According to the SAFe framework, the role of functional managers in an Agile Release Train (ART) is evolving. While they were traditionally seen as decision-makers and content authorities, in a Lean-Agile context, their role shifts towards developing people. This is aligned with the SAFe principle of empowering and developing individuals and teams to improve their capabilities and contribute to the organization's success.
The Release Train Engineer (RTE) views functional managers as crucial in growing the skills and capabilities of their people. This perspective is supported by the SAFe guidance on the evolving role of managers, which emphasizes that managers should focus on coaching, career development, and enabling the continuous improvement of their teams. The RTE, as a servant leader, facilitates this by coaching leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in the new mindset and processes, thus supporting the functional managers in their role as developers of people12.