Release Train Engineers (RTEs) act as servant leaders and training coaches for the Agile teams and scrum masters. Being a servant leader, an RTE must possess skills such as compassion, effective communication, creative thinking, and problem-solving, among others. RTEs are involved in executing various roles in Agile Release Train (ART). Some of their roles include facilitating ART events, assisting their teams in delivering value, and helping in risk management, among other activities. Given the complexity of RTE roles and responsibilities, it is necessary for them to have a good educational background, especially in the engineering field. Moreover, RTEs need certification in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). A typical RTE career path involves Solution Train Engineer (STE), Enterprise Agile Coach (EAC), and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM). Similar to other professionals, RTEs face various challenges including employee resistance, poor communication, and inconsistent practices, among others. Therefore, RTEs must maximize technology and their leadership skills to overcome existing challenges.
Release Train Engineer (RTE)
A successful career path involves the acquisition of necessary and appropriate knowledge and skills. Technological developments have revolutionized employment activities and advanced learning to become effective and productive in a given field. RTE is one of the jobs that require the application of soft skills and engineering knowledge. An RTE operates within an ART and must have servant leadership skills. This paper is divided into four sections that discuss the RTE job description, career possibilities, preparation, and personal gifting fulfillment.
Job Description: Description
An RTE is described as a servant leader who performs various functions for SAFe. As a servant leader, RTE provides the necessary assistance needed to the project teams and ARTs. Therefore, RTEs need technical and non-technical skills that are crucial for projects’ success in their organizations of operations (SAFe, 2021). Knowledge of scale Lean and Agile practices are of the essence for RTEs. Additionally, they need effective management skills to enable them to overcome challenges faced at their places of work (Ortiz-Gómez et al., 2022). An RTE is not just an engineer, but a professional with the capacity to lead and solve problems.
Typical Job Tasks of an RTE: Employee and Team Experience
Employee relationship is crucial for organizational success and profitability. One of the most important roles and responsibilities of RTEs is to ensure effective employee relationships and team experiences (Junita, 2022). RTEs achieve this task by assisting their team members and ensuring that all their needs are met (SAFe, 2021). Moreover, they take part in communicating with organizational management to provide resources needed for successful operations.
Coaching and Education
RTEs have vast experience in engineering fields and leadership skills. As part of their tasks, they coach and educate their team members. RTEs subject scrum masters to routine training on Agile and Lean management practices and ideologies (Tuleap, 2023). Additionally, RTEs are responsible for coaching the recruits and other scrum masters (Brush, 2021). They ensure that the recruits understand organizational operations and objectives.
Program Increments (PIs)
PIs are timeframes during which Agile teams deliver incremental value by working on tested software. Is involve iterations, and system development processes, in Agile software development (Brush, 2021). RTEs play various roles in PIs: facilitating their planning and readiness, summarizing their objectives, and publishing them for visibility and transparency (Padmanabhan, 2022).
Roadmap Improvement
Organizational success is anchored on routine improvements and effective risk management. RTEs create retrospective improvement roadmaps for quality service delivery in their organizations (Padmanabhan, 2022). The improvements are made through analysis of all activities and actions taken before. After that, they identify bottlenecks and encourage other team members to help in solution-finding.
Easing System Problems
RTEs have both technical and non-technical knowledge of Lean and Agile frameworks of management. As engineers, they take part in assessing their organizational systems to identify possible problems (SAFe, n.d.). Consequently, they try to solve the identified problems by involving other technicians (Brush, 2021). Easing system problems can as well involve routine risk management and possible solutions.
- Typical Job Advertisements: Senior Release Train Engineer
- Company: Cognosante, LLC
- Description: Remote, full-time
- Salary: $129,642 – $207,427 a year (Cognosante, n.d.)
Release Train Engineer
- Company: Abbott Laboratories
- Location: Alameda, CA
- Salary: $82,100 – $164,100 a year
- Description: Full-time (Abbott, n.d.)
Release Train Engineer, Sr
- Company: Chenega Corporation
- Location: Stafford, VA 22556
- Description: Full-time (Chenega Corporation, n.d.)
- Career Possibilities: Salary Range
RTE salary depends on the kind of industry one is working with, and the number of responsibilities required. RTEs with many roles and responsibilities tend to earn more than those with few. The average annual pay for RTEs working in the U.S. is $140,812, with an hourly rate of $67.70 (ZipRecruiter, 2023). The lowest-paid RTE earns about $69,500 while the highest-paid earns $185,000 (ZipRecruiter, 2023). The salary amount may vary depending on the organization an RTE is working for.
Types of Industries: Healthcare
Medical companies and healthcare service providers need RTEs for their effective operations. The healthcare industry involves all sectors that provide goods and services to treat patients. Hospitals, medical research facilities, and laboratories are some of the organizations within the health sector.
Information Technology (IT)
IT companies are in consistent need of RTE for the coordination of ART activities. The industry involves the development of communication systems in light of contemporary technologies. IT companies play a significant role in enhancing effective communication for business organizations. Some of the major focus areas of the IT industry include artificial intelligence and digitization.
Investment and Insurance
The investment and insurance industry is central to protecting people from potential losses. The sector plays a significant role in ensuring that people make profitable investments and are compensated in case of accidents. RTEs are needed in the industry to offer servant leadership to employees and coach ARTs.
Geographic Locations
New York City is one of the most populated U.S. urban areas. The city hosts millions of people who seek medical services from healthcare facilities. Moreover, New York hosts thousands of IT companies that are in need of RTEs.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is one of the most creative cities in the world due to its magnificent city planning. The city is home to the well-known Hollywood neighborhood with hundreds of performing arts venues, museums, and galleries (Latsis, 2022). IT and healthcare services are some of the most sought services in Los Angeles, offering opportunities for RTEs.
