SAFe Program Increments - Nextedy Documentation

Overview

Planningboard supports two SAFe Program Increment plans modes:

Mode Value	Display Name	Level
`SAFE_PIS`	SAFe Program Increments (Program mode)	Agile Release Train (ART) — Program level
`SAFE_SOLUTION`	SAFe Solution Trains	Solution Train — Portfolio level

These modes are set via the plansMode widget parameter. The active value determines which configuration fields are available in the widget and how Program Increment plans are loaded and displayed.

Plans Mode Values

SAFe Program Increments in Program (`SAFE_PIS`)

Displays PI-level plans within a single Agile Release Train. Plans are loaded from the current Polarion project using the SAFe Program Increment structure. Columns represent individual Program Increments (typically 8–12 week cadences). Use when: planning at the ART (Program) level, where swimlanes represent SAFe teams, assignees, or enumeration fields within one release train.

SAFe Program Increments in Solution (`SAFE_SOLUTION`)

Displays PI-level plans at the Solution Train level, coordinating planning across multiple Agile Release Trains. Columns represent Program Increments visible from the solution portfolio project. Use when: planning across multiple ARTs from a portfolio or solution train project in Polarion.

`plansMode` Parameter

Name	Type	Default	Description
`plansMode`	`string`	`PROJECT_PLANS`	Selects the planning model. Set to `SAFE_PIS` for Program level or `SAFE_SOLUTION` for Solution level.

Accepted values for Program Increment modes:

Value	Description
`SAFE_PIS`	SAFe Program Increments in Program (ART) mode
`SAFE_SOLUTION`	SAFe Solution Trains — PI plans at Solution Train (Portfolio) level

Other accepted values for this parameter (other modes) are documented in Plans Modes.

Plans (Columns) Parameters

The following parameters control which Program Increment plans appear as columns on the board. These are set in the Plans (Columns) section of the widget parameters panel.

Name	Type	Default	Description
`plansQuery`	`string`	`None`	Lucene query to filter which PI plans are displayed as columns. When empty, plans are loaded automatically from the SAFe solution structure.
`lastPlans`	`number`	`1`	Number of past (completed) Program Increments to include on the board.
`nextPlans`	`number`	`5`	Number of upcoming Program Increments to include on the board.
`planLink`	`string`	`/polarion/#/project/${plan.objectId.projectId}/plan?id=${plan.objectId.itemId}`	URL template for linking card column headers to the corresponding Polarion Plan. Supports `${plan.*}` variables.

In the SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS) and SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION) modes, plans are sourced from the Polarion SAFe Solution structure rather than a freeform Lucene query. The plansQuery parameter can further filter which PIs appear, but the base set is determined by the SAFe hierarchy — not an arbitrary project query as in Project Plans mode.

Capacity Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
`capacityLoad`	`boolean`	`false`	Enables capacity/effort tracking. When `true`, capacity bars appear on swimlanes showing planned vs. available effort.
`multiCapacityLoad`	`boolean`	`false`	Enables per-swimlane capacity tracking across multiple plans simultaneously.
`userCapacityLoad`	`boolean`	`false`	Enables user-level capacity loading when the Teams Service integration is active.
`capacityField`	`string`	`None`	Custom field ID used for effort values (e.g., story points). When not set, time-tracking fields (`remainingEstimate` / `initialEstimate`) are used.
`hoursPerDay`	`number`	`8`	Working hours per day used in capacity conversions between time-based estimates and day fractions. Whitespace-sensitive — do not include trailing spaces.
`useTeamsService`	`boolean`	`false`	Enables integration with the Polarion Teams Service for team capacity, user capacity, and team membership data. When enabled, Teams Service data overrides `plan.capacity` values.

See Capacity Parameters for full capacity configuration reference.

SAFe-Specific Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
`selectedTeam`	`string`	`None`	ID of the SAFe team to use for filtering and capacity calculations. When set, the board focuses on plans and items relevant to the selected team.
`safeTeamField`	`string`	`safeTeam`	Custom field ID storing the SAFe Team assignment on work items. Used when assignment mode is `safe` or `safeTrain`.
`safeProgramField`	`string`	`safeProgram`	Custom field ID storing the SAFe Program assignment on work items. Used when assignment mode is `safePrograms`.

See SAFe Parameters for the complete SAFe parameter reference.

