The Release Train Engineer or else RTE plays a is a key role in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
📈 The Scaled Agile Framework is used by big companies / organisations who need to setup common goals & strategy for numerous Agile Teams. Those teams put together, along with some additional roles, form an Agile Release Train – ART. The setup & the optimal application of SAFe, according to the ART’s needs, falls on the shoulders of the RTE.
♻️ In Scrum, everything is built around the Sprint. We could say that a Sprint is a mini project, since a Planning / Execution / Monitoring / Closing cycle is built around it. On the other hand, in SAFe, the Planning / Execution / Monitoring / Closing cycle is built around the Program Increment (PI) and usually it is comprised of 5x 2-week Sprints – total duration of a PI is 10 weeks. It is the RTE’s responsibility to make sure that for every PI, there is an established & agreed plan on ART level. During the execution phase of the PI, the RTE tracks the risks, the milestones and the objectives of the ART in relation to the agreed plan. In addition, the RTE escalates to the ART’s management any blocking points that inhibit the achievement of the ART’s Objectives. The planning, the execution, the monitoring and the closing activities are done through a meeting cadence whose setup and facilitation is done by the RTE.
🙌 The RTE coaches the leadership of the ART & the Scrum Masters of the Agile Teams in the ways of SAFe and tries to constantly optimise the communication, the synergies between them and to maximise, as a result, the ART’s produced value. The RTE is an exemplary Servant Leader and is often referred as the Scrum Master of the Scrum Masters.
⚙️ To sum up, the RTE is a key component of the ART’s motor – everything that is done on the ART level involves the RTE.
What’s next?
- Take a look at the definition of the role on the official Scaled Agile Framework website.
- Check Agileteka’s SAFe course – currently on Udemy (more platforms to follow). We cover all the Do’s & the Dont’s of the RTE – artifacts, meetings, responsibilities in relation to the rest of the roles of the ART.
