Inspect and Adapt
Kaizen is about changing the way things are. If you assume that things are all right the way they are, you can’t do kaizen. So change something!
—Taiichi Ohno
Definition: The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is a significant event held at the end of each PI, where the current state of the Solution is demonstrated and evaluated. Teams then reflect and identify improvement backlog items via a structured problem-solving workshop.
Summary
The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is an Agile Release Train (ART) event. It engages all ART stakeholders alongside the Agile Teams in reflecting on progress and identifying improvements. It is structured into three parts: the PI System Demo, a quantitative and qualitative measurement review, and a retrospective and problem-solving workshop. The goal of Inspect and Adapt is to improve the ART by identifying and resolving major issues. This is done by focusing on what has actually happened over the last PI rather than what was supposed to happen.
What is Inspect and Adapt in SAFe?
Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is a significant event for continuous improvement. Held at the end of each PI, this event is structured to demonstrate progress, review current and meaningful measurements, and create actionable improvements.
The Agile Manifesto emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement through the following principle: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” The I&A amplifies the original principle and creates this time for the entire ART and key stakeholders to engage in continuous improvement.
In addition, SAFe includes ‘relentless improvement’ as one of the four SAFe Core Values. While opportunities for improvement occur continuously throughout the PI, the I&A creates structure, cadence, and synchronization to help ensure time is set aside to identify improvements across the Agile Release Train (ART).
The I&A includes the active involvement of all ART members and stakeholders. The result is a set of improvement backlog items that go into the ART Backlog for consideration in the next PI Planning event. In this way, every ART improves every PI. When multiple ARTs are involved in building a large solution, a similar event can be held to improve their alignment.
The I&A empowers the Agile Teams to take ownership of their work, celebrating achievements whilst also sharing challenges that create learning and change. It creates an important feedback loop, ensuring the organization moves towards its business and customer goals.
Read more about relentless improvement as a Core Value of SAFe:
What is the purpose of the Inspect & Adapt?
In this article
What is Inspect and Adapt in SAFe?
What is the purpose, intent, and outcome of the Inspect and Adapt?
How to run an Inspect and Adapt event?
How to apply the improvements identified in the Inspect and Adapt?
Key Takeaways
- The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event supports relentless improvement across the Agile Release Train (ART) and its stakeholders.
- The I&A event has three main parts that work together to achieve the outcome of actionable improvements.
- ART members are responsible for identifying improvements within a problem-solving workshop.
- The ART takes ownership of the improvement actions and plans them into upcoming PIs.
Last update: 20 March 2026