Assignment Mode Compatibility

The SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS) and SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION) plans modes are designed to work with SAFe-aware swimlane assignment types. The following assignment modes are compatible:

Assignment Mode	Description	Reference
Program / Solution Teams (SAFe) (`SAFE_TEAM`)	Swimlanes represent SAFe teams within the current program, sourced from the Polarion SAFe Solution	SAFe Team Mode
Agile Release Train Teams (SAFe) (`SAFE_TRAIN_TEAM`)	Swimlanes represent teams within a specific ART, filtered by ART ID	SAFe Train Team Mode
Programs (SAFe) (`SAFE_PROGRAMS`)	Swimlanes represent SAFe programs within a solution train (portfolio-level planning)	SAFe Programs Mode
Users (Assignee) (`ASSIGNEE`)	Swimlanes grouped by individual assignees	Assignee Mode
Enumeration Field (`ENUM`)	Swimlanes grouped by enumeration custom field values	Enumeration Field Mode

The Programs (SAFe) (SAFE_PROGRAMS) assignment mode requires a Polarion SAFe Solution configured at the portfolio level. It is not available for standard project-level boards. Contact Nextedy support for setup guidance.

Configuration Fields by Mode

The widget parameters panel shows different fields depending on the selected plansMode. This table summarizes which sections appear for Program Increment modes versus Project Plans mode:

Configuration Section	Project Plans (`PROJECT_PLANS`)	SAFe Program Increments in Program (`SAFE_PIS`)	SAFe Program Increments in Solution (`SAFE_SOLUTION`)
Plans query (custom Lucene)	Yes	Filtered	Filtered
Plan items section	Yes	No	No
SAFe PI increment field	No	Yes	No
Sync to parent	Yes	No	No
Plan stemming	Yes	No	No
Plan link field	Yes	Yes	Yes
Capacity parameters	Yes	Yes	Yes
SAFe team/program fields	No	Yes	Yes

The plan items configuration section (which controls which work item types appear as Plan cards in columns) is only available in Project Plans (PROJECT_PLANS) mode. In SAFe Program Increment modes, the column structure is derived from the Polarion SAFe hierarchy.

SAFe Hierarchy Structure

The following diagram shows how Polarion plans map to Planningboard columns in the SAFe Program Increment modes:

SAFe hierarchy showing a Solution Train Project (SAFe Program Increments in Solution mode) at Portfolio level splitting into Program Projects (SAFe Program Increments in Program mode) at ART level, each expanding into PI columns and Team swimlanes

Plan Naming and Version Requirements

SAFe naming conventions commonly use dash characters in plan names (e.g., PI-2401, I-2401-1). Planningboard versions prior to 25.3.0 had a parsing bug where dash-containing plan names caused:

Incorrect column span rendering
Capacity display showing zero
Plan shortcuts disappearing from the board

Version 23.8.0 included a partial fix. Version 25.3.0 fully resolved the issue. If your organization uses SAFe naming conventions with dashes, upgrade to 25.3.0 or later before deploying Planningboard for PI planning.

SAFe Parent Synchronization

When a work item’s team assignment changes on the board (drag to a different swimlane in Program / Solution Teams (SAFe) (SAFE_TEAM) or Agile Release Train Teams (SAFe) (SAFE_TRAIN_TEAM) mode), Planningboard automatically synchronizes the SAFe User Story to the correct Team Program Increment plan. This syncSAFEParentsFromChildren behavior:

Triggers when team assignment is updated via drag-and-drop
Remaps the plan assignment based on the new team assignment
Updates parent plan links to match the team’s Program Increment

This automation ensures that stories remain correctly nested under the appropriate team PI plan after reassignment, without requiring manual plan updates.

Page Parameters and Program Increment Parameter ID

When configuring a Planningboard board for SAFe PI planning, widget parameters can be externalized as Page Parameters — Polarion page-level variables that are referenced by the widget instead of being hard-coded per widget instance. The Program Increment Parameter ID field (shown in the widget when SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS) or SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION) is active) links the board to a specific Page Parameter that controls which Program Increment is currently selected. This allows a single board page to switch between PIs without reconfiguring the widget. Setup steps:

In the Polarion page editor, add a Page Parameter (e.g., currentPI) and set its default value to a PI plan ID.
In the Planningboard widget, set the Plans Type to SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS) (or SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION)).
In the SAFe parameters section, enter the Page Parameter name (e.g., currentPI) in the Program Increment Parameter ID field.
The board will load the PI referenced by that page parameter. Changing the parameter value switches the active PI.

