Also referred to as a the Chief Scrum Master. The Release Train Engineer is a program-level servant leader that coaches the Scrum Masters at times, in coordination with an Agile Coach in a release train. The Release Train Engineer helps facilitate every program-level meeting with the Product Manager).
Collaborate with functional owners and business owners to prioritize and deploy feature functionality while ensuring the integrity of existing solutions
Collaborate with the Quality Owner to determine the test automation needs and approach for deploying releases in a timely and efficient manner
Educate and reinforce SAFe/Lean and agile/Kanban methodologies and frameworks to team members and key stakeholders
Works closely with product management on backlog management and continuous delivery of features
Facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning for Team of Teams
Drives DevSecOps practices and methodology in coordination with Application Managers, Technical Owner and Quality Owner
Aligns Agile Methodology to use of Portfolio Management tools and organizational best practices and standards, while developing the shift to a “product” versus “project” mindset
Defines Key Performance Indicators
Work in coordination with the Technical Owner, Quality Owner, Application Service Managers and Vendors on Incident Management
Accountable for the coordination of activities among technical and functional stakeholders, and timely execution of development activities
Engages with all stakeholder groups as SME for application
Guiding releases (including into lower environments and into production)
Coordinating approvals (Change requests, Gating processes, CISO, etc.) with Change Advisory Board
Ensures that all work has closely followed the software development life cycle
Ensures all the applicable paperwork is completed to Document the system (eg. updating of disaster recovery documentation) and ensure Security and Compliance adherence (eg. Authorization to Operate (ATO) for major releases)
On call rotation for production issues
A Release Train Engineer removes impediments, helps the team raise issues, and removes the blockers that prevent progress.
Protecting the teams from interruptions to the iteration/program increment commitments (including new work, unrelated meetings, and other interruptions).
Making progress visible. The Release Train Engineer helps the Agile Release Train to update their status and "hours remaining" on tasks and ensure the team area has a BVIR (big, visible information radiator) to indicate progress and quality.
Acting as "chief communicator". The Release Train Engineer shares information about the team's work with others as needed, and ensures that relevant information gets in.
Owning and enforcing the agile process. The Release Train Engineer helps the team to understand how agile practices support good work, helps the Agile Release Train adapt those practices without losing the disciplines and benefits that bring value.
Facilitating Agile Release Train (ART) decision-making. A good Release Train Engineer doesn't make decisions for the Agile Release Train but establishes practices that support and coaches the team to make good decisions. This includes ...
Helping the Agile Release Train establish Team Working Agreements.
Hosting and managing parking lots during meetings.
Encouraging that egos and roles be left at the door.
Managing conflict (including the natural tension between the delivery team and the product owner) and asking the team to work together in new ways.
Facilitating agile maturity by modeling the agile values and the behavior they want from the team, coaching the Agile Release Train on agile behavior and skills, enforcing agile values and practices, and reminding and encouraging the team to hold each other accountable to these values and to their working agreements.
The Release Train Engineer does not make decisions for the team. (Remember: The team is self-organizing.)