As a product manager, you can plan and monitor activities across teams within your agile release train (ART) by accessing the ART level on the SAFe Board.

The ART level includes the following tabs:
  • Board
  • Backlog
  • Planning

Board

The Board tab enables you to track all the features of your agile release train in a single view. Board is built on visual task boards, which transform the navigation of the Classic Environment into an interactive graphical experience. The visual task board interface provides a graphic-rich environment for managing and collaborating. To learn more about the actions that can be performed in the board, see Visual Task Boards.

You can move a feature from one lane to another, which in turn updates the state of the feature. For example, when you move a feature from the Analysis lane to the Backlog lane, the state of the feature updates to Backlog.

Figure 1. SAFe board ART-level
Board tab

Backlog

The Backlog tab enables you to manage your ART backlog, and pre-plan the next program increment on the level of features.

A program increment is a time frame in which various agile teams work in collaboration to deliver a substantial amount of work towards the end of the program increment cycle. Program increment in SAFe is equivalent to a sprint in Agile Development, typically spanning 8–12 weeks. The most common form of program increment comprises four development sprints followed by one innovation and planning sprint.
Figure 2. Program increment
Backlog tab

Planning

The Planning tab facilitates a detailed planning of the upcoming program increment. It allows ART members to discuss the features in the program increment, break them down into stories, and pre-plan the sprints needed to complete the program increment. The Planning tab surfaces the dependencies between stories and dependencies between features, which helps in the planning process.
Figure 3. Planning tab
Planning tab