, and sustain within any project or organization; trust.

As with life in general, trust is a critical component of healthy relationships, be that with your friends or spouse, or in this case, among teams, those leading teams, as well as customers and stakeholders. It would be nearly impossible to effectively coach team members, Scrum Masters, let alone executives without an established level of trust.

Working within a transparent, cooperative, and open environment can be incredibly invigorating when led by the right people. This can be a difficult transition for some at various levels of management, that transition being from a top-down leader to a servant leader, but it is essential SAFe®.

Communicates with stakeholders and links between execution & strategy

The RTE is often communicating with the various stakeholders involved. Coordinates with the Product Management and Product Owners ensure that the ART matches the strategy that has been devised.

The RTE is connected at all levels of the organization and works under the premise of a “duty of care” for the teams in his or her ART. They are the chief driver of cooperation between teams, communicative, charismatic, compassionate, and empathetic.

Focuses on continuously improving processes

The RTE helps ensure the optimum value flow of the ART through Program Kanban, Inspect & Adapt workshops, as well as PI Planning. Additionally, they work to improve the quality of the ART using what is known as the Continuous Delivery Pipeline which involves Continuous Exploration (CE), Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), and Release on Demand.

In Focus: Who Is The Release Train Engineer - Continuous Delivery Pipeline

Source: © Scaled Agile, Inc., “Continuous Delivery Pipeline”

The RTE Toolkit

By now, you can see why the RTE truly is a Jack (or Jacqueline) of all trades. Their responsibilities are quite varied, their audiences many, and one day most likely will not look like the day before. An experienced RTE relies on a handful of trusted processes and tools to keep the ART and the respective objectives of the PI in sight and moving forward.

Let’s take a brief look at two of the *tried and true* practices a Release Train Engineer should incorporate; the RTE Backlog and ART Improvement Roadmap.

RTE Backlog

The agile backlog is the repository tool agile teams use during an Increment to track the stories and work to be completed. As the Increment progresses, the backlog is refined as stories are pulled in and adjusted. This tweaking helps ensure a more efficient, faster, and more consistent delivery of results.

Beginning with the ART, all instances of RTE facilitation to take place are added to the RTE backlog. These include everything from the Scrum of Scrums, Product Owner (PO) Syncs, System Demos, prep work for PI (Program Increment) Planning, the PI Planning itself, and possibly even more. Also for the backlog, add any RTE efforts related to other organizational deliverables and efforts.

Most likely not as obvious, it’s also a good idea for the RTE to consider placing ideas in the backlog related to their own professional development, areas for improvement, and in general any ideas to be worked on concurrently amid the Increment.

ART Improvement Roadmap

In Focus: Who Is The Release Train Engineer - road sign meaning winding road ahead

Image Credit: Mark Konig

Unlike the static, physical roadmap from days of old when what was printed was “etched in stone”, the concept of roadmaps within the framework of Scaled Agile would be more akin to a clay sculpture that can be molded, adjusted, added to, and taken from.

More specifically, for the RTE, an ART Improvement Roadmap is the opportunity for continuous refinement and enhancement of the ART’s well-being and strength in the context of Lean-Agile. On top of that, the goal is to have this happen without disrupting the goals and objectives of ART. This is done using a combination of factors such as the retrospectives, the RTE’s overall observations, and working sessions designed to solve specific problems. Although this is really a team effort involving everyone’s feedback, it is up to the RTE to maintain the Improvement Roadmap.

As this is more of a moving target approach, there will be shifts and changes as the backlog is often assessed and balanced.

We’ll Leave You With This

As we’ve seen, the RTE’s responsibilities are many and quite varied. It’s not just about doing their own work; often there is quite a bit of guidance and coaching involved assisting other individuals with their own work. And in today’s day and age where teams are often co-located around the globe, having a 30,000’ view of schedules spread across multiple time zones, different culture holidays, and religious calendars isn’t just recommended, it is essential.

Interested in learning more about the nuances of SAFe®, we’d love to start a conversation with you. Feel free to visit our website to contact us and to learn more about Agile Hive, our “SAFe® in Jira” solution. We’re anxious to hear from you!