Syllabus Agile Management Foundation

Transcription

1 AGILE LEADERSHIP EUROPE Das Netzwerk für Projekt-, Prozess- und Qualitätsmanager ZVR Schriftführung Christian Vesely Mobil Syllabus Agile Management Foundation Version V2.0 Released Gedruckt: :01:51 V /16

2 Content 1 Part 1: Preface Motivation Timing Target Group of the Foundation Level Agile Management Foundation Level Course Training Material Methods of Instruction Syllabus and Examination Learning Outcomes Part II Syllabus Introduction to Agile Management Course Overview Motivation Definition of Terms Learning Targets of this Module Guidance The Ideas of the Agile Management Flow History of the Idea Deming Cycle Retrospectives Using the Experience Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Basics of the Methodology Flow Overview Roles Roots of Agile Management in the Lean Industry Values Time boxing Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Planning Role of the Agile Master The role of the Agile Master as a Change Agent Backlog Levels of the Planning Process Methods of Planning Learning Targets of this Module Guidance The Meetings of Agile Flow Methods of Communication Documentation of Planning and Decisions Guidance Common Sense and Team Culture Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 2/16

3 Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Product Owner Interaction Product Owner Involvement Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Estimation Methods of Estimation Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Quality Management and Quality Assurance Basics of Quality Management Standards and Norms from the Agile Point of View Constructive and Analytic Methods of Quality Assurance Retrospective Learning Targets of this Module Pitfalls of Agile Management and how to Avoid the Common Problems Guidance Tools and Practices Tools and Practices for Agile Management Tools for Result Oriented Processing Learning Targets of this Module Guidance Part III References Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 3/16

4 1 Part 1: 1.1 Preface This syllabus has been developed by an international group of specialist from the fields of project management, software development, process management, and management structures from industry as well as academia. It is aimed at defining an internationally acknowledged training program in the field of agile management methods with a universally accepted international qualification scheme. According to the rules of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) regarding student work load for this course 1 ECTS credit is allocated (1 ECTS means 25 hours of student engagement). 1.2 Motivation The Foundation Level is the base for a career path encompassing two different Practitioner Levels. Prospect: The Practitioner Level offers two options for choice the business and the technological part. In the business part the main focus will be set on stakeholder communication and ways how to integrate the customer in an agile project. In the technological part it will be shown how the development of such projects can be performed. Team management, workload allocation, self management, and quality assurance will be part of both. In the Foundation Level candidates will be trained to gain common understanding of fundamental concepts of agile management. The base will be set to check whether the organization is prepared to establish and to work with agile management methods. It will be shown how these methods complement and enlarge traditional project management methods. These traditional management methods will not be substituted they are necessary for long time strategic planning purposes. However, to enhance time to market and to fulfil customers needs more quickly alternative methods have become more accurate. 1.3 Timing The times mentioned with the sections are recommended times for modules as minimum time for the training of theory. The whole training-time should be 3 days (24 hours, i.e minutes) including 2 hours for the examination. Overview about the minimum required times for theory training (sum 750 min) Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 4/16

5 Introduction to Agile Management The Ideas of the Agile Management Flow Basics of the Methodology Planning The Meetings of Agile Flow Product Owner Interaction Estimation Quality Management and Quality Assurance Tools and Practices 60 min 90 min 90 min 90 min 60 min 60 min 90 min 120 min 90 min 1.4 Target Group of the Foundation Level People without project experience they should have knowledge about processes and organizing. People with basic project knowledge they should have worked in projects. People with experience in project management to set up new methods. 1.5 Agile Management Foundation Level Course Training Material Training material for an accredited course of this syllabus must be approved by Agile Leadership Europe which is an independent body for certification of agile management qualification in order to ensure compliance with this syllabus Methods of Instruction In order to ensure that participants get the maximum benefit of the course with respect to agile management we enclose a short concept which kind of training methods are suggested. We will pay attention to the fact that learning scenarios are shown and different training methods are used, e.g. Theory inputs in the form of presentations Presentations and discussion of case studies, Exercises and discussion in small teams, Role play, Supervision Group discussion All of these training methods are expected to get involved in the training concept and none of these cover more than 60 % of the training. Over all training targets are professional and knowledge competence methodological competence system competence social competence Syllabus and Examination Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 5/16

