Lean-Agile Project Management

This course incorporates all of the latest lean-agile methods to ensure your success!

Participants will learn how to effectively implement Lean practices, Scrum, Enterprise Scrum, Kanban, and hybrids driven by lean thinking
Designed for those looking to start an Agile initiative, mature their current Agile process, or to extend their Agile initiative beyond their teams
Addresses which Agile method is best for your company's culture
Attendees earn 21 PDUs
Certification by Net Objectives

It is a key component in Net Objectives' Approach to Extending Scrum to Create an Agile Enterprise .

Course Objectives

Prepares a person to play the role of the Lean-Agile Project Manager. In today's world it is critical that one know why Agile work, not just be given a set of practices to coach the team in performing. While Scrum is a popular Agile method today, it is not always the best Agile method to use. This course introduces the participants to the three most popular Agile methods: Scrum, Kanban and Scrumban - all within the context of Lean-Agile methods.

Understanding and managing the Lean Enterprise
Lean Principles and Agile Practices
Effective vs Efficient Process Management
Defining and Managing the Value Stream
Identifying and eliminating waste from projects
Why cycle time is more important than capacity utilization
How to manage your work in progress (WIP)
How to create visibility both to and from the team
Portfolio/Roadmap (Managing Lean Requirements Flow)
Using Lean Principles to guide Agile Methods (Scrum, Kanban, XP)
Agile Estimation Techniques

When done as an on-site course participants will be guided in identifying issues that teams within that organization should consider when starting new teams. A workbook is provided with the course that is used by participants to organize their insights and future actions. In on-site courses the Net Objectives consultant willl assist the creation of a collection of thoughts and concerns that can be used by future Lean-Agile PMs of the organization.

Description

To win in today’s competitive market requires giving your business the ability to deliver highly profitable products faster than the competition. The goal of Lean-Agile software development is the ability to add value quickly to your customers now while retaining the ability to add value quickly in the future.

Most development organizations aren’t structured to do this because they work on large projects that require long delivery cycles. In this course we teach how to drive from business and customer value to select what you work on and teach the teams how to deliver it incrementally.
This course breaks down and analyses 3 key areas of the Lean Enterprise:

Business
- Prioritize features by highest business/end user value
- ‘Drive’ the development efforts to incrementally deliver
- Portfolio Management
Development Teams
- Focus on speed in delivering software functionality
- Must include functionality, maintainability, and extensibility
- Requires excellent engineering practices
Management
- Focus on the value stream (cycle time—idea to implementation)
- ‘Drive’ Continuous Standards Improvement
- Organizational guiding principles, impediment removal

This course is a leadership focused offering that teaches the management skills required to implement Lean-Agile. It is a combination of interactive lecture with a significant amount of time spent on hands-on exercises.

This course is an alternative to standard ScrumMaster training. More and more companies are finding initial success with Scrum only to find they cannot extend it beyond a few teams. We believe the reason for this is no failing of the people attempting to use Scrum, nor even Scrum itself. Rather, the challenges that must be dealt with go beyond the capabilities of the Scrum framework to provide sufficient solutions. In other words, Scrum is not always the right process for an organization, but if that is all someone has learned no otherh alternatives present themselves. This course better prepares organizations for Agile development by providing a solid understanding of the principles behind Agile methods which allows you to decide which is the best team process for you - in your circumstances. This greater foundation also allows for better tailoring of whichever Agile method you chose, even Scrum.

Certification and PDUs: Net Objectives provides a certificate of completion of the Lean-Agile Project Manager Course for each participant who successfully passes the LAPM Certification test. This test is taken at the end of the course and validates that participants understand the basic tenets of Lean-Agile Project Management. This is a PMI R.E.P course that can be used for category A for 21 PDUs.

Course Level

Intermediate

Course Outline

Unit 1. Reasons for Agility: 1.1 Beginnings; 1.2 What is a PM?; 1.3 Defining Value; 1.4 Overview of Lean-Agile; 1.5 Why Agility; 1.6 Iterative Agile in 30 min
Unit 2. The Need for Lean: 2.1 The Road Well-Travelled; 2.2 Lean Thinking; 2.3 Lean Overview; 2.4 Product Vision
Unit 3. Product Planning: 3.1 Scrum Overview; 3.2 Lean-Agile Project Manager / Scrum Master Role; 3.3 Release Planning; 3.4 Story Breakdown; 3.5 Iteration Planning; 3.6 Estimation; 3.7 Tasks; 3.8 Retrospectives; 3.9 Scrum Simulation; 3.10 The Scrum Clinic; 3.11 Scope of Your Process
Unit 4. Minimum Marketable Features & Product Portfolio Management: 4.1 Flow of Product Development; 4.2 Portfolio Management; 4.3 Case Study: ACH
Unit 5. Kanban: 5.1 Doing Kanban
Unit 6. Continuous Learning: 6.1 Build Quality In; 6.2 Metrics; 6.3 Continuous Learning (Improvement)
Unit 7. Transitioning and Management: 7.1 Transitioning; 7.2 Managing the Transition; 7.3 Managing People
Unit Review: Transitioning and Management

Room Setup and Equipment Needed

Classrooms require students at tables (round or long) as well as several white boards or flip-charts. A projector with screen is also needed.

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