PI Planning sets the tone for how an Agile Release Train works. When it goes well, teams leave with clarity, shared purpose, and a real sense of momentum. When it goes wrong, everything that follows feels heavier than it should—confusion at iteration planning, mismatched expectations, slow decision-making, and a train that never quite finds its rhythm.

The truth is, most organizations struggle with their first PI Planning because they underestimate how different this event is from anything they’ve run before. It’s not a large meeting. It’s not a workshop. It’s the heartbeat of the ART.

Let’s break down the biggest mistakes organizations make during their first PI Planning and how to avoid them.

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1. Walking Into PI Planning Without a Clear Vision

Teams can only align to something that actually exists. When leaders show up with vague goals or a loosely defined business direction, the room fills with assumptions. Teams then spend two days trying to decode what stakeholders actually want instead of planning meaningful work.

A strong vision tied to strategic themes and refined business context sets the stage for everything that follows.

A natural reference: Leaders who complete programs like the Leading SAFe Agilist Certification usually walk into PI Planning with sharper clarity and stronger strategic framing.

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2. Skipping the Prep Work for Teams and Backlogs

Your first PI Planning rarely fails because of what happens inside the room. It fails because of what wasn’t prepared before stepping into that room.

• Features not refined
• No shared definition of done
• No performance or capacity data
• Dependencies not mapped
• Enablers discovered at the last minute

This is where well-prepared Product Owners and Product Managers make a huge difference. Those who go through a structured program like the SAFe POPM Certification training know how to refine features and shape a backlog that’s ready for planning.

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3. Treating PI Planning as a Status Meeting

PI Planning is not a reporting event. The moment it slips into a status update, energy drops and alignment disappears.

Instead of long presentations, teams need:

• Space to break down work
• Time to resolve dependencies
• Access to Business Owners
• Focused collaboration

Scrum Masters often notice this drift first. With the right skills—like what they gain from the SAFe Scrum Master Certification—they can guide teams back to real planning.

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4. Ignoring the Role of Facilitation

PI Planning needs deliberate facilitation. Without it, discussions wander, decisions stall, and risks pile up.

Typical gaps include:

• No clear timeboxes
• Conversations running long
• No mechanism to raise or track risks
• Lack of escalation paths

An effective RTE keeps the flow alive. Strong facilitation is a craft, and you’ll see the difference when your RTE completes a program like the SAFe Release Train Engineer Certification.

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5. Not Mapping Dependencies Early

Dependencies don’t magically surface during the event. They need discovery weeks earlier. When they surface late, teams react instead of plan.

We often see:

• Feature work requiring another team’s API discovered mid-event
• Hardware and software teams on mismatched timelines
• Enablers ignored until breakouts start
• Integration work appearing too late

This is an area where experienced facilitators shine. Advanced Scrum Masters—especially those trained via the SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Certification—help teams uncover and manage dependencies early.

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6. Leaders Not Staying Engaged Throughout the Event

Nothing derails a PI faster than leaders dropping in and out. Teams need real-time feedback and validation to plan effectively.

When leaders disengage, teams are forced to guess.

Programs like Leading SAFe Agilist Certification training help leaders see PI Planning as a strategic tool, not a ceremonial event.

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7. Not Giving Teams Enough Space for Drafting and Revising Plans

Organizations often rush PI Planning, squeezing breakout time or overpacking Day 1. This leads to shallow planning and mismatched expectations.

Teams need time to:

• Break down features
• Negotiate shared work
• Adjust plans after feedback
• Understand risks and stretch goals

Scrum Masters with strong facilitation skills—such as those trained via the SAFe Scrum Master Certification—help teams create realistic and achievable plans.

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8. No Risk Management Structure (ROAM)

Many first-time ARTs note risks but never categorize or resolve them. Without a structured method like ROAM, risks linger and undermine predictability.

The ROAM board works because it:

• Makes risks visible
• Encourages ownership
• Forces decisions
• Improves confidence levels

For deeper understanding, this external resource is helpful: Scaled Agile Framework PI Planning Guide

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9. Setting Unrealistic Load or Team Capacity

New ARTs often overestimate capacity. They ignore historical velocity, forget unplanned work, and load teams with more than they can deliver.

Common issues include:

• Overcommitting features
• Ignoring enabler effort
• No buffer for maintenance or production issues
• Assuming teams have identical capacity

Trained POPMs—especially those who complete SAFe POPM Certification—help balance scope with real-world capacity.

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10. Treating PI Planning as a One-Time Event

PI Planning is a starting point, not a finish line. When organizations revisit plans regularly, they maintain alignment across the ART.

Strong RTEs set up the cadences and syncs that keep the train aligned long after the event. The SAFe Release Train Engineer Certification teaches these practices in depth.

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11. Forgetting That PI Planning Is a Social Alignment Event

Teams don’t just align on work—they align on relationships. When the event becomes mechanical, collaboration suffers.

Scrum Masters—especially those trained via the SAFe Scrum Master Certification—help build the human connections that make ART collaboration smoother.

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Final Thoughts

Your first PI Planning shapes how the entire ART grows. Mistakes are normal; what matters is how quickly the train learns from them.

When leaders bring clarity, teams prepare early, facilitators guide the flow, and planning becomes collaborative, PI Planning turns into a real alignment engine.

For organizations preparing for their first PI or refining their approach, these programs help strengthen the roles that have the highest impact:

• Leading SAFe Training
• SAFe POPM Certification
• SAFe Scrum Master Certification
• SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Certification
• SAFe Release Train Engineer Certification

A well-run ART doesn’t happen by accident. It grows because people know what to do, why it matters, and how their work shapes real outcomes.

 

Also read - Readiness Checklist for Launching Your First Agile Release Train

Also see - How to Sustain Momentum Across PI’s Across the Year