Agile Release Train (ART)

What is an Agile Release Train (ART)?

An Agile Release Train (ART) is a long-term team of Agile teams that collaborates to deliver incremental value in large-scale Agile frameworks, particularly in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). It consists of multiple Agile teams (typically 5-12) working together towards a common vision, aligned with shared goals and program increments (PIs). ART operates on a fixed schedule, typically delivering working software or solutions in a series of program increments, each lasting around 8-12 weeks. The ART synchronizes the efforts of multiple teams to ensure alignment and continuous delivery of value.

When is an Agile Release Train (ART) Used?

ARTs are employed when an organization adopts the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) or other large-scale Agile frameworks to manage and coordinate work across multiple Agile teams. It is used when:

Multiple Teams Work on a Single Product or Solution: ART is beneficial when different teams need to collaborate continuously on different components or features of the same product.
Need for Alignment Across Teams: ART ensures that different teams work towards common objectives, with their work synchronized and aligned with overall business priorities.
Incremental Delivery of Value: ART is designed for organizations that want to deliver incremental value over time rather than all at once.

Pros of Agile Release Train (ART)

Alignment and Coordination: ART enables consistent alignment between teams working on different parts of a large system, ensuring that their efforts are coordinated towards common goals.
Transparency: With regular program increments and PI planning sessions, ART offers transparency across teams, ensuring all stakeholders understand the progress and next steps.
Continuous Delivery of Value: ART promotes the delivery of working solutions at regular intervals, fostering continuous feedback and adaptation.
Scalability: ART is specifically designed to scale Agile practices for large enterprises with multiple teams, making it easier to manage complex projects or portfolios.

Cons of Agile Release Train (ART)

Complexity: Implementing ART requires significant coordination, planning, and effort. With multiple teams and program increments to manage, complexity can increase, especially if not well-structured.
High Overhead: ART involves multiple layers of planning, communication, and tracking, which may introduce additional overhead compared to simpler Agile approaches like Scrum.
Rigidity: The fixed cadence of ART, while useful for alignment, may limit flexibility if the organization or teams need to pivot frequently.
Resource Intensive: ART requires dedicated roles like Release Train Engineers (RTEs) to manage coordination, which may be resource-intensive for smaller organizations.

How is an Agile Release Train (ART) Useful for Product Managers?

For product managers, ART offers several key benefits:

Visibility and Alignment: ART allows product managers to see how different Agile teams’ work contributes to the overall product vision. This alignment across teams ensures that product development stays on track with strategic goals.
Coordinated Planning: ART uses program increment (PI) planning sessions, where product managers can ensure that all teams’ work aligns with the product roadmap and prioritize features or functionality accordingly.
Regular Feedback: With each program increment, product managers receive incremental deliveries that can be reviewed and refined based on feedback, allowing for continuous improvement and customer-centric development.
Stakeholder Communication: ART helps product managers communicate clearly with stakeholders by providing structured progress updates and showcasing incremental releases.

When Should Agile Release Train (ART) Not Be Used?

ART may not be the right choice in certain scenarios:

Smaller Teams or Projects: For small teams or projects where cross-team coordination isn’t needed, the complexity of ART may outweigh the benefits.
High Volatility: If the product or market requires frequent changes in direction, the fixed cadence of ART may be too rigid to accommodate these shifts quickly.
Lack of Sufficient Resources: ART requires roles like Release Train Engineers (RTEs), which smaller organizations may not have the capacity to fill.

Related Terms

← All Terms

No	Title	Brief
1	Alpha Test	Initial testing of a product prototype within the developing company to identify potential defects.
2	Beta Test	Testing a new product prototype with actual users to discover potential defects before launch.
3	Brand Extension	A variation of a product that carries the brand name of the core product.
4	Prototype	A preliminary version of a new product used for research purposes.
5	Agile Development	A methodology emphasizing iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams.
6	Scrum	An Agile framework for managing work with an emphasis on software development, involving roles such as Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team.
7	Sprint	A set period during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for review in Agile frameworks like Scrum.
8	Minimum Viable Product (MVP)	A version of a new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.
9	Continuous Integration (CI)	A practice in software engineering where team members integrate their work frequently, typically several times a day.
10	Definition of Done	A shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, ensuring that nothing is left out and work meets the agreed quality.