Define a program increment in SAFe

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read

    • With SAFe, define a program increment (PI). A program increment is typically 8–12 weeks long, during which an ART delivers incremental value in the form of working, tested software and systems.

    Before you begin

    Role required: safe_admin

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to the program increment form using either of the following options.
      OptionSteps
      From the Program Increment Planning tab
      1. Navigate to Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) > SAFe Board.
      2. From the list, select ART.
      3. From the adjacent list, select the required ART value.
      4. Click the Backlog tab.
      5. Click Create Program Increment.
      From the Program Increment related list
      1. Navigate to Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) > Agile Release Trains.
      2. Click any Agile Release Train.
      3. In the Program Increments related list, click New.
    2. On the form, fill in the fields:
      Table 1. SAFe Program Increment form
      Field Description
      Number System-generated number for the story.
      Agile release train ART to which the PI belongs.
      Sprint length Duration of each of the sprints in the PI.
      PI Capacity Expected PI capacity; usually the aggregate of the group capacity of each team for each sprint in the PI.

      Helps determine the load of planned features as compared to your expected PI capacity
      Name Name of the PI.
      State Current state of the PI.

      The default state is Draft.
      Planned start date Start date of the PI.
      Planned end date End date of the PI.
      Number of sprints Number of sprints included in the program increment.
      Total planned business value Planned business value score set for all the objectives in this PI.

      Field value is read-only and is calculated as the sum of all planned business value scores of the committed PI objectives for this PI.
      Total actual business value Realized business value score for all the objectives in this PI

      Field value is read-only and is calculated as the sum of all the actual business value scores of both committed and uncommitted PI objectives for this PI.
      Business value achieved Percentage of business value achieved computed using the total planned and actual business value scores.
      The sprints for the teams in the PI are determined from the values provided for Sprint length, Planned start date, and Number of sprints.
    3. Click Submit.

    What to do next

    Access the following related lists:
    Related list Description
    SAFe features List of features that are scheduled for completion in a program increment.
    SAFe stories View, add, modify, or remove stories that are scheduled for completion in a program increment.
    SAFe sprints View, add, modify, or remove sprints in a program increment.
    SAFe Teams List of all teams that participated in the PI for an ART. Gain visibility into the scores of the total planned and actual business value and percentage achieved for each team.

    This related list is visible in the SAFe view of the PI form.
    PI Objectives List of all the objectives for this PI. View, create, and update the PI objectives.

    This related list is visible in the SAFe view of the PI form.