Who is primarily accountable for prioritizing features during ART release planning?

• A. Program Management
• B. System Architect
• C. Scrum Master
• D. Release Train Engineer

Answer: (A)

The main concept is that the program backlog, which drives what will be built in the ART, is owned and prioritized by Product Management (often referred to as Program Management in some organizations). They are responsible for conveying customer needs, business value, and the priority of features to the ART. During release planning, Product Management presents and prioritizes the features for the upcoming Program Increment, using input from System Architects and other stakeholders to ensure architectural runway and dependencies are understood. They apply prioritization methods (such as WSJF) to sequence features so the ART focuses on delivering the most valuable work first and aligns with the program’s vision and roadmap. The Release Train Engineer facilitates the planning event and helps coordinate collaboration, but does not own the backlog priorities. The System Architect/Engineer contributes architectural guidance and enablers, and the Scrum Master supports the teams’ execution, but neither is responsible for prioritizing the program backlog.