The Program Increment Parameter ID field is only visible when SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS) or SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION) is selected as the plans mode. When Project Plans (PROJECT_PLANS) is active, this field is hidden and replaced by standard plan query and scope fields.

Capacity Limitations

The following capacity-related limitations apply specifically to SAFe Program Increment modes:

Limitation	Detail
No multi-assignee capacity distribution	Capacity is tracked per swimlane as a whole; effort is not automatically split across multiple assignees of a single work item. This differs from Nextedy GANTT behavior.
No sub-item effort distribution	Effort from child work items (e.g., tasks under a story) is not automatically rolled up into the parent’s capacity calculation.
Parallel PI capacity calculation	When multiple PIs overlap in time, capacity calculations may not match GANTT behavior for the same work items. This is an ongoing product limitation.
Swimlane sort order coupling	Swimlane sort order is coupled to item sort order — reordering items may affect swimlane display sequence.

See Capacity Parameters for configuration options within these constraints.

Configuration Example

The following example configures a Planningboard widget for Program-level SAFe PI planning with SAFe teams as swimlanes, capacity enabled, and five upcoming PIs displayed:

# Plans (Columns)
plansMode=SAFE_PIS
nextPlans=5
lastPlans=1

# Swimlanes (Rows)
assignmentMode=SAFE_TEAM
safeTeamField=safeTeam

# Work Items
query=type:story
maxItems=500

# Capacity
capacityLoad=true
capacityField=storyPoints
hoursPerDay=8

# SAFe
selectedTeam=

For a Solution-level board spanning multiple ARTs:

# Plans (Columns)
plansMode=SAFE_SOLUTION
nextPlans=3
lastPlans=1

# Swimlanes (Rows)
assignmentMode=SAFE_PROGRAMS
safeProgramField=safeProgram

# Work Items
query=type:feature
maxItems=300

# Capacity
capacityLoad=true
multiCapacityLoad=true

Plans Modes — overview of all plans modes including Project Plans (PROJECT_PLANS) and SAFe Sprints
SAFe Sprints — reference for SAFe Sprints in Program (SAFE_SPRINTS) and SAFe Sprints in Portfolio (SAFE_PFL_SPRINTS) modes
SAFe Solution Trains — extended solution-level SAFe configuration
SAFe Parameters — complete SAFe widget parameter reference
Plans Parameters — all Plans (Columns) widget parameters
SAFe Team Mode — swimlane assignment by SAFe team
SAFe Train Team Mode — swimlane assignment by ART team
SAFe Programs Mode — swimlane assignment by SAFe program
Capacity Parameters — capacity bar configuration

Sources

KB Articles

Swimlane Assignment Types

Support Tickets

Source Code

PlansMode.java
PlanningBoardWidgetRenderer.java
PlanningBoardDataService.java
Config.java
PlanningBoardWidgetDependenciesProcessor.java

​Overview

​Plans Mode Values

​SAFe Program Increments in Program (SAFE_PIS)

​SAFe Program Increments in Solution (SAFE_SOLUTION)

​Widget Parameter Reference

​plansMode Parameter

​Plans (Columns) Parameters

​Capacity Parameters

​SAFe-Specific Parameters

​Assignment Mode Compatibility

​Configuration Fields by Mode

​SAFe Hierarchy Structure

​Plan Naming and Version Requirements

​SAFe Parent Synchronization

​Page Parameters and Program Increment Parameter ID

​Capacity Limitations

​Configuration Example

​Related Reference Pages

Overview

Plans Mode Values

SAFe Program Increments in Program (`SAFE_PIS`)

SAFe Program Increments in Solution (`SAFE_SOLUTION`)

Widget Parameter Reference

`plansMode` Parameter

Plans (Columns) Parameters

Capacity Parameters

SAFe-Specific Parameters

Assignment Mode Compatibility

Configuration Fields by Mode

SAFe Hierarchy Structure

Plan Naming and Version Requirements

SAFe Parent Synchronization

Page Parameters and Program Increment Parameter ID

Capacity Limitations

Configuration Example

Related Reference Pages