Agile for Developers (Agile-23D)

Learning Objectives Using Agile Practices and Principles:

• Ensure your project delivers required functionality with less waste, and adds value to thebusiness
• Plan, manage and close requirements at every developmentstage
• Minimize project uncertainty and risk with improved estimating and planning
• Create an environment of self-management for your team so that they will be able to continuously align the delivered product with desired business needs, easily adapting to changing requirements throughout the process
• Measure, evaluate and communicate status based on working, tested software, while creating higher visibility and accountability into the process

Prerequisites:

None. However, it is recommended that participants have a basic understanding of a development product
cycle, project management, business processes, business analysis or other IT functions. 

Section 1: Introduction – Fundamentals of Agility
? Why Agile?
? Agile Manifesto, Agile Principles and Waterfall vs. Agilecomparison
Exercise 1a: Agile SCRUM Terms and Concepts Cheat Sheet
? The Scrum framework, roles, and Agile Product Life Cycle
Exercise 1b: Challenges to building end-to-end systems with Agile
? Introducing Agile to the organization

Section 2: Value Driven Delivery – Identify Case Study and Team Members
? Value-driven development: Understand why agile focuses so heavily on working products
? Agile Scrum characteristics
Exercise 2a: Selecting the Case Study (selected by participants from current projects; basis for subsequent exercises)
? Assemble the Agile team
? Committed and Non-Committed members
? Product Owner responsibilities, characteristics and examples
Exercise 2a: Select the “Product Owner”
• Building the Scrum team
• Scrum Master and committed team members
• Team collaboration
• Redefining traditional roles
Exercise 2c: Agile PM and Developer (handouts; discussion)
Exercise 2d: Build the Scrum Team (Scrum Master and Committed Members)
? Contrast with Waterfall using RACI matrix

Section 3: Stakeholder Engagement – Envision the Product
? Understand the motivation behind stakeholder expectations and high-level functionality
? Business motivation model
? Product envisioning
? Evaluate functioning solutions for improvement opportunities
? New product vision and scope. Breakdown epics into features and stories
? High-level business and technical functionality
Exercise 3a: Product Vision Goals and Strategies
? Agile coordination

Section 3b: Review Agile Checklist: Strategy, Release Planning, Sprint Planning, Agendas and Guidelines

Section 4: Initiate an Agile Project – Planning Releases
? Envision the product and project outcomes, common practices that work
Exercise 4a: Adapting a Change-Driven Project Plan that Works
? Agile Product Development Life Cycle planning
? Compile the Product Backlog
? Decision and acceptance criteria for user stories
? Planning Releases
? Prioritize Releases first, then Product Backlog items. Factors to consider
? Order Product Backlog items for initial Release Plan
Exercise 4b: Create Release Plan
? Release Planning as an iterative planning process

Section 5: Coarse-Grain Estimating and Time-Boxing
? Estimate high-level items at sufficient detail for planning and prioritizing
Exercise 5a: Elaborate Business Functionality (10 or more User Stories and associated technical functions)
? Estimate relative complexity
? Planning poker using story points
Exercise 5b: Estimate Complexity (coarse-grain)
? Team velocity
? Establish the project time-box. Considerations: hours worked, resource availability
? Embrace the high-level Vision and ReleasePlan
Exercise 5c: Establish Project Time-Box

Section 6: Plan the Iteration (Part I)
? Day 1 Sprint planning with the ProductOwner
? Contrast sequential and overlapping development
? Create an accurate backlog at the Iterationlevel
Exercise 6b: Sprint “Zero” Activities
? Anticipate Spikes
? Create a Master Test Plan
Exercise 6c: Review Iteration Planning Checklist
? Sprint planning meeting
? Elements of successful Sprint planning
? Prioritize user stories and identify PBIs for the Sprint
Exercise 6d: Confirm and Refine High-Priority Backlog Items
Exercise 6e: Post-Chapter Activity: Conduct a Daily Review and Retrospective

