Agile Project Kick-Start Course

Agile for the rest of us...

You are staring a new project in the eyes and you've been told "it's time to be agile." What does that mean and how do you do it? How do you engage the product owner, stakeholders, QA, testers and yes, even the developers?

In this course, you will practice what you need to know when starting a project. You'll learn how to manage the project from release to release and how you can monitor and report on your project's status. Using an exercised-based approach, you will have an opportunity to practice what it takes to move a project forward effectively, efficiently and with eye towards understanding risks, both project and political. You will accomplish this by simulating multiple projects using a well-designed sequence of interrelated exercises.

The course begins with a rapid introduction to all of the major activities and deliverables. During this rapid introduction, you will practice the major activities in a mini project simulation; the getting feel while glossing over the nuances. Next, you'll use a second project, allowing you to repeat the exercises, going beyond the surface to being to understand the nuances involved in working on a project with agility. You will additionally reinforce what you've already practiced. Finally, you'll work on a third project where you call the shots. The instructo will take on a coaching role, offering guidance rahter than direction. This three-pronged approach gives you an opportunity to practice the principles, integrate the principles through repeated exposure and finally confirm the learning by demonstrating an ability to work with assistance rather than guidance. You will leave with an appreciation of the principles involved rather than just understanding some scripted process.

Objectives

By the end of the course, you will:

Understand project initiation

• Building up a picture of the project at hand using context-free questions
• Succinctly describing the project using an elevator pitch to sell the project outside the group and to get all team members moving in the same direction
• Determining affected groups and users and planning how work with them
  
  

Understand project execution

• Creating and critiquing user stories
• Develop Conditions of Satisfaction and User Acceptance Tests
• Building Automated, Executable Acceptance Tests
• Doing the right work in the right order
• Estimating work using story points
• Release Planning
• Iteration Planning
• Iteration Retrospectives

Understand Project Organization

• Creating and managing backlogs
• Creating effective back log items
• Release Planning
• Iteration Planning
• Effective SCRUM meetings
• Measuring velocity
• Project and iteration burn-down
• Predicting completion dates

Detailed Outline

• Click to view detailed course outline

Prerequisites

• None
• This course is intended for all team members and people who might work or interact with a team transitioning to Agile software development.

Length

• 4-days
• In-house courses have the option of adding an additional coaching day where the Object Mentor will work with you on your particular project.

Price

• $2450

Registration and Start Dates

To request an onsite or private course or for more information about registration and start dates, call 1-847-249-4209 or

Onsite Requirements

• If you are planning on conducting the course on your site, please see our Customer Site Setup Guidelines.