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Version: Version 22

PI Planning

Introduction​

What is PI Planning? PI Planning is the tab where teams plan the work for a Planning Interval (PI). Per sprint, team members assign program items to their team and create dependencies between items so the full picture of the increment is visible in one place.

Who uses it?

  • Agile Release Train (ART) facilitators: to orchestrate planning across all teams.
  • Team managers: to assign program items and manage the team's sprint load.
  • Program managers: to monitor dependencies and overall increment health.

What value does it deliver?

  • Aligns all teams on what will be delivered in the upcoming increment.
  • Makes cross-team dependencies explicit so blockers are spotted early.
  • Provides a shared planning board that stays in sync with the PI Roadmap.

How to use PI Planning​

In order to use the PI Planning, an increment needs to be added first (see Creating increments). The increment must contain one or more program items, which are added in the PI Roadmap. Teams can then be added to assign program items to (see Add teams).

The following interactive guide covers:

  • How to select an increment
  • How to add items to the planning
  • How to create dependencies between items
  • How to complete a sprint

Add or remove a sprint​

Each increment is divided into sprints. You can add or remove sprints at the end of the increment using buttons in the ⋮ menu.

Centralized planning intervals from the ART model​

Administrators can define Program Increments and Sprints centrally on an Agile Program Model, so that all connected Agile Programs automatically follow the same planning structure without manual replication.

Setting up centralized intervals​

  1. Open the Agile Program Model configuration as an administrator.
  2. Configure the increments and sprints on the model.
  3. Choose one of the following modes for connected programs:
    • Follow model: all connected programs inherit the model's increments and sprints. Program managers see read-only selectors and cannot add, edit, or remove increments or sprints locally; only administrators can modify the structure on the model itself.
    • Editable in agile program (default): each program manages its own increment and sprint structure independently.

Migrating existing programs to "Follow model"​

When you enable Follow model on a model that already has active programs with locally-created increments, a migration dialog appears. It helps you map existing local increments to the model increments using intelligent name-matching. Review and adjust the suggestions before confirming.

Note: Migration runs in a single session. If you postpone it, the mapping cannot be split across multiple sessions.

Automatic velocity creation​

When a new increment is added to the model, velocity entries are automatically created across all connected programs, copying values from the previous increment. Teams can still adjust velocities locally on their individual programs.

Best practices​

  • Align naming conventions across teams before enabling Follow model to get the best auto-mapping suggestions during migration.
  • Test on one program first before rolling out to all connected programs.
  • Review auto-copied velocities after migration to verify they reflect actual team capacity.

Best practices​

  • Assign program items to sprints before the PI Planning session starts so teams can focus on dependencies during the meeting.
  • Keep sprint capacity visible to prevent overcommitment.
  • Complete sprints as work is finished to keep the PI Roadmap accurate.

FAQ​

What is the difference between PI Planning and the PI Roadmap? The PI Roadmap is where program items are created and placed on the timeline. PI Planning is where teams assign those items to sprints and map dependencies.

Can program managers edit increments when following a model? No. When a program follows a model, increment and sprint management is locked to administrators on the model. Program managers see read-only selectors.

What happens to velocities when a new model increment is added? FCC automatically creates velocity entries for the new increment on all connected programs by copying values from the previous increment.

Need more support?​

For step-by-step instructions or troubleshooting, contact your Fortes Change Cloud administrator or consult in-app help.