Inspect and Adapt (I&A) sessions are where real improvement happens in SAFe. Teams lay their cards on the table, examine results, and decide how to work smarter next time. But you can’t improve what you don’t measure. The trick is knowing which metrics actually drive learning and action, rather than just filling slides. Here’s what matters, why it matters, and how to use each metric in your I&A sessions.

1. PI Objectives Achievement

Start with the basics: Did teams deliver on what they committed to during the last Program Increment (PI)? Look at the PI Objectives planned versus achieved. This is the most direct indicator of whether the ART is delivering real value.

• How to use: Don’t just count completed objectives. Dig into stretch objectives, uncommitted work, and which business outcomes were actually hit. Discuss why objectives were missed—was it due to dependencies, lack of clarity, or technical challenges?

• Why it matters: Consistent PI objective achievement signals maturity. Spotting dips early helps leaders provide support, not blame.

• Related resource: Leading SAFe Agilist Certification Training covers how to define and track objectives at scale.

2. Predictability Measure (ART Predictability)

The Predictability Measure is SAFe’s way of checking if teams are doing what they say they’ll do. It’s usually tracked as a percentage: total actual business value achieved divided by total planned business value (across all teams).

• How to use: Calculate the ratio for each ART and share it during the I&A session. If predictability drops, ask why. Are estimates consistently off? Are priorities shifting mid-PI?

• Why it matters: High predictability means you can trust the train. If numbers are all over the place, it’s a sign that something’s broken in planning or execution.

3. Throughput

This is all about flow: How many stories, features, or epics are teams actually delivering in each sprint or PI?

• How to use: Look for trends over time. If throughput is flat or falling, what’s causing bottlenecks? Use tools like cumulative flow diagrams to visualize it.

• Why it matters: Throughput connects directly to value delivery and forecasting. If you want to improve, you need to see where the work is really going.

• Related resource: For a deep dive on flow, check out the SAFe Product Owner Product Manager POPM Certification.

4. Quality Metrics: Defects and Escaped Defects

Delivering fast is great, but not if quality suffers. Track both internal defects (found by the team) and escaped defects (found by customers after release).

• How to use: Share both types in your I&A. Escaped defects are the true test—they reveal gaps in your definition of done, testing practices, or system integration.

• Why it matters: Rising escaped defects mean you’re moving too fast, cutting corners, or missing integration problems. You want to spot these patterns early.

5. Team and ART Velocity

Velocity is often misunderstood. Used correctly, it gives teams a way to understand their delivery pace and forecast future work.

• How to use: Track velocity for each team and the ART as a whole. Discuss any big fluctuations—are they due to team changes, holidays, or unstable planning?

• Why it matters: Stable velocity is a sign of a healthy, sustainable pace. Wild swings mean it’s time for a closer look at estimation or team health.

• Related resource: The SAFe Scrum Master Certification digs into how to coach teams toward healthy, predictable velocity.

6. Lead Time and Cycle Time

Lead time is the total time from work starting to work finishing. Cycle time zooms in on the time from “in progress” to “done.” Both matter when you want to deliver faster without chaos.

• How to use: Measure for both features and stories. Watch for outliers. If lead or cycle time starts creeping up, look for bottlenecks—like reviews, approvals, or integration points.

• Why it matters: Shorter lead and cycle times mean your process is tight, and customers are getting value sooner.

• External resource: Atlassian’s guide to lead and cycle time is a solid, practical explainer.

7. WIP (Work in Progress) Limits

Teams that take on too much get less done. It’s that simple. WIP limits help visualize and control how much is in flight.

• How to use: Track how often teams exceed WIP limits. Discuss what’s causing overload—lack of focus, pressure from outside, or poor prioritization?

• Why it matters: Consistently ignoring WIP limits is a red flag for burnout and missed commitments. Keeping WIP visible and managed leads to smoother flow.

• Related resource: Advanced coaching on flow and WIP is covered in the SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Certification Training.

8. Action Item Closure Rate

Every I&A session ends with a list of improvement actions. But if you’re not tracking whether these actions are actually closed before the next session, you’re just running in circles.

• How to use: Review open versus closed action items. Did improvements happen? Why or why not?

• Why it matters: If nothing changes between sessions, morale and trust suffer. Action item closure keeps the feedback loop real.

9. Release Frequency

How often are you actually delivering value to production? PI boundaries matter, but customers care about working software.

• How to use: Track deployments and releases between I&A sessions. Discuss blockers to more frequent releases.

• Why it matters: If release frequency is low, find out why—maybe you need better automation, or you’re waiting on integration.

10. DevOps and Automation Metrics

Modern ARTs can’t deliver fast or safe without a solid DevOps pipeline. Useful metrics here include build frequency, deployment success rates, and mean time to recover from failures.

• How to use: Bring in your DevOps leads for this. If builds are failing, deployments are slow, or fixes take too long, make it a top priority for improvement.

• Why it matters: These numbers tell you if your foundation is strong or if you’re building on sand.

• Related resource: Leading ARTs often invest in RTEs who drive DevOps excellence—see SAFe Release Train Engineer Certification Training.

11. Team and Program Health Assessments

Numbers only tell half the story. Use periodic health assessments to get a sense of morale, collaboration, and psychological safety.

• How to use: Run anonymous surveys or SAFe’s Team/ART health assessments. Share the results at I&A. Use it to start real conversations, not just as a checkbox.

• Why it matters: If people are burnt out or disconnected, performance will suffer. This is your early warning system.

• External resource: Scaled Agile’s Team and Technical Agility self-assessment is a good template.

12. Retrospective Themes and Recurring Issues

Sometimes the best “metrics” are patterns in what people say. Keep a log of recurring themes from retrospectives—like lack of clarity, repeated blockers, or wins.

• How to use: Review past retros for repeat offenders or chronic pain points. These patterns usually point to system-level issues worth tackling.

• Why it matters: Quantitative data is only half the picture. Recurring themes are gold for continuous improvement.

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Bringing It All Together

An effective Inspect and Adapt session doesn’t drown in numbers. It brings together the right data—PI objectives, predictability, quality, flow, DevOps health, and team sentiment—and uses it as fuel for honest conversations and real change.

If you want to dig deeper into metrics, coaching, or how to facilitate powerful I&A sessions, certifications like Leading SAFe Agilist, SAFe POPM, SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, and SAFe Release Train Engineer are a smart next step.

And remember, the most important metric is whether things are actually getting better for your teams and customers, not just the numbers on a dashboard.

 

Also read - Common Challenges in SAFe Inspect and Adapt and How to Overcome Them

 Also see - The Role of Problem Solving in Inspect and Adapt Workshops