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The Release Train Engineer Handbook: Transform your Agile Release Train (ART) with practical, result-driven approaches
Purchase options and add-ons
Take command of the SAFe® Release Train Engineer role with proven strategies and actionable techniques for running and coaching effective Agile Release Trains that execute well
Free with your book: DRM-free PDF version + access to Packt's next-gen Reader*
Key Features
- Master the RTE role within the Scaled Agile Framework with expert step-by-step guidance
- Navigate PI Planning and executing the PI with detailed, actionable strategies
- Advance your career by working across the organization with Solution Trains and the Portfolio
Book Description
Scaling Agile is a complex undertaking, and the SAFe® Release Train Engineer (RTE) is key to its success. Written by three SPCT-certified experts with over 20 years of experience each, this book is your essential guide to mastering the RTE role.
You’ll learn how to differentiate the RTE role from Scrum Masters and PMOs and understand how to enable flow across the Agile Release Train (ART). The book walks you through every critical phase of PI Planning, including pre-planning logistics, live and online facilitation, and post-planning execution. You’ll also explore advanced areas, such as working with Solution Trains, Lean Portfolio Management, and the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE).
With real-world examples, tips, and a guided approach, this book builds your competence and confidence, from launching new ARTs to running effective System Demos and Inspect and Adapt workshops. It also offers exam prep tips for SAFe RTE certification and insights on coaching PI execution and delivery improvements.
By the end of this book, you’ll be equipped to lead ARTs with authority, drive meaningful change in your organization, and expand your influence across the enterprise.
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What you will learn
- Acquire the essential skills needed to become a successful SAFe RTE
- Navigate and lead effective PI Planning events with confidence
- Facilitate ART cadences and synchronizations for smooth execution
- Overcome common challenges in scaling Agile within large organizations
- Collaborate effectively with Solution Trains and Lean Portfolio Management
- Develop and mentor future RTEs within your organization
- Prepare for passing the SAFe RTE certification exam with confidence
Who this book is for
This book is for aspiring and new SAFe Release Train Engineers who want to build practical expertise within the Scaled Agile Framework. It is also ideal for experienced RTEs seeking to mentor others or expand their influence across portfolios and Solution Trains. A foundational understanding of SAFe is recommended.
Table of Contents
- Introducing the RTE Role
- Your Initial Journey to Become an RTE
- Interacting Within the Scaled Agile Framework® as an RTE
- Understanding the RTE's Role in Launching an Agile Release Train
- Pre-PI Planning: Creating and Understanding the Backlog
- Event Logistics for PI Planning
- PI Planning: Day 1
- PI Planning: Day 2
- Executing the PI
- Coaching ART Improvements
- Working with a Solution Train
- Connecting the RTE to the Portfolio
- Appendix A: Preparing for the SAFe® RTE Exam
- Appendix B: Building Confidence in PI Planning
- ISBN-101836205236
- ISBN-13978-1836205234
- PublisherPackt Publishing
- Publication dateNovember 28, 2025
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.5 x 0.95 x 9.25 inches
- Print length418 pages
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The handbook thoroughly guides readers through every critical phase of PI Planning, including logistics, live and online facilitation, and post-planning execution. It clearly distinguishes the RTE role from traditional roles such as Scrum Masters and Project Managers (PMOs), emphasizing the RTE as a servant leader and the chief Scrum Master for the train.
This book is highly recommended for anyone seeking to build competence and confidence in leading ARTs with authority, driving change, and expanding their influence across the enterprise.”
Darren Wilmshurst, Managing Director, Cprime Europe, SAFe Fellow and SPCT
About the Author
Glenn Smith is a seasoned business agility consultant and trainer with over 25 years of experience helping organizations bring better products to market faster. As a certified SAFe® Practice Consultant Trainer (SPCT), one of only a select few globally to achieve this certification, Glenn has guided numerous enterprise-scale organizations through successful transformations, regularly achieving dramatic improvements, including 50% gains in delivery predictability and 80% reductions in time-to-market. His journey from software engineer at Motorola through to founding Nimbility has given him deep practical experience across all levels of organizational change, from team-level agility to enterprise-wide business transformation. Drawing on his extensive experience working with clients in defense, finance, education, and technology sectors, Glenn offers a notably pragmatic approach to organizational change. His unique perspective—that of a practitioner who has navigated these challenges firsthand—combined with his talent for making complexity feel simple and approachable, sets him apart in the field. His philosophy centers on avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions, instead crafting tailored approaches that address each organization's specific challenges while empowering leaders with the skills, tools, and processes they need for sustainable success.
