A Planning Interval (PI) in SAFe isn’t just about setting up a bunch of work for the next 8-12 weeks and hoping it all goes to plan. The real muscle of business agility shows up when teams pause, get honest, and improve how they work—together. That’s where the Inspect and Adapt session comes in.

But most organizations treat I&A like a box-ticking exercise. People go through the motions, rush through the metrics, and avoid the messy work of real change.

Let’s break down how to make I&A sessions genuinely effective, so you get actual improvement, not just a pretty slide deck.

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1. What Is an Inspect and Adapt Session?

At its core, the I&A session is a structured opportunity for teams to review the outcomes of their Planning Interval.
It’s not a retro for the sake of retro.
Instead, it has three main parts:

• PI System Demo: Show the real, working solutions developed during the PI—end-to-end, not just stories in isolation.

• Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement: Dig into the numbers and the story behind them. What did you commit to? What did you deliver? What bottlenecks showed up?

• Problem-Solving Workshop: Here’s where the action happens. Teams work together to analyze root causes and design experiments or improvements for the next interval.

You can find a solid rundown on how SAFe structures these sessions in Scaled Agile’s official guide.

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2. Why I&A Sessions Often Fall Flat

Let’s call it like it is:
Many I&A sessions don’t deliver the punch they should. Here’s why:

• Superficial Data: Teams present cherry-picked or incomplete data. There’s little trust, so people gloss over failures.

• Lack of Real Discussion: The “discussion” becomes a polite review instead of an honest look at what didn’t work.

• No Actionable Outcomes: People leave with generic improvement items that never get tracked, never get done.

To fix this, you need intent, structure, and some courage from both leadership and teams.

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3. Preparing for a High-Value I&A Session

You can’t wing it and expect deep insight.
Preparation is half the battle:

a. Get the Right Data—Early

Don’t wait until the I&A to scramble for metrics. Make it someone’s responsibility to collect and publish these in advance:

• Committed vs. Achieved Objectives

• Defect Trends

• Cycle Times

• Feature Completion Rates

• Escaped Defects or Incidents

This level of discipline is exactly what the SAFe Scrum Master Certification equips teams to deliver—knowing how to gather and interpret team data in context.

b. Create Psychological Safety

If people are scared to speak up, nothing meaningful will change. Leadership needs to demonstrate that mistakes are learning opportunities, not causes for blame.
Building this environment is a recurring topic in Leading SAFe Agilist Certification Training, and for good reason—it’s essential for transparency and growth.

c. Set Expectations

I&A is not about shaming, and it’s not about passive agreement. It’s about honest reflection, creative problem-solving, and commitment to real change.

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4. Running the I&A: The Three Pillars

I. The PI System Demo

This isn’t a slideshow or a bunch of Jira tickets.
It’s a walk-through of working features, ideally as the end user would see them. This makes gaps, shortcuts, or misalignments painfully obvious—and that’s the point.

Tip: Involve stakeholders who actually use the product, not just the internal team.
That outside perspective is gold.

II. Metrics Review—Quantitative and Qualitative

Don’t just report numbers—interpret them.
Numbers alone won’t change behavior, but their story will. For example:

• Did a spike in defects come from last-minute scope changes?

• Are features being “completed” but never deployed?

• Did cross-team dependencies slow everyone down?

Ask: What patterns do we see?
This is the time to invite open, data-driven conversation.

III. Problem-Solving Workshop

This is the heart of the I&A.
Here, teams pick one or two meaty problems, analyze them using techniques like the “Five Whys” or fishbone diagrams, and then design a real experiment for the next PI.

A good SAFe Product Owner Product Manager (POPM) Certification teaches exactly these facilitation skills—how to get to root cause and drive true improvement, not just surface fixes.

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5. Keys to a Powerful Problem-Solving Workshop

• Limit the Scope: Don’t try to fix everything. Choose the problem with the highest impact or the one that’s blocked the most value.

• Go Deep, Not Wide: Use root cause analysis to avoid treating symptoms.

• Get Cross-Functional: Bring in people who have the authority and perspective to fix things—architects, operations, even customers when it makes sense.

• Define Real Experiments: Commit to one or two experiments for the next PI, not a laundry list of generic action items.

The SAFe Release Train Engineer Certification Training offers frameworks for facilitating these workshops and making sure follow-through actually happens.

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6. Making Improvement Stick

Here’s where most teams drop the ball—great ideas, then business as usual.
To avoid that:

• Make Experiments Visible: Track agreed experiments as first-class work items in your team or ART backlog.

• Assign Owners: Every experiment must have a clear owner responsible for its progress.

• Review Progress Publicly: Start every new PI with a quick review of previous experiments. Celebrate wins and talk through failures openly.

Accountability isn’t about policing—it’s about helping everyone learn and grow.

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7. Advanced Tips: Getting More from Your I&A

a. Rotate Facilitators

Fresh eyes prevent ruts. Use your certified Scrum Masters or Release Train Engineers to shake up the format and bring new energy.

b. Experiment with Format

Try different techniques—Liberating Structures, Lean Coffee, or even breakout sessions. The goal is to keep engagement high and avoid the “retro fatigue” trap.

c. Link to Strategy

Tie improvement efforts back to business outcomes or strategic themes. This aligns everyone’s energy and helps show the value of the I&A to leadership.

d. Keep a Backlog of Problems

Not everything can be solved now, but capturing pain points means you can revisit them when priorities shift.

e. Benchmark and Share

Look at how other ARTs or teams are running I&A. Share your learnings and borrow what works. Here’s a solid example from Atlassian on running effective retrospectives.

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8. Role of Leadership and Culture in I&A

Inspect and Adapt isn’t a process you impose on people—it’s a mindset you cultivate.
Leaders set the tone by:

• Showing vulnerability and openness to feedback

• Supporting teams through change, not just demanding results

• Investing in ongoing learning (the SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Certification Training covers advanced coaching for exactly these scenarios)

Teams thrive when they see leaders walk the talk.

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9. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Pitfall #1: The session runs long and loses energy
Solution: Timebox ruthlessly. Prep material in advance, keep focus sharp.

Pitfall #2: Outcomes aren’t tracked
Solution: Make improvement experiments as visible as features or stories.

Pitfall #3: Teams gloss over hard truths
Solution: Foster psychological safety. Leaders should model honest, non-blaming feedback.

Pitfall #4: The same issues resurface
Solution: Use root cause analysis and actually change the system, not just the people.

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10. When I&A Works—What Changes?

• Teams move from firefighting to true improvement.

• Cross-team friction drops because blockers are addressed openly.

• The organization becomes more resilient, not just more efficient.

• Business outcomes start matching expectations because the delivery system actually improves.

This is the difference between Agile theater and real business agility.

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Wrapping Up: Make Inspect and Adapt a Non-Negotiable Ritual

Don’t treat I&A as a “nice-to-have” or a quarterly box to check. It’s where the real growth happens—team by team, interval by interval.

If you’re looking to build real muscle in facilitating these sessions, it’s worth exploring deeper learning with certifications like SAFe Scrum Master Certification and Leading SAFe Agilist Certification Training. These programs don’t just teach you the theory—they give you hands-on frameworks, tools, and mindset shifts for building a culture of improvement.

For anyone serious about making Agile actually work at scale, the quality of your Inspect and Adapt session is a direct reflection of your culture. Treat it that way.

 

Also read - Why Consistency in Planning Intervals Matters for Agility

 Also see - Tips for Facilitators to Maximize Planning Interval Value