Virtual Agile Scrum Team Workshop

What You Will Learn

This workshop utilizes an immersive learning approach, along with role playing, which allows students to practice the techniques as they learn. Students working remotely, will experience an environment that is fully leveraging agile concepts and culture. This allows better understanding of their own role on the team, and appreciate their team member’s contributions. Here are the key take-aways:

• Utilize "real-life" product/project during the workshop exercises
• Learn the tricks of high-performing virtual Scrum teams
• Experience an end-to-end Scrum process (while performing the 5 Scrum ceremonies)
• Understand each of the individual roles on a Scrum team, and how to work remotely and collaboratively while feeling part of a team
• Define the Product Backlog (with User Stories) and develop a Release Plan for the entire product/project
• Use Relative sizing to develop estimates (Coarse- and Fine-grain estimates)
• Define and assign tasks for a Sprint
• Learn how to handle unplanned interruptions

Course Objectives 

• Reduce the time it takes for Agile teams to adoption the Scrum mindset by training the entire team with the help of an Agile expert
• Avoid costly mistakes made by inexperienced Agile teams on the first project
• Learn to work efficiently in a collaborative distributed environment
• Fast track your project by developing your Scrum Board (and other artifacts) in the classroom

Who Should Attend 

• The entire Scrum Team
• Those who need to interact with the scrum team (such as UX designers, DBAs, Architects, H/W & S/W engineers, and quality assurance specialists)

Prerequisites

A willingness to learn a new way of managing projects

Outline

Day 1

Session #1 - (3 Hours)

Module #1 – Introduction

• Course Introduction
• Course Schedule
• Course Objectives
• Course Agenda

Module #2 - Agile Overview

• What is Agile?
• Agile Methods Overview
• Agile Themes (change, communication, etc.)
• The Agile Manifesto
• The Twelve Agile Principles
• Recommended Reading

Module #3 - Scrum Overview

• The Scrum Process
• Team Roles and Responsibilitie
• Team Exercise 1: Choose a Project

Module #4 - Initiating a Scrum Project

• The Planning Session
• Who is the Product Owner?
• Defining the Project Success Criteria
• What are Success Criteria?
• Team Exercise 2: Define the Project’s Success Criteria

Session #2 - (3 Hours)

Module #4 – (cont’d)

• Establishing the Project Time Box
• Team Exercise 3: Establish the Project Time-Box
• Building the Scrum Team
• Scrum Team Membership
• Characteristics of “high performing” Teams
• Team Exercise 4: Build the Scrum Team

Module #5 – Compiling the Product Backlog

• Envisioning the Product using User Stories
• Business User Stories
• Team Exercise 5: Write Business User Stories
• Brainstorming Technical Functionality
• Team Exercise 6: Write Technical User Stories
• What is Acceptance Criteria
• Team Exercise 7: Define Acceptance Criteria
• Estimating Effort (using Planning Poker)
• Team Exercise 8: Estimate Effort (Coarse-Grain)
• What is an Epic?
• Creating the Release Plan
• Team Exercise 9: Create the Release Plan

Day 2

Session #3 - (3 Hours)

Module #6 - Planning a Sprint

• The Sprint Planning Meeting
• Adjusting the Sprint Goal
• Finalize the Sprint Backlog
• Team Exercise 10: Finalize Sprint Goal & Backlog
• Producing a Task List
• Estimating Effort (Fine-Grain)
• Refine Sprint Plan
• Commit to the Sprint
• Team Exercise 11: Produce a Task List and Assignment

Session #4 - (3 Hours)

Module #7 - Checking Status in the Daily Scrum

• The Daily Scrum Rules
• Team Member’s Roles
• The Scrum Master’s Role
• Handling Issues from the Daily Scrum
• Holding a “Virtual” Daily Scrum
• Team Exercise 12: Create the ScrumBoard

Module #8 – Sprinting

• Working the Sprint Backlog
• Understanding Project Status
• The Scrum Board
• The Sprint Burndown Chart
• Team Exercise 13: Create a Burndown Chart
• Changing the Sprint Backlog
• Team Exercise 14: Change the Sprint Backlog

Module #9 - Checking Progress in the Sprint Review

• Working Software is Progress
• The Sprint Review
• Gaining Customer Acceptance
• Team Exercise 15: Plan for a Sprint Review
• The Sprint Retrospective

Module #10 - The Role of the Scrum Master

• Coaching the Scrum Team
• Ensuring the Integrity of Scrum Practices
• Class Exercise 16: Hold a Sprint Retrospective
• Communicating among Stakeholders
• Removing Impediments

Module #11 – Closure

• Scrum Summary
• Class Exercise 17: Remove Impediments to Progress