Tim Jackson is an experienced SAFe® Practice Consultant Trainer (SPCT) with over 20 years of hands-on experience in Agile delivery, leadership development, and large-scale transformation. He began his career as a developer and tester in small start-ups before transitioning to consultancy in boutique consultancies and global agencies. His passion for Product Management emerged while serving as director for mobile health at a medical device company. Tim has channeled his customer-centric approach into leading Agile transformations across complex, highly regulated industries, including pharmaceuticals and aviation. Today, Tim helps people and organizations achieve their goals through consulting, coaching, and training. He is a certified Executive Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), and he blends these disciplines to support leaders and teams in building resilience, alignment, and sustainable high performance. Whether guiding leadership teams through Lean Portfolio Management, coaching executives to unlock their potential, or training the next generation of Agile change agents, Tim's focus remains constant: enabling people to thrive and organizations to deliver lasting value at scale.
Gez Smith began his Lean-Agile journey 20 years ago, using The Toyota Way and Scrum to grow a start-up from a bedroom company to working with 10 Downing Street and The White House. Along the way, he became a Product Owner, which was his first insight into how little he knew. A feeling that has only grown the more he has learned. Years later, he moved into financial services, including a spell as Global Head of Agile at HSBC, where he first used SAFe® to help thousands of people around the world get more value delivered more easily. Along the way, he picked up two master's degrees and also became a SAFe® Practice Consultant Trainer (SPCT) and a SAFe Fellow. Outside of the day job, he enjoys blogging, podcasting, and writing, having previously written books on digital engagement, Agile marketing, and Agile HR. He is a regular speaker at conferences, events, and meetups around the world. In short, he likes having ideas and sharing them with other people to see whether they find them useful too, which is why he contributed to this book.
Product details
- Publisher : Packt Publishing
- Publication date : November 28, 2025
- Language : English
- Print length : 418 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1836205236
- ISBN-13 : 978-1836205234
- Item Weight : 1.57 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.5 x 0.95 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,201,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #637 in Enterprise Applications
- #1,675 in Internet & Telecommunications
- #2,436 in Software Design, Testing & Engineering (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Glenn Smith is a seasoned business agility consultant and trainer with over 25 years of experience helping organisations bring better products to market faster. As a Certified SAFe® Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT), one of only a select few globally to achieve this certification, Glenn has guided numerous enterprise-scale organisations through successful transformations, regularly achieving dramatic improvements, including 50% gains in delivery predictability and 80% reductions in time-to-market. His journey from software engineer at Motorola through to founding Nimbility has given him deep practical experience across all levels of organisational change, from team-level agility to enterprise-wide business transformation.
Drawing on his extensive experience working with clients in defence, finance, education, and technology sectors, Glenn offers a notably pragmatic approach to organisational change. His unique perspective—that of a practitioner who has navigated these challenges firsthand—combined with his talent for making complexity feel simple and approachable, sets him apart in the field. His philosophy centres on avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions, instead crafting tailored approaches that address each organisation's specific challenges while empowering leaders with the skills, tools, and processes they need for sustainable success.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Tim Jackson is an executive coach, management consultant, and one of a small global community of SAFe® Practice Consultant–Trainers (SPCTs). He specialises in helping leaders and teams deliver value at scale through servant-hearted leadership, Lean Portfolio Management, and Agile ways of working.
Over the past two decades, Tim has worked across industries such as pharmaceuticals, aviation, and automotive — guiding some of the world’s most complex enterprises through their Agile transformations. His experience spans from launching Agile Release Trains and coaching Release Train Engineers (RTEs) to advising senior leadership teams on strategy, flow, and organisational design.
Tim’s writing blends practical insight with a human touch. His work helps readers move beyond frameworks and focus on what truly drives change — clarity of purpose, collaboration, and psychological safety. His RTE Handbook brings together lessons learned from the field, offering real stories, actionable tools, and reflective prompts to help RTEs lead with confidence and compassion.
When he’s not coaching or facilitating large-scale planning events, Tim shares stories on leadership, music, and creativity through his podcast I Learned It in a Band.
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2025Format: PaperbackEver since I released SAFe for DevOps Practitioners: Implement robust, secure, and scaled Agile solutions with the Continuous Delivery Pipeline through Packt Publishing, I’ve maintained an interest in books about the Scaled Agile Framework. I heard about the recent release of The Release Train Engineer Handbook: Transform your Agile Release Train with practical, result-driven approaches by Glenn Smith, Tim Jackson, and Gez Smith and was excited when my friends at Packt offered me a reviewers copy.
