Achieving Agility - How To Implement Agile In Your Organization

Duration: 3 days

Audience:

  • Project Managers responsible for managing agile teams or responsible for the transition to Agile.
  • Team Members who are currently on or are about to be part of an Agile project.
  • Functional Managers of staff that will have roles on an Agile project
  • Program Managers who will have one or all of their projects adopting an Agile methodology
  • Portfolio Managers who will have one or all of their projects adopting an Agile methodology Product Managers who are transitioning their role to Product Owner
  • Scrum Masters and Product Owners who are facing the challenges of transitioning to Scrum or who want to learn additional Agile best Practices
  • Business Analysts and QA Analysts interested in on how their roles are impacted by the adoption of an Agile methodology
  • IT Managers or Directors who are evaluating the current or future implementation of Agile with their organization

Why attend this course?

  • Are you looking to assess if your organization is ready for Agile?
  • Are you a project manager interested in being a Scrum Master or Product owner?
  • Have you begun implementing Agile and are looking to improve?

Course Objectives

This three-day course addresses how Agile is being implemented in organizations today. It addresses the use of Scrum as a key Agile project management technique shows how XP, Lean, Kanban and other Agile approaches are being adopted to create successful Agile implementations within IT departments and organization wide. This course dispels many Agile “myths” and provides a realistic and practical approach for successful application of an Agile approach to software development and project management. As a founder of Scrum Ken Schwaber said, “Scrum is not a silver bullet.” Most organizations need to address supporting structures, processes and cultures before Agile can be successfully implemented.

Course Content:

  • Building a foundation in Agile – What is Agile and how has it changed over the years?
  • Exploring why Scrum works, and how it can help your projects.
  • Applying the Scrum Framework – Using the framework successfully, including principles, roles, rules, and artifacts required
  • Understanding which Agile approaches are proven, and can be effective within your organization
  • Developing high-performing teams – Building self-organizing, cross functional teams that work towards shared goals
  • Critical Success Factors for Implementing Agile – Implementing Agile while not losing control

Participants receive a course workbook that covers the details of each topic to assist during the course and serve as a tool for future reference and taking action when returning to the workplace.

While not an exam preparation course, this course will satisfy the 21 hours of education requirements needed to submit the application for the Project Management Institute's Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI- ACP) credential. Through the application of a threaded cased study and use of instructor led presentation, this course will help the participant understand the associated 7 Agile domains and underlying tasks areas common to most Agile projects.

At the outcome of this course, the participant should have a thorough understanding of the most prevalent agile methodologies being use in the market today. By participating in the class activities, the participant will understand the practical application of such methodologies and will be able to apply this understanding in the workplace. The exercises related to practical implementation of agile will give the participant a unique perspective as to the critical pieces that need to be in place for Agile to be implemented successfully in their organization.

 

The Liberation of Remote Work: Why I’ll Never Go Back to the Office Full Time

Working from home has irreversibly changed me. The very thought of returning to the routine of a full-time office job feels antiquated, almost absurd. It’s been four continuous years of remote work for me, and I’ve embraced every second of it. While I occasionally...

The Overlooked Agile Topic: Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is an essential aspect of Agile teams that is often overlooked, despite its significant impact on team performance and collaboration. This concept involves creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, asking...

Why Companies Struggle to Embrace the Lean Startup Approach (and How to Overcome It)

You've probably heard of Eric Ries' groundbreaking book, "The Lean Startup." The methodology has revolutionized the way many entrepreneurs and businesses approach product development and innovation. But, despite its proven success, some companies still struggle to...

Why Agile Implementations Fail

Have you ever wondered why some companies fail when trying to implement agile methodologies? Well, let me tell you, there are a few reasons. First of all, if management isn't fully on board with the cultural shift that agile requires, the teams are going to struggle....

Applying the Stacey Model: When is Agile the Right Fit for your Project?

The Stacey model is a framework developed by Ralph Stacey that categorizes complex problems into four domains: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic. The model considers the degree of certainty of the problem and the level of agreement on what needs to be done....

Waterfall is not always bad

#agilecoachingtip Waterfall is not always bad! Some projects are inherently phased-based. One recent example was a vendor selection project that I was asked to assess. It was being mismanaged using Scrum. I could list a hundred different examples like that. Can you...

2020 Scrum Guide Changes and Observations

  The following video addresses my interpretation of the 2020 Scrum Guide changes and their impact both to those currently studying for the PSM I or PSPO I exams and for those who want to understand what these changes mean to their current implementation of...

The king is dead! Long live the king!

I watch every few years as someone tries to crown a new king. You know what? Agile is dead, but it is also alive and well.

Agile Consulting Manifesto

My Agile Consulting Manifesto. While delivering successful software development projects for over 20 years and seeing the profession that I am so passionate about become damaged by misinformation, framework saturation and a complete loss of credibility, I have come to...

I may be stating the obvious—you can’t be Agile without being Lean.

In the Agile Practice Guide published by PMI® and the Agile Alliance®, there is the Venn diagram shown above. It is a simple yet useful visual that most of us long-toothed Agile practitioners clearly understand.  Unfortunately, I am finding through my training...

About the Instructor, Dan Tousignant, PMP, PMI-ACP

Dan is a lifelong project manager and trainer with extensive experience in managing software development projects. Based upon this experience, he has adopted Agile as the primary approach for developing and implementing software. Though the role of the professional project manager is changing dramatically through these approaches, Dan coaches organizations on how to transition project teams and leadership to an Agile environment.

Dan has over 20 years of experience providing world class project management for strategic projects, direct P& L experience managing up to 50 million dollar software development project budgets, experience managing multi-million dollar outsourced software development efforts and strong, demonstrated, results-driven leadership skills including ability to communicate a clear vision, build strong teams, and drive necessary change within organizations. With extensive experience providing coaching and training across industries and the ability to manage relationships at the executive level, Dan knows what it takes to succeed.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in Industrial Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is a Certified Project Management Professional, Professional Scrum Master, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner, Certified Scrum Product Owner, and Certified Professional Scrum Developer.