The Syncs

The equivalent of a Team Sync for the ART is the ART Sync. Depending on the ART, it may take various formats. The outcome is always alignment, impediment removal/escalation, and risk management.

SAFe® outlines three different sync events for the ART:

• The Coach Sync
• The Product Owner (PO) Sync
• The ART Sync

We will provide two additional syncs your ART may want to consider:

• A Technical Sync
• A Troika Sync

Coach Sync

The Coach Sync is a cadence-based event for the Release Train Engineer (RTE), Scrum Masters/Team Coaches, and selected Agile Team members or SMEs to align and continuously work to improve ART and team performance.

The RTE typically facilitates this event. All the Scrum Masters/Team Coaches should be present. Since this is the scaled version of the Team Sync, you will often find the event executed in a round-robin format and that the Scrum Masters/Team Coaches and RTE will answer these (or similar) questions:

• What has your team last accomplished since we last met?
• What will your team be working on until we meet again?
• Are there any impediments in your team’s way?
• Will your team be putting anything in another team’s way?

Pro tip

My favorite question, and one that I sometimes incorporate into the Team Sync, is “Will you be putting anything in someone else’s way?” Often, we are so worried about getting our work done that we don’t think about its impact on anyone else. This question can help teams to understand that they are part of the bigger picture and the impact of the work they are doing.

I don’t typically recommend introducing this question to new teams for their Team Syncs. I do, however, like to ask this question during the Coach Sync to help the Scrum Masters/Team Coaches begin to think about the impact they have and to ensure they are thinking about what information they need to provide to other teams.

In addition to discussing the work that the teams are doing, consider spending some time to share successes and failures in the growth and maturity of the team and as a Scrum Master/Team Coach.

The event is typically 30 to 60 minutes in length, depending on any post-meeting items, other syncs that occur, and the needs of the ART. A successful pattern is to hold this event once per week, which is twice per iteration; however, it can be more frequent if needed.

The RTE is responsible for communicating any major blockers or impediments to the appropriate Stakeholders after the meeting and resolving them, and the Scrum Master/Team Coach is responsible for communicating information to the teams.

We achieve alignment by ensuring that we are all working toward the goals of the ART. We improve the ART and team performance by sharing learning and experiences from working with the teams and the interpersonal dynamics within them.

PO Sync

The PO Sync is similar to the Coach Sync. It’s a cadence-based event for the Product Owners (POs) and Product Management to maintain alignment and to drive the value being delivered by the ART forward.

The RTE or Product Management may facilitate this meeting; however, ARTs are more successful when the PO Sync is owned and facilitated by Product Management. All the POs should be present. There is no prescriptive format for this meeting, and like the Coach Sync, you may find success with a round-robin format with the following questions:

• What Features has the team completed since we last met?
• What Features does the team expect to complete before we meet again?
• Is the team on track to deliver the Features as planned during PI Planning?
• Are there any impediments in the team’s way?

Ultimately, we are trying to determine how the teams are doing in their progress to meet the PI Objectives and commitments. In addition to discussing the work the teams are executing, this is a prime opportunity for the Product Team (Product Management and POs) to do the following:

• Discuss and make any adjustments to Features
• Acknowledge any market rhythm adjustments
• Work on ART Backlog refinement in preparation for the next PI
• Share additional customer feedback
• Clarify and refine the Acceptance Criteria for upcoming stories

This event is typically 30 to 60 minutes in length, depending on the other syncs that are occurring and the needs and maturity of the ART and Product Teams.

Pro tip

It is often a challenge for Product Management to ensure ART Backlog refinement occurs regularly. Consider scheduling the PO Sync every week for 1 hour for Product Managers and POs to work together in refinement.

You may want to consider inviting the System Architect to these sessions for feedback and input into the ART backlog.

ART Sync

The ART Sync may be used in lieu of the Coach Sync and the PO Sync, depending on the needs and maturity of the ART. The ART Sync is a combined Coach Sync and PO Sync. The System Architect also attends this event, in addition to Product Management, the POs, and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches. This cadence-based event is used to ensure the ART is staying on track.