I believe I can keep this review of The Release Train Engineer Handbook objective. While I do work at the same company as Glenn Smith, one of the authors, my familiarity with him is literally an ocean apart (the Atlantic, to be specific). The other authors I know of through reputation only. This allows me to judge their expertise through the words they put on the paper of the book.
Based on what I’ve read, I can definitely say that The Release Train Engineer Handbook is an indispensable resource for Release Train Engineers (RTEs) looking for ways to work within the context of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). The authors take care to organize this context into easy to understand parts.
Part 1 talks about who a RTE is. The authors spend time in this part talking about the background of the person that takes the role of the Release Train Engineer including necessary skills a successful RTE needs and from what other roles in the framework the RTE collaborates with and possibly may become the RTE should the opportunity arise.
Part 2 shows where the RTE works within the context of the Agile Release Train (ART). The authors deftly blend the structure of what happens during a Planning Interval (PI), from the 2-day PI Planning event to the execution of team and ART events, with sage advice acquired through real-life experience. They bring detailed descriptions of everything that happens within a PI and how the RTE facilitates to make these things happen.
Part 3 deals with how the RTE deals with entities outside of the ART. Some ARTs may be part of a larger Solution Train. Chapter 11 describes the what the structure of the Solution Train, the roles an RTE takes in the context of their ART within the Solution Train, and possibly how to facilitate the entire Solution Train as a Solution Train Engineer (STE).
Other entities described in Part 3 may be a Portfolio that provides budgeting and governance of the ART and related ARTs. Chapter 12 talks about the role the RTE plays to connect the ART to the portfolio. Part of the connection to the portfolio may include working with Epic Owners and the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE). The authors include ways RTEs can flourish with this communication.
This book is an excellent compliment to the Release Train Engineer course that the authors have experience teaching. They provide study tips that will help prospective exam takers pass the certification exam.
The Release Train Engineer is a key person in the Agile Release Train. The Release Train Handbook gives new and experienced RTEs the tools to achieve the certification and allow the ART to flourish in the real world.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2025Format: PaperbackI had no idea what a Release Train Engineer was before I read this book. If you are in a field that requires you to apply Agile principles at the department level than this book is a must read even if you are not aiming to become a RTE. Whether you are a current or aspiring project/product manger, or just manage some form of team that could benefit from real Agile methods this book is a good edition to add to your collection.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2025Format: KindleLove the new guidance. Well done! I’ll share it with my RTEs. This book is great not only for the smaller ARTs or lone RTEs but also as a guide on aligning many RTEs in large organizations (public and private sectors) where new habits need to be synchronized.
Top reviews from other countries
MansoorReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 20265.0 out of 5 stars Got hold of the right book at the right time!
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseGot hold of the right book at the right time!
This book is a straightforward, pragmatic, and extremely simple to follow guide for everyone involved in or around the Release Train Engineer position, already gone through half of it.
It is not relying on mainly theoretical concepts typically found in textbooks but rather draw from real experiences. It goes beyond theory and focuses on what actually happens on a train, including alignment, facilitation, dependency management, and working with leadership. The examples feel real and relatable, especially in complex and imperfect environments.
One of the main pros is the organisation of the book. It is divided into three parts, each concentrating on the main aspects of the RTE function. The authors make it loud and clear that the position is not confined to PI Planning. There is considerable and often unnoticed activity before and after PI Planning, that the authors have taken care of.
What stands out is the emphasis on servant leadership, systems thinking, and enabling flow rather than controlling delivery. It is not a checklist book. It encourages judgement, context awareness, and continuous improvement.
They also go more extensively than what is typically taught in RTE certification course. It is not that the certification is of no use, it is. The certificate lays a sturdy groundwork. The book then further develops that foundation and directs you on your way to becoming a more effective and influential RTE.
Candid, pragmatic, and straightforward. An important book for aspiring RTEs, seasoned RTEs, and Agile leaders in large-scale environments.
HansReviewed in the Netherlands on December 12, 20255.0 out of 5 stars Best SAFe book ever
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseBest SAFe book ever!
As an addition to the SAFe website and even the SAFe RTE training materials. Really love it, especially the empathy map approach and the practical guidance.
Very helpful for an experienced SPC like myself!