6 This syllabus defines the examination-relevant material and the contents the estimated time the training is planned to take for each topic This syllabus does not define the chapter sequence in which the material shall be taught the time scales for examples and exercises The examination is accomplished by representatives of Agile Leadership Europe. For the Foundation Level course attendance is not required but highly recommended. Each of the three parts given below contributes one third to the examination result. To pass the examination at least 40 points of a maximum of 60 points must be achieved. A minimum of 10 points must be obtained in each of the three parts. The three parts are structured as follows: 20 multiple choice questions (evaluate basic knowledge of terms and facts) (20 points) 4 open questions (evaluate application of knowledge under guidance) (20 points) 1 case study (evaluates application of knowledge in realistic scenarios, checks ability for argumentation and selection of appropriate methods and tools) (20 points) The examination takes 120 minutes. Participants passing the examination successfully will receive a certificate (issued by Agile Leadership Europe), which is endorsed by representatives of the University of Vienna Learning Outcomes A certified Professional for Agile Management at the Foundation Level is assumed to have - from his prior experience - advanced communication skills, capabilities to work in / lead a team as well as basic knowledge about organization/management. After passing the Foundation Level: The student will know agile management methods, the differences between agile and traditional methods, planning methods, the agile flow, the basic feedback cycles and agile quality methods. The student will know how to apply the basic ideas of agility to a project or to management, how to involve the customer in agile management and improve communication skills. The student will be able to decide on the use of agile management, plan an agile project, organize meetings according to agile methodologies and improve performance on the basis of retrospectives. Remark: Agile management requires experience and personal skills. The Foundation Level covers the theoretical part of agile management and introduces into the topics of experiences and personal skills. However, it cannot provide full education in this field. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 6/16

7 To guarantee the best training outcome for participants, trainings shall have team-working examples and shall be featured with real situations. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 7/16

8 2 Part II 2.1 Syllabus Introduction to Agile Management Course Overview The trainer shall give an overview of the course and the qualification scheme. The trainer shall clearly explain the learning targets of the course and define the terminology used in agile management according to this syllabus Motivation The trainer shall explain why agile management is critical and how it is related to other management methods. The trainer shall explain the advantages and disadvantages as well as the pitfalls for agile management and the different application areas Definition of Terms The trainer shall define at least the following terms: agile management agile manifesto product owner team agile master backlog iteration vision planning communication and meetings done, done, done Learning Targets of this Module Participants should understand and explain how agile management relates to other management methods know the definitions of the basic terms know the major advantages and disadvantages of agile management know by which principles agile teams are forced Guidance The trainer should give examples of other management methods such as the best practices of PMI (Project Management Institute), IPMA or PRINCE II and discuss the differences systematically. In particular the different aspects of values and required social attitudes should be addressed, such as responsibility, team culture etc. Furthermore the agile manifesto shall be explained and compared with other management methods. Agile development, agile management and agile practice should be discussed. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 8/16

9 2.1.2 The Ideas of the Agile Management Flow History of the Idea Participants shall be informed about the origins of agile management, where agile management comes from, which agile methods are available and what the general differences of these methods are. The trainer shall explain how agile management interacts with other established management schemes. The values of agile management shall be discussed. The trainer shall explain the culture, behavioural values and requested social skills which are the base for agile management. The importance of communication and commitment as well as the role of team spirit shall be explained and discussed Deming Cycle The trainer shall explain the Deming Cycle and its application in agile nanagement. In particular he shall explain the time scales in which the Deming Cycle is applied Retrospectives The trainer shall explain why retrospectives of time boxing are required and how they should be performed. The relation of retrospectives to other (non agile) methods shall be explained and the advantages of the agile way shown Using the Experience The trainer shall explain how experience influences the results of agile management and indicate how experience and qualification should be distributed in a team Learning Targets of this Module Participants should know the characteristics of agile management be able to explain why agile management has been developed know the basics of feedback cycles (Deming Cycle) as applied in agile management understand the basic agile management flow Guidance An overview of the whole method should be given, addressing general topics such as definition of scope, overall planning, acceptance, feedback mechanisms of the stakeholders, etc. Examples for the Deming Cycle should be given. In particular it should be mentioned that in contrast to other management methods the result of an agile project is not exactly determined, however, that the outcome in general provides the best approach to the customer expectations and requirements. Ideally a case study is presented and discussed Basics of the Methodology Flow Overview Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 9/16

