In this two-day course, you'll learn everything you need to know to plan an Agile project. After completing the course, you will be prepared to:

• Work consistently and reliably using iterations/Sprints.
• Reliably release software on a regular basis.
• Meet your commitments even when things go wrong by managing risks.
• Take advantage of opportunities by adapting your plans.
• Create, estimate, and prioritize minimum marketable features and user stories.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to clarify requirements and product vision.
• Get to "done done!"

Course Structure

This is a hands-on course with a heavy emphasis on doing, not watching! You will form cross-functional teams and plan a real project in four iterations. We intersperse the practice planning sessions with lots of interactive workshops to ensure that you can experience and remember everything you learn. Topics include:

• Estimating
• Story writing
• Iteration/Sprint planning
• "Done Done"
• Release planning
• Adaptive planning
• Risk management
• Vision
• Working with stakeholders

Testimonials

"The facilitators were excellent! I really enjoyed the 'jump in and swim' approach to applying what we learned as we went."

Bill Jackson III, Senior Software Engineer, Oracle Corp.

"[The instructors] had a lot of experience to draw from which enabled them to map Agile solutions to real situations."

Don Dornblaser, Director, WebMD

"[The course] Introduced techniques that are on the cutting edge of Agile which solve or answer questions I have in the real world."

Dan Nelson, Sr. Software Engineer, FEI Company

(See the comments for more testimonials.)

Target Audience

Project managers, product managers, coaches, ScrumMasters, team leads, and anyone involved in planning agile projects will benefit from this course.

About the Instructors

James Shore is a prominent figure in the Agile software development community. He has been coaching teams in Agile development since 1999 and is a recipient of the Agile Alliance's prestigious Gordon Pask Award for Agile Excellence. James consults with development teams worldwide to help them meet commitments, improve product quality and increase productivity. He is co-author of The Art Of Agile Development.

Diana Larsen consults with leaders and teams to create work processes where innovation, inspiration, and imagination flourish. With more than fifteen years of experience working with technical professionals, Diana brings focus to the human side of organizations, teams and projects. Diana co-authored Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great! and is current chair of the Agile Alliance Board of Directors.

Together, James and Diana provide the highest level of Agile understanding and expertise. They focus on practical experiences and deep understanding. You'll learn a great deal from them, and you'll have a good time doing it.

Our Philosophy

Diana and I share two core beliefs about training: we want to our students to have experiences, not lectures; and whenever possible, we want those to be real-world experiences rather than metaphors or simulations.

Part of the reason is that "textbook" answers tend to strip out the messy complexity that occurs when you put work into practice. In real-world planning, there's tension and pressure. Different people want different things. There's a fear about what will happen if you don't get everything done by a certain time. Existing interpersonal friction is magnified.

You'll never learn this stuff by hearing a lecture. Most instructors don't even mention it. (Sadly, some teach from books, not experience, and don't know that they don't know it.)

So we do it. Suddenly the stuff that seemed so easy when it was up on the board isn't as easy any more. Mistakes are made. And real learning happens.

(Read the rest of my essay, "Come Drink from the Firehose.")