SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is an Agile Release Train (ART) in SAFe?
- A deployment pipeline tool
- A long-lived team of teams that delivers value on a regular cadence (Correct answer)
- A project management methodology
- A type of sprint ceremony
Correct answer: A long-lived team of teams that delivers value on a regular cadence
An ART is a long-lived team of 5–12 Agile teams (50–125 people) that plans, commits, and delivers together on a PI cadence.
Question 2: What is the typical size of an Agile Release Train?
- 5–10 people
- 10–25 people
- 50–125 people (Correct answer)
- 200–500 people
Correct answer: 50–125 people
An ART typically consists of 50–125 people organized into 5–12 Agile teams, sized to maximize communication and coordination.
Question 3: What is the primary output of an Agile Release Train?
- A program roadmap
- A potentially shippable Program Increment (Correct answer)
- A quarterly budget update
- A set of team velocities
Correct answer: A potentially shippable Program Increment
The ART delivers a potentially shippable Program Increment (PI) every 8–12 weeks, demonstrating working software or solution.
Question 4: Which ceremony is unique to the ART level and occurs at the end of each PI?
- Sprint Retrospective
- System Demo
- Inspect and Adapt (I&A) (Correct answer)
- Backlog Refinement
Correct answer: Inspect and Adapt (I&A)
The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshop at the end of each PI is the ART's primary mechanism for continuous improvement.
Question 5: What is the purpose of the ART Sync in SAFe?
- Daily standup for all teams
- Regular ART-level meeting to address cross-team dependencies and impediments (Correct answer)
- Monthly budget review
- Quarterly executive briefing
Correct answer: Regular ART-level meeting to address cross-team dependencies and impediments
The ART Sync (or Scrum of Scrums) is a regular cadenced event where team representatives coordinate cross-team dependencies and remove blockers.
Question 6: How does the ART use a 'Program Board' during PI Planning?
- To track individual team budgets
- To visualize team PI objectives, cross-team dependencies, and milestones (Correct answer)
- To manage the product portfolio
- To assign story points to features
Correct answer: To visualize team PI objectives, cross-team dependencies, and milestones
The Program Board makes cross-team dependencies and commitments visible, helping the ART identify and manage risks during PI Planning.
SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) 1
What is an Agile Release Train (ART) in SAFe?