Agile

Background:

Agile software development relies on collaboration, teamwork and active participation. On an agile project, the key leadership roles are Project Manager and Product Owner, but Business Analysts, Lead Developers and Testing Specialists also play key roles in ensuring project success. In this course we examine the split of responsibilities between these key roles and outline effective strategies for collaborative working.

Why you should attend:

Delivered in an interactive style, with a strong focus on ‘what works’, this workshop is designed as a primer for those about to take on a role — as Project Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst, Test Manager — on an agile project.More than just a ‘roles and responsibilities’ recap, in this workshop we look at how the these ‘agile’ project roles compare with the traditional project management, project sponsor, business analysis and testing roles, what’s different, and how a highly collaborative agile approach can inject pace into software development and the project delivery process.The workshop is an ideal way for agile project teams to come together to explore as a team how the various project roles interact and resolve differences of understanding before project start, thus ensuring project delivery starts on a firm footing.

In-house training:

This course is also available an in-house training. Please contact us for a quote.

Synopsis:

What is Agile?

Evolution of Agile … Agile values and principles … popular agile methodologies … Waterfall vs. Agile – similarities and differences

Where does Agile work well?

Project type, size, criticality ... corporate culture and ethos ... people considerations

The Agile Project Team

Typical project team structure ... the Project Manager role… the Product Owner role ... do we still need Business Analysts, Developers and Testers? ... engaging stakeholders

Leading an Agile Project

Managing vs. facilitating ... communicating ... understanding project team dynamics

Project Initiation

Vision and objectives ... defining success ... understanding the business case ... Agile planning and estimating … prioritising requirements

Managing Requirements

Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog ... prioritisation (MoSCoW vs. forced ranking) ... documenting requirements: User Stories: Epics and Features ... reviews and demos ... 'mini-waterfall' vs. 'true' Agile ... using Kanban boards and other Agile tools

Estimating

When, and what, to estimate ... estimating techniques, tips and traps

Managing Delivery

Planning and management of iterations ... daily meetings ... managing risk ... how and when to test ... measuring progress

Understanding Quality

How is quality defined ... when is 'complete' complete - what does 'finished' really mean ... test driven development ... testing strategies

Project Governance

What works on an Agile project ... progress reporting and financial reporting ... managing agile projects within a non-Agile programme

Transitioning to Agile

Preparing for change ... ensuring success on your first agile project ... common problems, and how to overcome them