Course Content
In this powerful one-day course, you'll grasp the concepts, principles, and methods of Agile development and become empowered to execute on your plans for incorporating Agile practices and techniques into your organization.
Agile success demands a strong and stable foundation.
A common misconception is that Agility means lack of order or discipline. This is simply, not the case. Those who try to incorporate an Agile methodology or practice into their SDLC with an expectation of shedding the discipline are on a path to failure. Agility in software development requires strong discipline. In order to successfully create Agility, you must have a solid foundation in the practices and procedures you wish to adapt and learn how to follow those practices correctly while tying them to rigid quality goals.
This workshop will give you the foundation of knowledge and experience you need to begin. This course is a starting point for you to acquire the techniques, skills, and tools that enable you to build Agile discipline.
In addition to defining Agile principles, we will cover the advantages, and disadvantages of Agile development. Get first-hand experience by organizing and participating in an agile team. Put the concepts you learn to practice instantly in the classroom project. Understand and learn how to take advantage of the opportunities for Agile. Finally gain an understanding and practice the collaboration and communication needed between customer and developers for Agile to succeed.
Who should attend
This Introduction to Agile training course is designed for anyone who is considering the use of Agile Methods for software development, including:
- Project Managers
- Program Managers
- Analysts
- Developers
- Programmers
- Testers
- IT Manager/Directors
- Software Engineers
- Software Architects
- Customers/Stakeholders
- Product Managers
Course Objectives
- Understand Agile principles and how to build the discipline to support those principles in your everyday practice
- Appreciate the history of Agile and how the collection of principles and practices came together to enable customer success
- Examine Agile methods, including: Scrum, Extreme Programming, AgileUP, Feature Driven Development, Lean Development, DSDM
- Draw best practices from the various methodologies that will contribute to your team success
- Talk the talk: learning the Agile terminology, roles and forums with their context
- Walk through the processes that support Agile principles to enable the delivery of great products
- Begin to map the transition of your existing team or enterprise-level processes, artifacts and forums to Agile
- Discover the power of Agile teams through communication, collaboration and cadence
- Uncover the pitfalls that teams will encounter in an Agile transition and understand how to overcome those challenges
- Lay the foundation upon which you can build a learning team and organization
Outline: Introduction to Agile (AGILEESS)
Part 1: Agile Overview In this section we will explore the motivating factors for teams adopting Agile practices. Further we will examine the various Agile methods and the principles and practices they embrace. Agile success with real-world examples across many industries will be shared to highlight the benefits that Agile can bring to teams. Finally, we will explore the power behind Agile teams and how they differ from traditional project teams.
- What is Agile?
- Agile Methods – Principles and Practices
- Agile Benefits – What you can expect
- Why Agile works
- Agile Teams
Exercise: Understanding the Agile Team – in this exercise we will explore the unique factors of why Agile teams work and learn to recognize the key factors for successful Agile implementation.
Part 2: Agile Basics & Practices In this section we will establish a foundation of the basic roles, artifacts and forums utilized by Agile teams. Agile terminology will be reviewed and we will review the complete “process” or framework which Agile teams utilize to achieve success. For many teams, Agile merely means having Daily Stand-up Meetings and conducting a Retrospective every two weeks…but this is far from truly being Agile.
- Definition of Agile Methods
- Agile Practices
- Sprinting: Agile Practices in Motion
- Product vision, roadmap, and planning
- Product Backlog and User Stories
- Prioritization techniques
- Relative Estimating
- Agile’s iterative approach
Exercise: Transition to an iterative approach – teams will engage in a fun exercise that will highlight the benefits behind why iterations work.
Part 3: Becoming Agile In this section, we will review the information you need to know to begin your journey to “Becoming Agile.” Many organizations/teams try to implement Agile without knowing the roadblocks they will face and what it takes to become an Agile team. In this section of the course, you will cover key focus areas to becoming successful with Agile:
- The Top 10 Agile Myths How to “Become Agile”
- Ten Pitfalls when Implementing Agile Setting your Course Forward
Exercise: Working through Roadblocks - As with any implementation, the implementation process itself should not be a distraction. So it is with the implementation of Agile in a development environment. In order to achieve that desired state of agility, a plan is needed, team members must know what to expect, and how you plan to get there. This exercise will you understand the roadblocks you must faces – and how to address them – as you move forward with your Agile implementation.