Release Train Engineer Job Description

The Role of Release Train Engineers in Agile

The Agile framework relies on release train engineers to help teams deliver value. RTEs help manage risk, improve obstacles and interact with stakeholders. Release train engineers should have a good understanding of Lean and Agile practices and be aware of the unique opportunities and challenges involved in the facilitation and continuous alignment of a large development environment.

The RTE is to manage risks, escalate sceptics, confirm value delivery and assist in driving consistent improvement. Release train engineers interact with many levels in their organization. They need to have a deeper understanding of how to deliver value in Agile and SAFe environments.

Release train engineers should be people of integrity and treat everyone fairly, they should hold themselves accountable for their actions and mistakes. RTEs should be strong speakers and help facilitate conversation. RTE applicants should have a degree or experience.

The only certification that is specifically designed for the RTE job position is the SAFe Release Train Engineer credential. The certification program ensures that all certificate holders have the knowledge to manage Agile release trains. An individual who passes the exam and becomes RTE certified will become a more effective scrum master and coach for the entire organization.

The average salary for release train engineers is $136,500 per year. Entry level RTEs receive an average of $39,000 per year, while experienced RTEs receive an average of $175,000 per year. Release train engineers and project managers have the same capabilities, but they have different responsibilities.

Release Engineering

Release engineers ensure that new products are configured andcoded correctly for successful integration and operations. They maintain multiple build environments, maintain source code management system, and assemble data on release metrics. The quality and risks of new products are assessed by release engineers.

They build test environments and fix any issues that arise. They work with software engineers to fix any issues that come up. Release engineers use datanalysis and production progress reports to organize a release schedule.

They perform integration, oversee deployment, generate release notes, and configuration software. Release engineers help with the software engineering process, review engineering practices, assist in researching new technologies, and meet with the development team to discuss future needs. They also provide ongoing support for completed products.

A Guide for RTE to become a SAFE Release Train Engineer

You can use the below image to create a text input for the sections given to planning for an effective release with your ART team. 1. RTE will provide all support required after they understand the requirement of ART.

They are the people who tell the train to move in the right direction. The training will cover all the topics in detail and make you a professional release train engineer. It helps you understand why an RTE reports to the PMO despite the SAFe methodology not prescribe any reporting structure.

Skills and experience alone do not make you a SAFE release train engineer. To become a successful RTE, you need to become a StarAgile Agilist, and you can do that by taking the certification. You must choose the right place for gaining knowledge because there is no specific accreditation body for RTE.

The role of the Release Manager in DevOps Platform

New technologies emerge frequently as IT is growing very fast. The result of the latest technological developments, is the emergence of a new methodology called "demi", which has become popular in recent times. The demand for a release manager who can plan the projects by scheduling shorter and faster releases has increased because most of the businesses are adopting the DevOps.

A release manager is in charge of the software delivery life cycle. They have to work with the team from the planning phase to the deployment phase. The development and IT operation teams are the ones who work with the release manager, who is responsible for scheduling fast releases and shorter feedback.

The classical Agile methodologies such as the Agile methodology, the Project Management Institute, and the IT Infrastructure Library can be followed by the release manager to ensure that any incidence can be identified and resolved on time. The release manager has to be familiar with the tools. You need to master some of the key technical skills if you want to be a good Release Manager.

Communication and coordination between different teams are made easier by some soft skills. The maximum salary for the DevOps Release Manager is between 2,00,000 and 85,000 depending on the number of years of experience and employee count of the organization. The average salary of the Release Manager in the US is $105,000.

The IT Release Manager

A release manager needs to communicate with test managers, developers, IT ops and off-course the PMO on a daily basis. A Release Manager must be confident enough to manage up and provide reporting as well as meeting updates to the senior IT management like the CIO and CTO. You will own the Release Management lifecycle which includes scheduling, coordinating and the management of releases across the enterprise for multiple applications across various portfolios.

The releases can include application updates, operating system patches, security improvements, hardware upgrades, Projects and Programs. Tools and services are provided to help product management and project teams manage releases. The IT Release Calendar is one of the responsibilities of the Release Management, it is built in close coordination with the IT release managers from different portfolios across IT.

The Flow of Value in Agile

All the capabilities needed to define, implement, test, deploy, release, and operate solutions are in ARTs. The flow of value is shown in Figure 1. Multiple ARTs collaborate to build more extensive solutions via Solution Train.

ART stakeholders participate in the pre and post-PI planning and solution demo. The teams that define, build, and test features are included in the ARTs. Agile practices are based on the following:

Each Agile team has dedicated individual contributors who cover all the roles necessary to build a quality increment of value. Teams may be technology focused or business focused. The Product Owner and the Scrum Master are the two specialty roles of the Agile team.

50 to 125 people are the average for effective ARTs. The upper limit is based on the number of people who can form a stable social relationship. The lower limit is based on empirical observations.

PI Planning with the Release Train Engineer

They exist to make sure that the ART is aligned with the broader solution train before they do PI planning. It is important to ensure the solution and organization are headed in the right direction by aligning with the other ARTs. The Release Train Engineer is the facilitation for the event and he presents the planning process and expected outcomes for the event. Product Managers and other ART representatives who make up part of the same solution train meet before PI Planning to discuss and define inputs, objectives, and milestones for their next PI Planning events.

Product Management in Agile

Success depends on the ability of teams to release on demand. Agile methodologies, such as scrum and kanban, are used to deliver working software iteratively and incrementally. Product management is within the program level.

Product managers are responsible for ensuring that ART delivers solutions that meet customer, market, and business demands. Product managers use a program to manage the flow of features. They manage the program's features to fit in a PI.

Features are broken down into stories and implemented by teams within an iteration. When building large-scale solutions that require multiple ARTs, solution managers are needed. The solution manager has authority to give content to the solution train engineer and solution architect.