How to Run PI Planning in ClickUp

ClickUp can streamline your entire PI planning process by giving distributed teams a shared workspace for backlogs, objectives, capacity, and dependencies. This how-to guide walks you through setting up PI planning from scratch so your Agile Release Train stays aligned and predictable.

Why Use ClickUp for PI Planning

Program Increment (PI) planning brings multiple teams together to plan several sprints at once. Without a unified tool, it is easy to lose track of features, risks, and cross-team dependencies.

Using a single workspace helps you:

• Create and prioritize a shared program backlog
• Estimate and plan team capacity for the entire PI
• Visualize dependencies across teams and epics
• Track progress toward program objectives in real time

The PI planning tools discussed on the original ClickUp blog page can all be configured inside one flexible platform.

Step 1: Set Up Your ClickUp Workspace for PI Planning

Before the planning event, prepare the structure that will hold your PI, teams, and work items.

Create a Space for Your Agile Release Train in ClickUp

1. Create a dedicated Space for your Agile Release Train or product line.
2. Within the Space, create separate Folders for each PI (for example, “PI-2025-Q1”).
3. Under the PI Folder, add Lists for program backlog, risks, and each team’s planned work.

This structure keeps program-level work and team-level execution organized and easy to navigate.

Configure Custom Fields in ClickUp

Add custom fields to represent planning details you need to track:

• Business Value: numeric field to score features and objectives
• PI Objective: dropdown or label to group related tasks
• Risk Level: dropdown for ROAM (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated)
• Team Name: dropdown to indicate which team owns the work
• Dependency: relationship field to link tasks across teams

Configuring these fields in ClickUp prepares your workspace for prioritization and risk management during the session.

Step 2: Build and Prioritize the Program Backlog in ClickUp

PI planning starts with a clear and ordered backlog of features and enablers.

Capture Features and Enablers

1. In the PI Folder, open the program backlog List.
2. Create tasks for each feature or enabler you plan to consider in the PI.
3. Use task descriptions to include user stories, acceptance criteria, and context.

You can group backlog items by epics or themes using tags or custom fields in ClickUp.

Prioritize with Value and Effort

To align on what to build first, add effort estimates and value scores:

• Use a custom field such as Story Points or T-shirt size for effort.
• Use the Business Value field to reflect stakeholder priorities.
• Sort the List by Business Value, then by effort to facilitate conversation.

During the PI planning event, product management, stakeholders, and teams can refine these values directly in ClickUp as decisions are made.

Step 3: Plan Team Capacity and Iterations in ClickUp

With a prioritized backlog, each team needs to understand its capacity across the PI and select work accordingly.

Define Iteration or Sprint Cadence

1. Decide on the number and length of iterations in the PI (for example, five two-week sprints plus an IP iteration).
2. Create Lists or Sprint tags in ClickUp to represent each iteration.
3. Assign start and end dates to each iteration using the Calendar or Gantt view.

This gives everyone a clear timebox for delivering features and objectives.

Estimate Capacity per Team in ClickUp

For each team:

• Review historical velocity or average completed story points per sprint.
• Adjust for holidays, training, and known constraints in the PI.
• Use custom fields or a Capacity List in ClickUp to record sprint-by-sprint capacity.

Teams can now pull tasks from the program backlog into their own Lists or sprints until they reach their planned capacity.

Step 4: Define PI Objectives in ClickUp

PI objectives capture the business outcomes each team commits to achieve, not just the work items they plan to deliver.

Create a PI Objectives List in ClickUp

1. Add a dedicated PI Objectives List under the PI Folder.
2. Create one task for each team objective and program-level objective.
3. Link objectives to the underlying features and stories using task relationships.

Use fields like Business Value and Planned vs. Actual Value to support tracking throughout the PI.

Mark Stretch and Committed Objectives in ClickUp

To distinguish riskier work from committed objectives:

• Add a dropdown field for Objective Type (Committed or Stretch).
• Set the value for each objective during the planning event.
• Use filters in ClickUp to review only committed or only stretch objectives.

This helps leadership understand how much risk is in the plan and where to focus support.

Step 5: Visualize Dependencies and Risks in ClickUp

Cross-team dependencies and risks can derail a PI if they are not visible and managed early.

Map Dependencies Across Teams in ClickUp

1. Use task relationships to connect work that depends on other tasks.
2. Label each relationship as “blocks” or “is blocked by” to clarify direction.
3. Open a Gantt or Timeline view in ClickUp to see how dependencies align with dates.

Adjust task start and due dates to reduce conflicts and ensure predecessors complete in time.

Track and ROAM Risks in ClickUp

Set up a Risks List to manage issues that could affect your PI:

• Create tasks for each risk, describing impact and likelihood.
• Use the Risk Level and ROAM fields to categorize how each risk is handled.
• Create a Board view grouped by ROAM status so the group can review and update during the planning event.

Maintaining this risk board in ClickUp ensures continuous visibility for release train engineers and leadership.

Step 6: Facilitate the PI Planning Event with ClickUp Views

During the live planning sessions, use collaborative views to keep everyone aligned and engaged.

Use Board and List Views in ClickUp During Breakouts

For team breakouts:

• Use Board view grouped by Status or Sprint so teams can drag and drop work into iterations.
• Switch to List view to review details, estimates, and capacity totals.
• Filter by each team’s ownership field to keep their scope focused.

Teams can adjust their plans in real time, while program leadership monitors the overall picture.

Use Dashboards in ClickUp for the Confidence Vote

1. Create a Dashboard with widgets for objectives, velocity, and risks.
2. Include charts showing features by status and by team.
3. Share the Dashboard during the confidence vote to inform decisions.

Teams can review whether dependencies, risks, and capacity are acceptable before committing to the PI plan.

Step 7: Track PI Execution and Inspect & Adapt in ClickUp

Once planning is complete, the same workspace supports execution and continuous improvement.

Monitor PI Progress in ClickUp

During the PI:

• Use Dashboards to track objective completion and feature delivery.
• Review burndown and burnup charts per sprint.
• Monitor blocked tasks and address dependencies quickly.

Regular syncs like Scrum of Scrums can use ClickUp views as the single source of truth.

Run Inspect & Adapt Workshops in ClickUp

1. Create a retrospective List to capture what went well, what did not, and improvement ideas.
2. Link improvement items to owners and due dates in ClickUp.
3. Turn high-value improvements into backlog items for the next PI.

This closes the loop so each PI builds on the learnings of the previous one.

Enhance Your PI Planning System Around ClickUp

To get even more value from your PI planning setup, consider pairing the platform with expert guidance or additional tooling.

Consulting partners such as Consultevo can help you refine workflows, automation, and reporting around your existing structure.

By following these steps and applying the configuration ideas inspired by the official PI planning tools guide, you can transform your planning events into a repeatable, data-driven process. With a consistent workspace and clear views, ClickUp becomes the central hub for orchestrating PI planning, execution, and continuous improvement across your Agile Release Train.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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