When 8-to-5 Becomes an Illusion
PI Planning is the heartbeat of agile scaling, often turning into an intense exception rather than a structured event. What happens beyond the official agenda touches on co-determination, labor law, and responsibility. It’s time companies brought this reality into focus and took action.
1. Despite the Official PI Planning Agenda, Reality Looks Different
One topic that’s rarely addressed is the actual working time involved in PI Planning outside the official schedule.
The SAFe PI Planning agenda is tightly structured: it starts at 8:00 a.m. and officially ends around 6:00 p.m. Two full days packed with collaboration, planning, dependency clarification, risk visualization, team breakouts, and a confidence vote. A precisely timed mega-event. But anyone in roles like Release Train Engineer (RTE), Scrum Master, or Product Owner knows: these days start much earlier and often end much later. The room opens at 7:00 a.m. Tech setups need to be ready, final slides adjusted, agenda items discussed with stakeholders, communication lines checked. After the official wrap-up, there’s still coordination, cleanup, follow-up and those last-minute syncs that stretch into 8:00 p.m.
This extra work is rarely visible, but it’s there. And it’s not just affecting individuals, it’s impacting entire role groups. What’s designed to be an agile event driven by structure and focus often becomes an exhausting exception that requires prep and wrap-up every cycle. So the real question is: how do we, as organizations, acknowledge and deal with this? And what legal responsibilities come into play?
2. Working Time Isn’t a “Private Problem” – It’s Subject to Co-Determination
What many forget: working time isn’t just an organizational detail but a matter of employee participation. This means the works council must be involved when it comes to defining start times, end times, and distribution of daily work hours, especially when these extend beyond the norm.
This isn’t a formality. According to German law (BetrVG § 87 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 & 3), the works council has a binding co-determination right as soon as hours change or overtime is incurred, even occasionally during PI Planning. Good intentions (“It’s for the greater good”) or voluntary efforts don’t bypass the law. What matters is actual usage.
For organizations, this means: If PI Planning becomes more than a 9-to-5 event, the works council must be involved early. It’s not about blocking agility; it’s about making it fair, compliant, and sustainable. A well-informed, integrated works council can be a real asset. Those who seek early dialogue create transparency and avoid conflict. And they show that agility doesn’t stop at labor law but rather starts there.
3. EU and German Labor Laws: Clear Rules, Little Wiggle Room
Beyond internal policies lies another non-negotiable factor: legally defined working time, both at the EU and German levels. And PI Planning quickly crosses these boundaries. EU Directive 2003/88/EC mandates:
- Max. 48 hours per week (including overtime)
- 11 hours minimum rest between working days
- 24 hours of weekly rest (plus daily rest)
- Appropriate breaks during long workdays
Germany’s Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG) adds:
- Max. 8 hours/day (10 hours allowed short term if balanced out)
- 11 hours of uninterrupted rest post-shift
- Breaks after 6 and 9 hours
In practice: If a Scrum Master starts prep at 7:00 a.m. and finishes at 7:30 p.m., that’s 12+ hours – plus commuting. With another 8:00 a.m. start the next day, legal rest time is breached. And that’s not a time management issue, it’s a legal violation. Remote or not doesn’t matter legally. What counts is the workload. These laws aren’t red tape but worker protections. Ignoring them risks legal consequences and undermines trust in agility as a people-first system.
4. Taking Responsibility: Possible Paths for Agile Companies
PI Planning is important – after all, it’s the heartbeat of an Agile Release Train. But that’s precisely why it must not become a legal or health gray area. Organizations bear responsibility here and also have the power to shape good solutions. Here are some concrete ways agile companies can deal professionally and responsibly with the issue of working hours during PI Planning:
1. Early Coordination with the Works Council
Don’t involve the works council only when complaints arise or timesheets go off the rails. Transparent, constructive discussions in advance about realistic PI Planning agendas, working hours, and compensation are often the best starting point for viable solutions in distributed teams. This way, working time models for planning weeks can be defined, including compensation options throughout the year.
2. Document and Compensate Overtime
If extra work is unavoidable, it should at least be made visible and compensated, for example, through time-off or time tracking systems with automatic recognition. This is how fairness arises and also the chance to identify patterns that can be improved and lead to better results.
3. Examine Role-Specific Shift Models
Central roles such as Release Train Engineers, Scrum Masters, or event organizers experience significantly higher time pressure. A shift model is conceivable here, for example, with an early and late shift, where certain roles are deliberately relieved. Tandems or rotating responsibilities throughout the day can also help.
4. Plan Breaks and Rest Periods
A PI Planning without breaks is like a sprint without a review: something essential is missing. Next time, plan longer, conscious breaks and ensure clear end times. That’s not just compliant but also more productive. Fresh minds make better decisions.
5. Distribute Responsibility
Instead of placing everything on a few shoulders, it pays to distribute event responsibility. Those who divide moderation, documentation, communication, and logistics among several people reduce individual stress – and strengthen team cohesion.
In short: Agility doesn’t end with the agenda, whether in small or large companies. It starts where we take responsibility for our collaboration, which also includes the framework conditions.
5. Awareness Instead of Sugarcoating: Why the Topic Deserves Attention
PI Planning is not just a planning event – it’s a marathon. Those who have experienced it know: it demands concentration, presence, empathy, overview and above all, energy. That’s precisely why it’s important to speak honestly about the strain involved.
Because what often happens is quite different:
“This just comes with the territory.”
“It’s just a bit tough sometimes.”
“Things will calm down again afterward.”
You’ve probably heard these phrases more than once. But when this kind of self-evidence repeats – every ten weeks, two days plus prep and follow-up – the exception quickly becomes a structural problem. A blind spot that is neither addressed nor consciously shaped.
This requires a culture of attentiveness. A culture where working hours are not glorified but reflected upon. Where Scrum Masters don’t silently push through but can also say: “I need to start later tomorrow.” Where RTEs are not idealized as tireless enablers but receive real support. And not least: a culture where leadership actively co-creates – with clear frameworks, realistic expectations, and an invitation to dialogue.
Awareness often starts small: with a retrospective on your own role in PI Planning. With a conversation in the team. With a mention in the Scrum of Scrums. Or even – with an article like this.
Conclusion: Agile Planning Means Fair Organization
PI Planning is a central element of agile scaling. But those who take agility seriously must not stop at boards, features, and dependencies but they must also consider the framework of collaboration. This includes working hours, breaks, recovery and the people who make the event possible. If we ignore this reality, we risk not only legal pitfalls but also undermining exactly what we aim to stand for: sustainable collaboration, respect, and responsibility.
The message is simple: Talk about the topic next time. Involve the works council early. Create transparent rules. Relieve key roles. And above all: Have the courage to address things that aren’t visible on the planning board – but that significantly contribute to success.
Because those who take PI Planning seriously should also take its shadow sides seriously. Only then does “Planning” truly become “Planning that works.”
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