10 The trainer shall give an overview of the typical flow in agile projects and give reasons and arguments why this typical flow is successful. The trainer is encouraged to address pitfalls and typical errors including the relevance and the consequences of such errors. Furthermore the trainer shall explain the phases of agile projects and the criteria for transitions Roles The trainer shall present the different roles in agile management and explain their responsibilities, competences, and required qualification. Additionally the trainer shall explain how different roles can be fulfilled by the same person and where role sharing by the same person is not recommended or even not allowed. The roles will be explained in a way that it is clear in which way they interact with each other. In the overview section every role is described as equally important Roots of Agile Management in the Lean Industry It needs to be explained that the roots of agile management are grounded in the lean management theories and in the work of Deming. E.g. the Toyota production system is an important milestone for agile methods Values Within the training the trainer will strongly emphasize the virtues of agile management that are not mentioned in the agile manifesto: Honesty, Transparency, Being on Time, Being open, Democracy Time boxing The trainer shall explain the general principle of time boxing. He shall explain the relation to goal oriented approaches. He shall show which conditions must be met to interact with goal oriented approaches Learning Targets of this Module Participant should understand the basic methodology and how to apply the ideas to a project or to organizational management know the roles in agile management Guidance Major focus should be given to the consequences of time boxing and the collective responsibility of the team. This includes that during an iteration no stakeholder intervention should be allowed. The trainer should provide examples for the application in industry, characteristic results, and experiences. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 10/16

11 2.1.4 Planning Role of the Agile Master The trainer shall explain the role of the agile master in detail including his responsibilities, his competence and the ways he can apply his role successfully The role of the Agile Master as a Change Agent It needs to be established that the agile master acts as a change agent. The agile master s main purpose is to enable the team to perform better. But it is made very obvious that the process can only be established with a strong agile leader Backlog The trainer shall explain the different levels of backlog and indicate their specifics and their relation to each other. At least he shall explain the levels product backlog selected product backlog iteration backlog Levels of the Planning Process The trainer shall explain the different levels of planning and indicate their specifics and their relation to each other. At least the trainer shall explain the levels strategic planning tactical planning iteration planning Methods of Planning The trainer shall explain the methods of planning in agile management and indicate their advantages and possible risks over the whole project life cycle. In particular the following topics shall be dealt with meetings backlog finalization criteria debriefing Learning Targets of this Module Participants should know the methods of planning in agile projects and agile management be able to apply these methods to example situations Guidance Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 11/16

12 The trainer should support the understanding of the steps for planning with practical exercises (e.g. elaboration of a conventional project plan and comparison with agile planning) The Meetings of Agile Flow Methods of Communication The trainer shall explain how the agile flow is created by having the relevant meetings. The meetings enable the team to communicate properly and they define a clear framework in which the team has to operate. The trainer shall explain how information transfer in agile management is performed both inside the team and outside the team. The trainer shall explain the necessity and culture of meetings, in particular general meeting estimation / preparation meeting iteration planning meeting daily morning meeting iteration review meeting iteration retrospective meeting Documentation of Planning and Decisions The trainer shall explain how information in agile management is recorded for later use and indicate the possible methods and responsibilities Guidance The goals and the rules for the different meetings should be explained and be part of exercises Common Sense and Team Culture The trainer shall emphasize the importance of common sense and congruent understanding as well the importance of discussing and solving dissents in the team. Additionally it shall be explained how the team culture influences the method of agile management and discussed which different approaches to control team culture are available Learning Targets of this Module Participants should know how a team in agile management works from the social and communicational point of view be able to control their own communicational behaviour as well as to give feedback on others Guidance Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 12/16