Section 7: Plan the Iteration (Part II)
? Day 1 Sprint planning with committed team
? Plan and estimate Iteration tasks
? User stories and associated tasks
? Sprint planning, story size and task size
? Produce task list
? Estimate relative effort (fine-grain by team)
? Planning poker using ideal days
? Sprint backlog example
Exercise 7a: Identify and Estimate Sprint Backlog Tasks
? Commit backlog items to the Sprint
? Finalize the Sprint Plan
Exercise 7b: Review the Sprint Plan

Section 8: Tools and Techniques for Managing Scrums
? How to approach techniques in an Agile environment
Exercise 8a: Discussion – Project Activities for Scrum (communications, analysis and design, product quality, soft skills)
? Sprint goal
? Manage the Sprint backlog – key points
? Information radiators and projectstatus
? Daily Scrum meeting
? Scrum task board
? Sprint Burn DownChart
? Product Burn Down Chart reflecting scope change
Exercise 8b: Create a Scrum Task board – Identify Work Streams

Section 9: Running the Sprint
Exercise 9a: Discuss Success Criteria for Self-Managed Teams
? Self-managed teams
? Paradigm shift in managing requirements
? Team facilitation activities
? Elaborate requirements details
? Non-functional requirements
? Select ‘next priority task’ and re-estimate task length (team member)
? Challenges and opportunities in a global environment
? Managing Scrums
? Daily Scrum rules (committed v. non-committed speakers, handling issues)
Exercise 9b: Hold a Daily Scrum and Update Task Board
? Authority to change the Sprint Backlog
? How to manage requested changes during the Sprint

Section 10: Sprint Review
? Working product is showing progress
Exercise 10a: Discuss Review Planning Checklist
? Prepare for Sprint Review
? Assess whether organization is ready for change
? Verifying and validating requirements
? Create test scenarios and test cases
? Customer acceptance and sign-off
? Definition of Done
? Update the product backlog - Rework the high-level (coarse-grain) plan
? Input for the next Sprint
Exercise 10b: Conduct a Sprint Review
Exercise 10c: Post-Chapter Activity: Conduct a Daily Review and Retrospective

Section 11: Sprint Retrospective
? Sprint Retrospective
? Key process indicators and Kaizen
? Continuous improvement and measuring PDLC maturity
Exercise 11a: Review Retrospective Planning Checklist
Exercise 11b: Conduct a Sprint Retrospective
Exercise 11c: Pop Quiz!

Section 12: Boost Team Performance
? Dangers of Agile Scrum – It’s hard!
? Agile performance – integrated perspective
? Leading causes of failed Agile projects
? Is your organization ready for Agile? Preconditions required
Exercise 12a: Process Issues
? Boosting team performance
? Ensuring integrity of Scrum practices
? No outside changes during a Sprint
Exercise 12b: People Issues
? Coaching the Team – How to keep them motivated and moving forward towards the desired outcome
? Engaging everyone in status
Exercise 12c: Remove Impediments to Progress

? Communicate status
? Remove impediments
? Coach team to recognize barriers to further adoption of Agile
? How to integrate Agile into currentmethodologies
? Scaling Scrum teams – Scrum of Scrums
Exercise 12d: Review Agile Exercises

Section 13: Transitioning from Waterfall
? Waterfall Culturalroots
? Significant trends in “successful” projects and ability to deliver value
? Inverting the iron triangle and improving ROI
? Agile adoption from tactical to strategic
? Agile methodologies are evolving
? Lean development focus on value chain
? Lean principles and techniques
? Organizational alignment enables efficiency (congruence model)
? Agile adoption survey results and updates: greatest concerns, leading causes of failed projects, and barriers to adoption
Exercise 13a: Current Issues and Next Steps

Section 14: Wrap-up and Additional Information
? Glossary
? Agile reading list