Program Epics are implemented by which ART arrangement?

• A. They are implemented by a single ART, and can span multiple PIs
• B. They require multiple ARTs for every PI
• C. They are implemented exclusively by the portfolio team
• D. They must be broken into features before ART involvement

Answer: (A)

Program Epics are large initiatives that reside in the Portfolio but are executed by a single Agile Release Train (ART). They are too big to fit in a single Program Increment, so they span multiple PIs while staying within the scope of one ART’s value stream. This arrangement lets the ART leverage its cross-functional teams and governance to deliver the epic incrementally over several iterations, maintaining alignment with the ART backlog and planning rhythm.

If an initiative truly required work across multiple ARTs, that would be handled as a different construct (a Value Stream Epic) that coordinates across ARTs, rather than a Program Epic handled by one ART. Epics don’t have to be broken into features before ART involvement; they are analyzed and then decomposed into features and enablers within the ART’s backlog as part of implementation planning across PIs.