Agile project management course (Agile PM)

What is agile project management?

Traditional frameworks such as PRINCE2® give organisations control over projects. In recent years however methods such as Scrum, Kanban and DSDM have become popular, especially in the software industry.

Iterative

By teams working in short iterations, they can deliver products incrementally to the customer. This is known as timeboxing and enables teams to deliver products faster than traditional approaches.

Embrace change

Two core Agile principles are to embrace change and to foster communication between team members and the customer. These help the team to deliver a product better able to meet customer expectations.

Scrum

Development methods such as Scrum are missing one core capability - project management. That is why in recent years there has been an increasing recognition that this must be applied to agile projects.

What is AgilePM Certification?

History

AgilePM is a certification scheme developed by APMG International in conjunction with the Agile Business Consortium in 2010. It covers philosophy, processes and techniques which help both managers and development team members.

Based on DSDM

These accredited Agile Project Management training courses are based on DSDM - one of the earliest and best-known Agile methods and a signatory to the Agile Manifesto.

DSDM is a proven, best-practice approach for delivering projects on-time and in-budget. It covers the entire life cycle. It is fully scalable for use on projects of any size and for any type or business sector.

Amongst all Agile methodologies, DSDM is different in that it integrates project management and product development into a single process. For many organisations, DSDM is all that is needed, although some gain value from integrating DSDM with approaches such as PRINCE2.

AgilePM exams

There are 2 qualifications each with an exam. Exams are included with every course.

AgilePM Foundation

• Prerequisites: None
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Questions: 50 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 50%
• Suitable for: Current/aspiring Agile project team members.

AgilePM Practitioner

• Prerequisites: AgilePM Foundation
• Duration: 150 minutes
• Questions: 80 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 50%
• Suitable for: Current/aspiring Agile project team members and managers.

The easiest route to certification is by attending a combined Agile PM Foundation & Practitioner course.

Certification and careers

Agile PM qualifications are recognized by employers around the world, especially in the IT and creative sectors. By end of 2018 according to the Agile Business Consortium, over 100,000 people had gained AgilePM qualifications.

Many project-based jobs in the IT, marketing or creative sectors, often specify ‘knowledge of Agile’ in the job requirements. Applying for such roles without a qualification puts you at a disadvantage.

If you are seeking an Agile Project Manager role, there is no better certification.

What will you learn?

The syllabus is based upon the DSDM method. DSDM can be tailored and used alongside traditional methods such as PRINCE2 and complements approaches such as Scrum.

During these classes, students learn all areas described within DSDM which includes the following topics.

DSDM approach

DSDM recognises that projects usually fail not because of technology, but because of people. This simple assumption provides the context for the remainder of the course.

DSDM philosophy

The DSDM philosophy says that “the best business value emerges when projects are aligned to clear business goals, deliver frequently and involve the collaboration of motivated and empowered people.”

Students learn that the philosophy is supported by 8 principles which build the mindset and behaviours necessary amongst the project participants to bring the philosophy alive.

DSDM principles

These guide the team in the attitude it must take and the mindset it must adopt. This is so that it can deliver consistently and be flexible at the same time. Students learn about all 8 principles:

• Focus on the business need
• Deliver on time
• Collaborate
• Never compromise quality
• Build incrementally from firm foundations
• Develop iteratively
• Communicate continuously and clearly
• Demonstrate control.

Success factors

There are several factors required to be in place if DSDM projects are to achieve a successful outcome. Students learn about these factors, and why, if they cannot be met, they pose significant risks.

Process

DSDM provides an iterative and incremental approach to development. Students learn that the most important business needs must be addressed early. This enables users to see the evolving solution and to provide feedback and request changes during development.

Roles and responsibilities

Students learn about the responsibilities of the main groups of stakeholders (business, technical and management) on a project. Students familiar with Scrum will recognize many similarities of DSDM roles with the Scrum Product Owner and Scrum Master roles.

Products

Students learn about the set of products recommended by DSDM. These describe the solution itself, or those created to assist with its development, plus any required for project governance and control.

Planning and control

DSDM puts a greater emphasis on high-level planning than many other agile methods. Students learn effective approaches to planning which avoid creating detailed plans.

Delivery planning

Students learn that delivery planning requires both incremental and timebox approaches.

Quality

Whilst planning, thought must be given to how the products will be tested. In common with other Agile approaches, testing is a continuous activity, not something left to the end of the project. Students learn how quality methods must be integrated into the development process.

Estimating

Estimating is a key part of planning. Students learn a variety of estimating methods and when they should be used.

MoSCoW prioritization

This technique is used in many approaches. Students from a Scrum background will be familiar with prioritizing features from the product backlog when planning a sprint and how this technique supports planning and control.

Timeboxing

This technique is also commonly used in other approaches. It’s what drives the creation of what are called Sprints in Scrum. Students learn about the timebox technique and how and when it is used on the project.

Facilitated workshops

Students learn about this technique and how it helps achieve greater buy-in to decisions quickly.

Iterative development

Students learn how iterative development is a process whereby a business solution evolves from a high-level concept to something with acknowledged business value.

Modelling

Modelling techniques help to improve communications and prompt the right questions on projects. Students learn that modelling techniques do not need to be high tech using sophisticated tools and ‘low bandwidth’ approaches such as sketches may be appropriate.

Managing the project through the life cycle

DSDM is one of the few Agile approaches with an explicitly defined project manager role and responsibilities. Students learn these key responsibilities and how this role compliments other roles whilst embracing the core DSDM principles.

People, team, and interactions

Effective communication is essential. Students discuss many of the soft skills which enable communications to be effective.

Requirements and user stories

Students learn that trying to define a full and detailed set of requirements too early is often counterproductive. Students learn that gathering requirements early can only be done at a high level. These are then progressively broken down as the project progresses in the form of user stories.

Risk

Trying to run a project in an environment not suited to DSDM can be risky. Students learn to use the Project Approach Questionnaire to identify areas of risk and to negotiate changes to reduce risk and to improve the probability of success.

The topics you learn on an Agile Project Management training course will boost your effectiveness as an Agile Project Manager or team member.

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