Agile Scrum for Managers

• Presented by award-winning Project Management Professional (PMP) instructor Ray Sheen
• Earn up to 17 PDUs or project management training hours with PMI
• Certificate of training upon completing the course
• Bite sized video tutorials, cheat sheets, exercise files and quizzes
• Unlimited testing
• Self-paced course can be completed in your own time over 12 months

This course will teach you the roles, responsibilities and processes of Scrum, and how they are used to improve communication, boost productivity, and achieve high quality project outcomes. The course syllabus includes 34 beginner level lessons:

Project Management Approaches

• Project Management Methodology - Agile/Scrum is a project management methodology. This means that it provides a set of tools and processes that can be used to organize and manage the project activities.
• Sequential Methodology - A sequential project management methodology is a traditional approach to project management. It minimizes risk, but this conservative approach can be lengthy and expensive.
• Concurrent Methodology - The concurrent project management methodology is a collaborative approach. It can significantly accelerate a project as compared to the sequential approach, but it is much more difficult to project manage.
• Agile/Scrum Methodology - The Agile/Scrum project management methodology is an iterative approach that requires fewer resources than other approaches.
• Project Management Methodology Comparisons - The three approaches presented are three very different ways of managing a project. Understanding the differences will enable a business to select the best approach for their projects.
• Agile Approaches - Agile is a set of principles. There are many project management methodologies that are incorporating these principles. Scrum is currently the most popular.

Agile/Scrum Elements

• Agile Culture - The Agile culture is a set of characteristics found in all the Agile methodologies. These characteristics are empowerment, adaptation, and a focus on performance.
• Agile/Scrum - Precepts - The Agile/Scrum is a project management methodology that is in sharp contrast to traditional project management. That is because it starts with a different set of underlying precepts.
• Sprint - Scrum Process - The Agile/Scrum methodology is a structured project management methodology. It follows a prescribed process that includes Sprints and Scrums.
• Sprint - Scrum Meetings - Within the Agile/Scrum project management methodology there are a set of meetings that are used to plan and manage the process. Rather than analytical tools, this methodology relies heavily on the use of specific targeted meetings.
• Story Cards - Story Cards, also known as Product Backlog Items (PBIs) are the technique used for documenting project scope, quality requirements, estimates and priority of the deliverables in an Agile/Scrum project.
• Product Backlog - The product backlog is the prioritized list of project deliverables.
• Sprint - Scrum Team - The Scrum Team performs the project work conducted during a Sprint on an Agile/Scrum project.
• Scrum Master - The Scrum Master is the individual who is responsible for facilitating the Agile/Scrum Sprint process.
• Product Owner - he Product Owner role is the person on an Agile/Scrum project who is responsible for establishing and explaining the desired project scope.
• Sprint Controls - Sprint Controls are the project management tools that are used by the Scrum Master and Scrum Team to assess performance.

Process Steps

• Step 0: Vision - A clear goal or vision is essential to project success. That is as true with Agile/Scrum as with traditional projects.
• Step 1: Preparing the Product Backlog - Preparing the Product Backlog is the first step in the Agile/Scrum Sprint methodology. It includes creating and prioritizing all the Story Cards.
• Step 2: Assign Scrum Team - To do the work of the Sprint, a Scrum Team must be assigned.
• Step 3: Sprint Planning - The Sprint is initiated with a Sprint Planning Session that organizes the work, estimates the effort, and initializes the Scrum Board and Burn Down Chart.
• Step 4: Sprint Execution - Sprint execution is the actual work of the Scrum team during the Sprint to accomplish the tasks needed to complete each Story in the Sprint Backlog.
• Step 5: Sprint Demonstration - The Sprint Demonstration is the formal meeting where the Scrum Team demonstrates to the Product Owner the performance of each deliverable that was created during the Sprint.

Managing the Backlog

• Requirements Management - Project requirements management in an Agile/Scrum project is conducted using Story Cards and Backlogs. The list of requirements is variable and is not finalized until the end of the project.
• Stekeholder Engagement - Stakeholder Engagement is the effort by the Product Owner to communicate with all affected stakeholders in order to identify potential requirements and provide project status.
• Prioritizing the Backlog - The Product Owner must regularly prioritize the Story Cards that make up the Product Backlog and at the beginning of a Sprint he or she must prioritize the Story Cards selected for the Sprint Backlog.
• Release Planning - Release planning allows the Product Owner to manage the rollout of capability in order to obtain feedback and assess progress.

Managing the Sprint

• Self-Organizing Teams - Scrum Teams do not rely on assigned project management roles, rather the team organizes and manages itself.
• Removing Roadblocks - Roadblocks are impediments that prevent the Scrum Team from completing Stories and tasks. The Scrum Master is charged with removing or creating a workaround for the Roadblocks.

Managing the Agile/Scrum Methodology

• Role of Management - Agile/Scrum is an organizational approach to project management and requires buy-in from senior management to be effective.
• Organization Alignment - Organizational alignment is the activity needed to ensure the systems and processes within the organization support the Agile/Scrum methodology and do not undermine it.
• Strategic Alignment - Agile/Scrum projects are often used to implement both product line strategy and operational strategy. They can be used with customer projects – but there are challenges with that approach.
• Project Selection - Senior management also has the role of selecting projects that are suitable for the Agile/Scrum methodology.
• Agile/Scrum Challenges - When implementing Agile/Scrum, there are several process and project challenges that most organizations encounter and must be addressed.
• Agile/Scrum Failure Points - There are common reasons for why an Agile/Scrum implementation initiative will fail. Awareness of these failure points reduces the likelihood that an organization will fall prey to one of these.

If you are a manager who wants to learn how best to work with the Agile Scrum methodology at your organization, this online course will help you understand how Agile Scrum works, with reference to the Project Management Institute's Agile Certified Practitioner Handbook. The Scrum approach can be applied beyond software development to any project that requires more flexibility than traditional project management.

None

Business & Management, IT, Admin, Secretarial & PA, Project Management

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Certificate of completion

Digital certificate - Included