Washington, DC
Washington, DC is the U.S. capital city and a federal district that hosts many government offices. The city attracts big law firms and insurance companies that need to maintain the brands in their respective sectors. RTEs are recruited on daily basis by companies in Washington, DC.
Preparation: Training
RTE is a multifaceted career that requires training in various fields. Training in the SAFe and Lean management frameworks is important for an RTE. The pieces of training give one knowledge of the existing SAFe versions that are crucial for RTEs’ roles and responsibilities (Hodgson, 2021). Additionally, servant leadership training equips RTEs with sufficient skills and knowledge to lead and manage teams during their operations. Furthermore, risk management training can help RTEs manage risk associated with PIs for organizational success.
Education
For one to qualify as an RTE, one must pass through university education and SAFe certification. RTEs must hold a bachelor’s degree in any engineering field or any other course that employing organizations may deem fit (Hodgson, 2021). Upon having a degree, it is necessary for SAFe certification that is valid. Certification in other related areas such as Lean Framework and leadership and management may be added advantage to an RTE.
Work Experience
A fully-fledged RTE must undergo various career path stages that enhance their knowledge and skills. One must have experience as Solution Train Engineer (STE), Enterprise Agile Coach (EAC), and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) (Padmanabhan, 2022). Additionally, it is necessary to hold leadership positions for some time (Padmanabhan, 2022). Experiences in STE, EAC, and LPM help RTEs handle complex processes which are part of their job description.
Fulfillment of Giftings (SWOT Analysis)
I have various strengths that make me suitable and prepared to become an RTE or any other related professional. I am hardworking and always ready to learn new ideas. Becoming an RTE requires hard work and dedication to get a bachelor’s degree and required certifications. Moreover, have excellent social skills that put me in a better position as a leader. Therefore, I can successfully execute RTE leadership roles of coaching others and risk management. Furthermore, I have interned in healthcare organizations and interacted with RTEs, giving an upper hand in identifying specific skills needed to become an RTE.
Professional Need Analysis
RTE involves servant leadership qualities that an individual must have. Emotional intelligence is central in interacting with and training ARTs. The skills promote effective and friendly relationships that increase ARTs and other team members’ productivity (Ramos-Pulido et al., 2023). Excellent communication skills are valuable when giving team members directions and coaching activities. As risk managers of their organizations, RTEs must possess creative-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Gifting Gap Analysis
I possess some shortfalls that can be detrimental to my career as an RTE. Firstly, I have poor communication skills and always find it difficult to interact with new people. Therefore, I may have problems when training ARTs as part of the RTE job description. Secondly, I lack certifications in RTE-related fields that may boost my career path. Lastly, I have less experience in RTE-related tasks.
Based on my mentioned weaknesses, above, I need to focus on educational activities that may advance my career experiences. I need to take some certification in leadership and management and STE to stand the best chance of being recruited as an RTE. The educational activities will impart me with needed knowledge as well as help identify other areas that I can focus more on.
Kingdom Mission
The Kingdom mission involves empowering God’s people to express Kingdom Christianity in everyday life. RTE furthers the mission by offering an opportunity to lead, interact and train others in a manner that promotes Christian values. Some of the threats that may stand in my include interacting with team members who do not believe in Christianity. Moreover, there is a possibility of working with organizations that lack core values centered on Christianity.
Conclusion
RTE involves servant leadership skills when training ARTs and other stakeholders using the SAFe management framework. Some of RTEs’ roles and responsibilities include coaching and training ARTs, PI, roadmap improvement, and easing system problems. An RTE earns a salary between $69,500 and $185,000, which is subject to change with an organization or country. While RTE is a lucrative career one must work hard to attain a Bachelor’s degree and SAFe certification.
References
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Brush, K. (2021). What is a release train engineer (RTE)? TechTarget. Web.
Chenega Corporation (n.d.). Release train engineer, Sr in Stafford, Virginia. Web.
Cognosante (n.d.). Senior-release-train-engineer. Web.
Hodgson, M. (2021). Four things to make SAFe work and the 5 risks to watch out for. Zen Ex Machina. Web.
Junita, A., Nahrisah, E., & Oktaviani, H. (2022). Determination of servant leadership on worker performance mediated by the quality of work-life and moderated by work engagement. JDM (Jurnal Dinamika Manajemen), 13(1), 30–44. Web.
Latsis, D. (2022). “Designing sets for a living—Painting landscapes for the joy of living”: Warren Newcombe, a painter in Hollywood. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 62(1), 108–132. Web.
Ortiz-GĂłmez, M., Molina-Sánchez, H., Ariza-Montes, A., & de los RĂos-Berjillos, A. (2022). Servant leadership and authentic leadership as job resources for achieving workers’ subjective well-being among organizations based on values. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 2621–2638. Web.
Padmanabhan, I. (2022). How to become a successful release train engineer in 2023. IP. Web.
Ramos-Pulido, S., Hernández-Gress, N., & Torres-Delgado, G. (2023). Analysis of soft skills and job level with data science: A case for graduates of a private university. Informatics, 10(1), 23. Web.
SAFe (2021). Release train engineer. Web.
SAFe. (n.d.). Get SAFe® certified – Agile SAFe certification. Scaled Agile. Web.
Tuleap (2023). Understanding SAFe® – Scaled agile framework. Web.
ZipRecruiter (2023). Release train engineer salary. Web.