The RTE typically facilitates this event; the PO and Scrum Master/Team Coach pairs will provide updates on the progress of their teams by answering variants of the following questions:

• What progress has your team made since we last met?
• What progress do you expect your team to make before we next meet?
• Are there any impediments in the team’s way?
• Will your team be putting anything in another team’s way?

Depending on your ART and what ART iteration events you use, you may want to clarify the questions to ask specifically about PI Objectives or Features.

As with the PO Sync and the Coach Sync, we are ultimately trying to determine whether the ART is on track to deliver its commitments. This event is a great opportunity to look at the ART Board as well as to review the risks identified during PI Planning.

Pro tip

Pull up the ART Board and review the Team and ART PI Objectives and risks at the ART Sync.

Typically, this event is 30-60 minutes long, depending on post-meeting discussions. If you are only holding the ART Sync, we recommend holding this event weekly; however, if combined with a PO Sync and Coach Sync, once per iteration is usually sufficient for ongoing alignment, depending on the maturity and needs of your ART.

Pro tip

The one aspect to note in an ART Sync that varies from the PO Sync and Coach Sync is that the timebox typically doesn’t allow for continuous learning and improvement. In the Coach Sync, we try to spend some time growing the teams. In the PO Sync, we are afforded the opportunity to prioritize and refine the ART backlog. The ART Sync, due to the number of attendees, typically lacks that opportunity, with general announcements taking precedence.

Figure 9.1 shows how the ART, PO, and Coach Syncs complement one another:

Figure 9.1 – ART, Coach, and PO Syncs (© Scaled Agile, Inc.)

The Technical Sync

The Technical Sync isn’t outlined by SAFe®; however, it can be a very valuable addition to help keep the ART aligned. The Technical Sync is like the Coach Sync or PO Sync, but builds alignment from an architecture, engineering, and development perspective.

The RTE or the System Architect may facilitate this meeting; however, ARTs are more successful when the Technical Sync is owned and facilitated by the System Architect. The attendees can be a bit tricky to identify as SAFe® doesn’t specify a technical lead role in the teams. However, what we typically find within most teams is a senior technical person that often helps guide and informally leads the team’s development. This is the recommended attendee from each team. If there isn’t a lead on the team, you can also rotate the attendees and, eventually, you will find that someone will self-identify as a regular attendee.

At the Technical Sync, the attendees can answer variations of the following questions:

• How is your team progressing with delivering its commitments?
• Are there any impediments in the team’s way?
• Will your teams be putting anything in another team’s way?

During the Technical Sync, the outcome is to learn about challenges and gain alignment within the technical domain of the solution we are building. Many developers are introverts by nature and being at this event among their peers is an opportunity to raise what may seem to be insignificant issues in the grand scheme of things, but that can have a significant impact over time.

At this event, we often learn about challenges with the following:

• Development and testing environments
• The DevOps pipeline
• Test automation issues
• Deployment constraints
• Delays in the system

Story from the real world

I once worked with an ART, and it was during one of the Technical Syncs that the developers mentioned that it was taking a long time for the builds to complete. The others agreed, but it was considered normal.

Fortunately, the System Architect was astute and asked a few follow-up questions:

How long is a long time?

Is this happening for every build?

How frequently, on average, would you say you do a build?

It turned out that every build was taking between 5 and 7 minutes to complete and the average developer would run a build 3 times an hour. This meant that approximately one-third of every hour was lost. That’s significantly wasteful overhead. It was also noted that the developers would like to build more frequently but often avoided it due to how long it would take.

They began investigating why the builds were taking so long, were able to make some adjustments within the environments, and were able to reduce the build time to under 30 seconds. This allowed the developers to build more frequently, and it ultimately improved the velocity of the teams.

The Technical Sync is typically 30-60 minutes in length. Allow the team to determine the frequency of this event; we recommend at least once per iteration.

