Advance tools and techniques of Agile Project Management #253005

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply advanced forecasting and estimation techniques, including Monte Carlo simulations and probabilistic forecasting, to improve predictability.

• Utilize quantitative metrics (e.g., Flow Metrics, Velocity, Burn-ups) to measure team health, identify bottlenecks, and optimize delivery flow.

• Evaluate and apply techniques from various scaling frameworks (SAFe, LeSS, Nexus) to manage dependencies and coordinate multiple teams.

• Implement advanced engineering practices and DevOps principles to reduce technical debt and enable continuous delivery.

• Facilitate sophisticated Agile ceremonies (e.g., refactoring backlogs, multi-team PI Planning) and manage complex stakeholder communication.

• Lead the adoption of these advanced practices within their organizations and coach teams to higher levels of performance.

This advanced course is designed for experienced Agile professionals who are responsible for coaching, leading, or participating in complex Agile initiatives:

• Experienced Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches

• Product Owners and Product Managers working on complex products

• Release Train Engineers and Program Managers

• Development Team Leads and Senior Engineers embracing technical agility

• Project/Program Managers transitioning to Agile

• Portfolio Managers and Heads of Delivery

Prerequisite: A solid understanding of fundamental Agile principles and practices (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster or equivalent experience) is required.

• Pre-assessment
• Live group instruction
• Use of real-world examples, case studies and exercises
• Interactive participation and discussion
• Power point presentation, LCD and flip chart
• Group activities and tests
• Each participant receives a binder containing a copy of the presentation
• slides and handouts
• Post-assessment

Day 1: Advanced Forecasting & Estimation for Predictability

• Morning Session: Moving Beyond Story Points

  • The Limitations of Velocity: Why it’s a capacity metric, not a predictability metric.

  • Introduction to Flow Metrics: Cycle Time, Lead Time, Throughput, and WIP.

• Afternoon Session: Probabilistic Forecasting

  • Using Historical Data to Forecast: Cycle Time Scatterplots and Percentiles.

  • Introduction to Monte Carlo Simulations for forecasting completion dates.

  • Workshop: Use a team’s historical data to create a probabilistic forecast for a project using simple tools.

Day 2: Metrics, Diagnostics, and Optimizing Flow

• Morning Session: Metrics for Team Health and Value Delivery

  • Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFDs): Diagnosing bottlenecks and instability.

  • Actionable Metrics vs. Vanity Metrics: Measuring outcomes, not output.

• Afternoon Session: Managing Work in Process (WIP) and Flow

  • The Economics of WIP: How limiting WIP accelerates delivery.

  • Implementing Kanban and CONWIP (Constant Work-in-Process) policies.

  • Practical Exercise: Analyze a CFD and other flow metrics to diagnose issues in a simulated project and propose corrective actions.

Day 3: Scaling Agile: Frameworks and Techniques

• Morning Session: Navigating Scaling Frameworks

  • Comparative Overview: Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Nexus, and Spotify Model.

  • Principles over Prescription: Adopting a hybrid, fit-for-purpose approach.

• Afternoon Session: Coordinating Multiple Teams

  • Managing Dependencies: Dependency Boards, Scrum of Scrums, and Architectural Runway.

  • Facilitating Large-Scale Ceremonies: PI Planning, Big Room Planning, and multi-team retrospectives.

  • Case Study: Design a scaling approach for a given organizational context, identifying key roles and coordination mechanisms.

Day 4: Technical Agility and DevOps Integration

• Morning Session: Advanced Engineering Practices

  • Enabling Technical Excellence: Test-Driven Development (TDD), Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), and Pair Programming.

  • Refactoring and Managing Technical Debt as a first-class concern.

• Afternoon Session: DevOps and Continuous Delivery

  • The Agile/DevOps Intersection: Building a Continuous Delivery Pipeline.

  • Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and their impact on release planning.

  • Tool Demo: Explore advanced features in Jira/Azure DevOps for managing CI/CD pipelines and automated reporting.

Day 5: Facilitation, Leadership, and Capstone

• Morning Session: Advanced Facilitation and Coaching

  • Facilitation Techniques for Complex Conflict Resolution and Decision-Making.

  • Coaching Stances: Teaching, mentoring, and coaching teams to self-sufficiency.

• Afternoon Session: Capstone Simulation

  • Final Exercise: Teams are given a complex, multi-team product initiative. They must use all techniques learned to:

    1. Create a release forecast.

    2. Identify and manage key dependencies.

    3. Design a CI/CD pipeline approach.

    4. Present their plan to “senior stakeholders.”

  • Instructor and Peer Feedback.

  • Course Recap: Building a Personal Action Plan for Advanced Agile Leadership.

  • Certification of Completion.