Index

Attention

Before you can start with that you need to connect the piplanning app with your Azure DevOps instance: ALM Configuration

This is a great article about How SAFe® concepts map to Azure Board Artifacts

1. General Information

When creating a new PI Planning session in general information page, you can set the following fields.

Name	Description
Start date of your PI Planning	The date when PI Planning will take place. Can be edited also after session is created. The date is then displayed in the PI planning app when selecting a session from session list.
Number of Iterations	max. 12
Duration of one Iteration in Days	This includes days on weekend. Based on the amount of days the dates under step 9 Iterations will be automatically filled in.

Select your ALM Tool Connection

2. Add Teams (Boards)

Team Boards / Program Board Swimlanes

While configuring a new session, you have to decide which teams will attend this session. You can select all the teams which will have a teamboard and a swimlane on the program board.

Teams can only be added to a session during the session creation. You can not remove / add a team-(board) afterwards.

Attending Teams (without Board / Swimlane)

You can add teams to a session without giving them a own board and swimlane. This is useful for scenarios where you want to provide a Solution Level Board spanning multiple Programs. A team which is attending a session (but does not have its own Team Board in that session) can then join (see and edit) that session as well.
To add a team as a an attendee to a session:

Go to step two in the session creation / edit session
Click "Show advanced settings" on the top right
Scroll down and select the team you wish to add to the session

3. Team Boards

Configure Sticky Types for Team Boards

Move/Mirror Stickies

Move

If you check the box, teams will be able to Move Stickies from one Team Board to another Team Board.

Mirror

For the Sticky Types Configured on the Program Backlog Board and the Team Board (Origin Boards) you can configure if Teams should be allowed to visualize (Mirror) the Sticky Type on another Board.

Per default, Dependencies and Program Backlog Board Sticky Types can be mirrored to the Program Board.

Sticky Functions

There are two special sticky functions in place

Dependency

A Sticky Type with function Dependency does have special attributes. Consider the standard workflow using dependencies.

It has mirror to Program Board configured per default.
It can be assigned to another team (to a team which supports to solve the dependency).
In the app the receiving and producing team will be shown on the sticky.

Hint

Don't sync the dependency sticky to your ALM Tool. The dependency sticky is a "meta"-sticky used to get a simpler way to collaborate on dependency and visualize them on the Program Board (less crowded as you don't need to visualize all the dependent team level stickies.

Risk

Sticky Types with the function Risk will have a ROAM-field available visible on all Boards
Risk Stickies can moved to the Program Risk Board per default

4. Risk Board

Configure Sticky Types for the Risk Board

As Risk Sticky Types moved from the Team Boards on to the Risk Board will get the Sticky Type and color of the first Sticky Type, this might be a useful configuration

5. Backlog Board

Configure Sticky Types for the Program Backlog Board

Backlog Board Sync

6. Program Board

Configure Sticky Types for the Program Board

7. Collaboration Canvases

Collaboration Canvases can be provided to your teams to cover different use-cases before, during and after a PI Planning and are designed to support the whole Program Increment execution and lean-agile workshops on every level in your organization. Already in the piplanning app, check out how to Use Collaboration Canvases.

Add a new Collaboration Canvas Type

Add Canvas Type

press "Add Canvas" provide a Canvas Type Name

Choose a Canvas Background

press on the Background Preview

Choose your Background

Provide a Canvas Type Name

Your teams will see all Canvas Types you provide in the piplanning app. Provide the Collaboration Canvas Type with a meaningful name.

Define Sticky Types

For each Collaboration Canvas Type you can define what Sticky Types teams will be able to use.

Every Canvas Background comes with a pre-defined Sticky Type set adapted for the specific background.