13 The basic team culture topics should be addressed: cooperation, responsibility, qualification, methods for the solution of dissent. Additionally some aspects of labour legislation and potential consequences of agile management such as burn out should be addressed Product Owner Interaction Product Owner Involvement The trainer shall explain how the customer is involved in agile management and how the commitment of the customer is obtained. In particular it shall be discussed how decisions of the customer are obtained and changes of the scope are dealt with. Furthermore it shall be explained how the final acceptance by the customer is prepared Learning Targets of this Module Participants should know how to involve the customer in agile management how to prepare final acceptance from he customer's point of view Guidance The role of the product owner should be discussed: skill requirements, responsibility, advantages and disadvantages of the integration of the project owner into the team, risks connected to the role of the product owner Estimation Methods of Estimation The trainer shall explain how estimation in agile management is performed and how correctness is controlled. This includes the topics size of the project duration and schedule of the project buffering priorization of tasks establishment of a release plan Learning Targets of this Module Participants should know how to estimate resources in agile management know how to control resources in agile management know how to react on deviations from planning know how to control the progress Guidance The trainer should bring up agile estimation methods like function point, advantages and disadvantages of estimation with experience or comparison to similar projects. It shall be Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 13/16

14 mentioned, that estimations must be realistic and must accepted (common sense) by the team Quality Management and Quality Assurance Basics of Quality Management The trainer shall explain the basics of quality management and quality assurance. At least two levels must be covered: quality assurance for a project continuous improvement for projects and organizations Standards and Norms from the Agile Point of View The trainer shall explain how agile management relates to standards and norms. At least the methods for compliance with ISO 9001:2008 must be discussed. For CMMi and SPICE the different levels, the required processes, and the methods how these topics are dealt with in agile management must be shown Constructive and Analytic Methods of Quality Assurance The trainer shall explain the methods to ensure correctness, completeness and consistency of requirements. The trainer shall explain how result oriented processing (e. g. Test Driven Development) works and how acceptance can be achieved. At least the following topics shall be addressed: review techniques peer reviews verification validation Retrospective The trainer shall focus on the behavioural and performance improvement of the team by using retrospectives. In particular the retrospectives must identify strengths and weaknesses of the team both from the process and from the operational aspect. Mechanisms for eliminating systematic weaknesses and avoiding repeated errors must be taught and covered by exercises Learning Targets of this Module Participants should be able to apply both analytical and constructive methods of quality assurance in agile management know how the requirements of ISO 9001:2008, CMMi and SPICE can be fulfilled in agile management be able to improve the team performance on the basis of retrospectives Pitfalls of Agile Management and how to Avoid the Common Problems Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 14/16

15 The trainer needs to explain why certain things will go wrong if specific pitfalls are not managed properly Guidance The trainer should give examples for risk-estimation, compare agile methods with ISO 9001, compare ISO with agile methods, and show, how additional requirements for a maturity model evolve. As an exercise the elaboration of risk aspects is recommended Tools and Practices Tools and Practices for Agile Management The trainer shall discuss tools and practices used in connection with or for agile management. The trainer shall furthermore explain how other tools can be applied for agile management Tools for Result Oriented Processing The trainer shall explain which tools are available for result oriented processing methods (e. g. test driven development) and give an overview of their basic features Learning Targets of this Module Participants should have an overview of tool support for agile management Guidance Tools used in agile management should be discussed. This includes tools for backlogs, task lists, automatic testing etc. In particular advantages and disadvantages of using electronic tools should be discussed in comparison to paper tools such as flipchart, lists, wallpapers etc. Furthermore practices such as pair programming, peer review or test driven development shall be mentioned. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 15/16

16 3 Part III 3.1 References Highsmith, J., Agile Project Management, Creating Innovative Products. Addison-Wesley, Pearson Education Hruschka, P., Rupp, C., Starke, G. (2004) Agility kompakt Tipps für erfolgreiche Systementwicklung. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag GmbH Heidelberg Berlin Jacobson, I., Booch, G., Rumbaugh, J. (1999). The Unified Software Development Process. Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. Kruchten, P. (1999). The Rational Unified Process. Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. Motschnig, R., Nykl, L. (2009). Konstruktive Kommunikation Sich und andere verstehen durch personenzentrierte Interaktion., Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart, DE. Royce, W. (1998). Software Project Management. Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. Gedruckt: :01:51 V2.0 16/16