Pro tip

For new ARTs, I recommend holding all syncs: the PO Sync, Coach Sync, and Technical Sync. I find that this helps communication and helps with role alignment. Eventually, you can reduce or adjust the events as the teams and the ART mature by leveraging the ART Sync.

The Troika Sync

The Troika Sync is also not outlined by SAFe®. This is simply a regular synchronization point and discussion to ensure alignment between the RTE, Product Management, and System Architect. It’s an opportunity to compare notes on what they are hearing in their respective areas and to ensure alignment on messaging.

The agenda for this meeting typically revolves around the current challenges of the ART and a look ahead toward the next PI.

The RTE usually facilitates and schedules this sync, and it typically runs for between 30 and 60 minutes. This should occur as frequently as is needed, even daily. Many issues will come up that need to be addressed, and having a regular daily touchpoint to resolve issues and address challenges will help the overall health of the ART and establish regular communication channels.

Release Management Sync

SAFe® mentions that a Release Management Sync may be necessary to coordinate upcoming releases, communicate about the releases, and ensure governance requirements are met. How this meeting is structured, its frequency, participants, and so on will be unique to each ART depending on what is being built. Use the System Team to drive this sync.

Scheduling the Syncs

The RTE typically schedules the syncs. Product Management and the System Architect usually own and facilitate the PO and Technical Syncs respectively; however, coordinating the schedule of the activities is important.

Here is an example schedule for your consideration. Adjust it to fit your ART needs:

	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Monday	Tuesday
Week 1	Iteration Planning	PO Sync Coach Sync Technical Sync	Troika Sync	ART Sync	Troika Sync
Week 2	PO Sync Coach Sync Technical Sync	Troika Sync	ART Sync	Troika Sync	Iteration Review Iteration Retrospectives

Table 9.1 – Example sync schedule

In the schedule, you will notice that the PO Sync, Coach Sync, and Technical Sync are all held on the same day. You may even want to consider holding them at the same time.

We recommend placing the ART Syncs mid-way and toward the end of the iteration. This allows the teams a few days to dive into the work and then provides a checkpoint toward the end of the iteration to address any areas where work may not get completed and whether the team needs to pull in additional work to be completed in the iteration.

Pro tip

There is no “correct” way to structure and schedule your ART’s various sync meetings. It’s more of an art than a science, no pun intended. Every ART has unique needs and challenges. That’s why SAFe® isn’t a textbook, but a framework. What works best for one ART might not work for another, even in the same company.

As a Coach, be sure to be flexible; however, also ensure that your ART is delivering the outcomes for success by ensuring the syncs are happening and that you are getting the necessary alignment and maturity from them.

Bonus Sync Recommendations

Now that we understand the key syncs for an ART, let’s take a look at a few more items that we want to ensure are covered in the syncs.

Do we need all these Syncs?

The simple answer is no, you don’t need all these syncs. However, each of these syncs does serve a purpose and helps with communication and the alignment of the ART. Use the syncs that your ART needs. You may also find that these meetings are occurring anyway, and these syncs become a way to formalize, operationalize, or even eliminate the extra meetings.

PI Objectives

Remember our goal is to deliver our PI Objectives; ensure that doesn’t get lost in the sync meetings and that there are regular discussions on progress toward meeting the objectives.

Impediment Escalation

One watchpoint is that people will wait until a sync to escalate impediments. Having numerous syncs can help to prevent that from occurring. Our goal is for impediments to be resolved or raised as quickly as possible. As a Coach, you can help ensure that immediate impediment escalation and removal are occurring.

Not a status meeting

One key watchpoint is that these sync meetings don’t become status meetings. If you find that is happening, consider holding a retrospective and reviewing the intended outcome of the event with the group.

Iteration Goals

One item you might want to introduce during syncs early in the iteration is sharing the iteration goals that the team creates. Sharing them can help build alignment and provide a simple way for the teams to know what each other is focused on.

Taking it back to the teams

You will want to remind the sync attendees of their responsibility to take information from the syncs back to the teams. This is often overlooked, and information only flows up and doesn’t always make it back down. The syncs are an intersection, with information needing to flow in multiple directions.