Agile: an introduction

A one-day workshop

Agility has become a prized business attribute. Although Agile methods were once most associated with software development, they are now applied in a host of different areas. Agile continues to find new applications because it is primarily an attitude.

This programme delivers a solid grounding in both the Agile mindset and Agile methods. It covers three methods, illustrates the benefits of each and shows how they can be integrated. It includes practical techniques as well as background knowledge.

Objectives

Learning objectives

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

  • Apply Agile concepts to self-manage their work
  • Understand the roles people take on in Agile teams
  • Use a variety of techniques to help deliver customer satisfaction
  • Focus on delivering against priorities
  • Employ a range of estimating techniques

Audience

Who should attend?

This programme is designed for people with little or no formal understanding of Agile.

Format

Format

A practical one-day workshop involving exercises, scenarios, presentations and tutor-facilitated discussions.

The session can be delivered face-to-face or virtually, as circumstances dictate.

Meet the trainer

Expert trainer

Steve is a highly experienced and qualified consultant, project management practitioner and trainer. He has more than two decades’ experience of project management practice and more than a decade of training provision. His experience includes the delivery of multi-million pound projects and programmes, sometimes involving more than one country. He first used Agile in the 1990s.

He is a member of the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK and of the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the USA. He holds qualifications from both the APM and the PMI as well as being a qualified practitioner and accredited trainer for PRINCE2, Agile Project Management, Change Management and Better Business Cases. Steve also delivers the APM programmes: the Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) and the Project Management Qualification (PMQ). He also holds qualifications in Benefits Management and the agile method Scrum.

A very popular and effective trainer, Steve has delivered project management training to a wide range of audiences, technical and non-technical, including 10 Downing Street, as well as public, private and VCSE sector organisations across the country.

1 Introduction

  • Overview of the programme
  • Review of participants’ needs and objectives

2 The basics of Agile

  • What makes Agile different
  • Agile Manifesto and Principles
  • Using feedback to deliver what is needed

3 Agile teams

  • Multi-disciplinary teams
  • Team size and empowerment
  • Agile values

4 Agile at the team level – Scrum

  • Scrum roles
  • Scrum ‘events’
  • Scrum ‘artifacts’

5 Agile for teams juggling multiple demands – Kanban

  • Taking control of the work
  • Improving throughput
  • Dealing with bottlenecks

6 Agile in projects – AgilePM

  • The phases of an Agile project
  • Managing change requests
  • Delivering on time

7 Estimating

  • T-shirt / Pebble sizing
  • Yesterday’s weather
  • Planning poker

8 Pick ’n’ mix – some useful techniques

  • The daily stand-up
  • User stories
  • Retrospectives
  • Work-in-process limits
  • Burndown charts
  • Minimum viable product
  • A / B testing

9 Review and action planning

  • Identify actions to be implemented individually
  • Conclusion

Any questions? Please just give us a call on 01582 463463 – we’re here to help!