The second day of my first PI Planning starts the same way the first one ended: all gathered in the large room with sofas while we listen as RTE gives a brief overview of the a brief review of the agenda the agenda and reminds us how we finished yesterday. Then the teams reconvene at their desks. at their desks to continue their work. Ehis second day, I noticed something different, as I started to plan almost all the sprints. sprintsI notice how the team members are becoming much more dynamic.
dynamic
to each other, going from one to the other to discuss discuss and resolve blockages in dependency dependency planning.

After a short break to recharge our batteries, we reconvened in the main hall. It is at this moment, when the Program Board completed by all teams and each Product Owner sets out his strategy for managing his team’s work over the next three months. Some questions arise questions, but very simple to answer. All the previous collaborative work between teams means that at this point all members know what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.

Once the Program Board is presented, the Risks are discussed. Those risks that have been identified for the next quarter, and that the Scrum Masters have been noting and commenting on in the Scrum of Scrums synchronizations, are now exposed to all teams by the RTE. As a whole, it is decided how these risks will be addressed, either by mitigating, accepting, avoiding or transferring them.

After discussing and addressing the risks, we reach the vote of confidence phase. This final stage involves an anonymous vote, using a shared QR code, to assess the level of confidence of the teams and the Business area in the submitted IP, rating it from 1 to 5 (1 being not at all confident and 5 being very confident). Subsequently, questions and comments are raised by some of the more experienced Product Owners in the company. After sharing impressions and personal reflections, a second vote was taken by a show of hands. The result does not vary greatly (which surprises me positively, as it shows the trust and transparency in the culture of this company), being quite high, with scores mostly between 4 and 5 points.

WHAT DO I TAKE AWAY FROM MY FIRST PI PLANNING?

This brief but intense experience has been a true journey of discovery and learning. What has impacted and moved me the most has been the alignment, respect and communication among the 110 people who participated, all of them moved by a common and shared objective.

During these two days I have witnessed how people who normally do not cross words in offices and do not know each other, interact in a decisive and effective way. Communication has flowed easily, breaking down barriers that often separate departments or hybrid work. The culture of respect in every interaction, creating a work environment where everyone felt listened to and supported has seemed to me to be key as a cultural foundation of the company. At no time did I see any fears or overwhelm in the exposition of concerns and challenges in front of the whole group.

What I take away is seeing how the teams came together to tackle challenges, sharing knowledge at all times. For me, it is this collective strength that overcomes adversity and makes it possible to plan an IP 3 months ahead.