TSE036 Managing Agile Projects

Course Description

Agile projects cope with business environments filled with constant change through enhanced communication, close collaboration between project stakeholders, iterative development, adaptive planning and self-organizing teams. This workshop enables participants to learn and practice Agile project management methods and to adapt them to individual business environments. The Agile practices of Scrum, Extreme Programming and Kanban are explained and practiced, and the skills needed to build and foster collaboration and accountability within cross-functional teams are emphasized. The course also addresses key factors and potential pitfalls to be considered when planning a transition to Agile.

This program is for anyone involved in Agile projects, as Project Manager, Business Analyst, Product Owner, Team Leader, Business Representative, developer or project team member.

As a PMI Global Registered Education Provider, participants involved with PMI^® and the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional, PMP program, are awarded 16 PDUs or “Contact Hours”. PDU’s earned here are also approved by PMI to be used towards the ACP^®, Agile Certified Practitioner, credential. As an Endorsed Education Provider, we also reinforce and comply with the IIBA^® BABOK^®, Business Analysis Body of Knowledge.

Upon completion of this workshop, each participant will be able to:

Apply Agile concepts, including Scrum, Extreme Programming, and Kanban, in the real-world project environment;
Understand how PMI concepts apply to Agile projects;
Decide whether to use Agile and strategies for making the transition to Agile;
Choose the Agile methods appropriate for a particular project and tailor them to suit the needs of the organization and the participants;
Formulate and communicate a clear project vision;
Plan entire projects and individual project iterations, including Work Breakdown Structures, time-boxing and other tools for planning project work;
Communicate and negotiate with management, support groups and other stakeholders to gain agreement on project scope, requirements and resources;
Choose the right team members and determine team roles and responsibilities;
Build and facilitate effective cross-functional teams;
Monitor and Report progress for early problem identification and issue resolution;
Identify and mitigate Risks;
Manage scope and requirements and emphasize delivering value to the customer.

Instructional methods for this two-day course are lecture, discussion, detailed case study workshops and presentations. Discussions of the PMBoK^®, BABOK^®, the Kanban method and applicable in-house processes and templates will be included in the program.

Course Outline

Introduction And Course Objectives
Agile Project Management Concepts
1. What is an Agile Project?
  1. Agility
  2. Agile Projects
  3. Stakeholders
  4. Project success
  5. The Total Systems Pentagon
  6. Negotiation
2. PMI Project Processes
3. Agile Philosophy and Principles
4. Motivation for the Agile Approach
5. What All Agile Methods have in common
6. Agile vs. traditional projects
7. Comparing Agile Methods
  1. SCRUM
  2. Kanban
  3. Extreme Programming
8. Determining which projects are suitable for Agile Methods
9. Choosing the right Agile methods and tailoring them for a particular project
10. Impact of Agile methods on the organization
Agile Projects
1. The Agile Framework
  1. Portfolio Management
  2. Project Management
  3. Iteration Management
  4. Technical Practices
    1. Test-driven Development
    2. Continuous Integration
    3. Pair Programming
2. The Agile Project Management Model
  1. Envision
  2. Speculate
  3. Explore
  4. Adapt
  5. Close
Planning an Agile Project
1. Defining a Vision
2. Defining Scope
3. Identifying Requirements: User Stories
4. Estimating Stories
  1. Story Points
  2. Estimating Methods
  3. Planning Poker
  4. Defining The Product Backlog
5. Release Planning
Iteration Planning Using Scrum
1. Scrum Roles
  1. The Team
    1. Self-Organizing Teams
    2. Communication
  2. Scrum Master
  3. Product Owner
2. Sprint Planning
  1. Sprint Planning Meetings
  2. Selecting the Sprint Backlog
  3. Planning the Work during the Sprint
    1. Identifying Tasks
    2. Estimating time and work effort
    3. The Work Breakdown Structure
  4. During the Sprint
    1. Daily Meetings
    2. Tracking Progress
      1. Burn-Down Charts
      2. Test Results
  5. Concluding a Sprint
    1. Sprint Review Meetings
    2. Sprint Retrospective Meetings
    3. Getting Ready for the Next Sprint
Kanban
1. Kanban Principles
2. Identifying Workflow
3. Setting Work-in-Progress Limits
4. Kanban Boards
Project Closeout
1. Implementing the Release Plan
2. Lessons Learned
Conclusion
1. Review Major Topic/Objectives
2. Additional Resources for Agile
3. The Global Benefits of PMI, the IIBA and Local Chapters
4. The PMI-ACP^® – Agile Certified Practitioner Credential
5. Participants Critique Class