Agile/Scrum Crash Course

Description

Course Description

This two day comprehensive course builds your knowledge and skills in the agile and Scrum approach to projects. You will learn about the role of the Scrum Master, product owner, and business analyst on agile projects, and how to write user stories, which are the most common method of representing requirements.  You will learn techniques for building and managing a Product Backlog of user stories, and techniques for estimating and planning with user stories for development in iterations.

You will learn the conditions of success for agile methods, how to scale the agile approach for large teams, and how to adapt your current development methods to become more agile. 

The agile method Scrum will be used as a reference method during the course, but many of the techniques described also apply to other agile methods.

You will apply what you learn in a series of hands-on activities using a realistic case study that takes you through the Scrum process, with example solutions.

This course can also be taught on-site for a project team. The team’s project can be used as the basis for the course activities, resulting in the creation of key artifacts, such as the Product Backlog, the ordering of user stories for iterations, and the creation of an iteration plan.

Pre-Requisites

None

Audience

This course is valuable for all agile team members: project managers, business analysts, Product Owners, customer, users, Scrum Masters or project coaches, testers, developers and architects – anyone who is involved in agile projects.

Format

To help assimilate the tools and techniques learned, there is a mixture of individual and team exercises throughout the course. A lively role play and case study help reinforce concepts learned. Students will need to be prepared for a high level of participation. Each participant will receive a comprehensive student guide complete with examples and workshop solutions.

Outline

Welcome

Agile and Scrum Basics

• Agile and lean values and principles
• Contrasting agile and waterfall methods
• Agile roles and responsibilities
• The agile project manager
• The agile business analyst
• The agile team environment
• Sprint Zero activities
• Envisioning the product
• Activity: Envision the product

Building the Product Backlog

• Identifying user roles
• Creating personas
• Activity: Identify user roles and create a persona
• User story components: The 3 C’s
• Guidelines for writing user stories
• Identifying story “smells” to avoid
• Story writing workshops
• Deriving user stories from epics
• Activity: Derive user stories from an epic

Planning a Sprint

• The sprint planning process
• Selecting user stories for a sprint
• Ordering the Product Backlog
• Activity: Order user stories using the MoSCoW rules
• Getting stories ready and done
• Defining acceptance criteria for user stories
• Activity: Define acceptance criteria
• Estimating user stories
• Story points and ideal days
• Estimating with Planning Poker
• Activity: Estimate user stories with Planning Poker
• Selecting a sprint length
• Forecasting velocity and team capacity
• Activity: Calculate team capacity
• Decomposing stories into tasks
• Estimating tasks
• Creating a sprint plan on the Team Board
• Activity: Create a sprint plan

Running a Sprint

• Sprint ceremonies
• The Daily Scrum meeting
• Updating the Team Board
• Using burndown charts to track progress
• Activity: Simulate a daily stand-up
• The Sprint Review meeting
• Refining the project backlog
• Negotiating changes during an iteration
• Techniques for thinning user stories
• Guidelines for re-estimating stories
• Agile technical practices
• Releasing software into production

Adapting and Scaling Agile

• Adapting agile methods
• Conditions for success for implementing agile methods
• Motivations for implementing agile methods
• Scaling agile methods
• Methods used to scale agile methods for larger teams
• Release planning
• Communication considerations for agile teams
• Agile retrospectives
• Course summary
• Activity: Course retrospective

Wrap-up