Fundamentals of Agile Project Management

Overview

This course provides a solid foundation in the Agile mindset and practices. Learn the core values, principles, and popular frameworks like Scrum to deliver value to customers faster, adapt to change, and foster collaborative, high-performing teams.

Target Audience:

Project managers, product managers, software developers, team leads, and anyone involved in product development or project delivery who wants to understand and apply Agile methodologies.

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Explain the Agile mindset, values, and principles and contrast them with traditional project management.
• Describe the Scrum framework, its roles, events, and artifacts.
• Understand the responsibilities of the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team.
• Participate in basic Agile planning, estimation, and iterative development cycles.
• Define key concepts like Sprints, User Stories, and the Product Backlog.

Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Agile Methodologies

• The Origins of Agile: The Agile Manifesto and the need for a more adaptive approach.
• Agile vs. Waterfall: Comparing and contrasting predictive (Waterfall) and adaptive (Agile) life cycles.
• Beyond Software: How Agile is used in various industries beyond IT.

Module 2: Key Principles and Values of Agile

• The Four Values of the Agile Manifesto: Individuals and interactions, Working software, Customer collaboration, Responding to change.
• The Twelve Principles: Understanding the guiding principles behind the Agile manifesto (e.g., satisfying the customer, welcoming change, delivering frequently).
• The Agile Mindset: Shifting from a fixed to a growth mindset, emphasizing collaboration and learning.

Module 3: Overview of Scrum Framework

• What is Scrum?: Defining the framework: empirical process control, transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
• The Three Pillars of Scrum: Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation.
• Scrum Artifacts: Introduction to the Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment.

Module 4: Roles in an Agile team: Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Team Members

• The Product Owner (PO): Maximizing product value, managing the Product Backlog, and stakeholder management.
• The Scrum Master (SM): Serving the PO, the Team, and the organization; removing impediments; and ensuring Scrum is understood.
• The Development Team: Self-organizing, cross-functional teams responsible for delivering a “Done” increment each Sprint.

Module 5: Basics of Agile Planning and Estimation

• The Product Backlog: The living, ordered list of everything that is needed in the product.
• User Stories: Writing requirements from the user’s perspective (As a… I want… So that…).
• Agile Estimation: Techniques like Story Points and Planning Poker for relative sizing, not time-based estimates.

Module 6: Introduction to Sprints and Iterations

• The Sprint Cycle: The container for all other Scrum events, typically 1-4 weeks long.
• Sprint Events: Overview of Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.