About this course: Traditional development processes often lead to team frustration and poor results. Agile offers a different approach to managing the complexity of software development. This course focuses on the day-to-day jobs of running a software development program and how leading agile methodologies (Scrum, XP, kanban) can help you do them better. From transitioning a team to agile to running sprints to managing stakeholders, this course gives you the skills you need to manage an agile team in your specific operating environment. We'll show you how to: - Think through and focus on the most important aspects of your projects and sprints - Facilitate your team’s initial and ongoing adoption of the specific agile practices that work for you - Anchor your outcomes and success criteria in durable ideas about what makes for valuable products - Support your team's transition from traditional approaches to agile - Create an agile-friendly environment across functional disciplines - Identify and manage outside stakeholder needs As a Project Management Institute (PMI®) Registered Education Provider, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business has been approved by PMI to issue 20 professional development units (PDUs) for this course, which focuses on core competencies recognized by PMI. (Provider #2122) This course is supported by the Batten Institute at UVA’s Darden School of Business. The Batten Institute’s mission is to improve the world through entrepreneurship and innovation: www.batteninstitute.org.
Created by: University of Virginia
Taught by: Alex Cowan, Faculty & Batten Fellow
Darden School of Business
| Basic Info | Course 3 of 5 in the Agile Development Specialization |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 2-5 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Agile Team
This week we’ll introduce the four major jobs of software development and help you think through where to focus on each of them for successful outcomes. Then we’ll step through the leading agile methodologies--Scrum, XP, and kanban. You’ll finish the week with a deeper understanding of how to pair your project’s most important facets with the best of what agile has to offer.
13 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Course Overview & Requirements
- Reading: Make Discussion Forums Work for You
- Video: Drive to Value with Agile Methods
- Video: Managing with Agile
- Video: The Business of Software
- Video: The Job of Software Development
- Video: David Bland on Agile & Lean Startup
- Video: Agile at Spotify: Part 1
- Video: Agile at Spotify: Part 2
- Video: Scrum Fundamentals: Roles
- Video: Scrum Fundamentals: Phases
- Video: Scrum Fundamentals: Burndown
- Video: XP Fundamentals: Learning and Deciding
- Video: XP Fundamentals: Building and Managing
- Video: Kanban Fundamentals
Graded: Week 1 Quiz: The Agile Team
WEEK 2
Learning and Deciding
One of the major promises of agile is to manage the complexities of software development for the best possible outcomes and working environments. Part and parcel of that is strong interdisciplinary collaboration paired with lightweight self-organizing management practices. This week, you’ll learn practical tactics from scrum and XP to promote faster learning and smarter decisions, and how you can use kanban to improve your workflow.
20 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Your ATM: The Learning Machine
- Video: Good Inputs
- Video: Good Collaboration
- Video: David Chait on Learning What’s Valuable
- Video: Agile Methodologies and the Job of Learning
- Video: Skit: Grooming the Story Map
- Video: The Limits of Good Inputs
- Video: Bill Wake on Acceptance Testing
- Video: Valuable Decisions
- Video: Slicing the Lasagna
- Discussion Prompt: Slicing the lasagna?
- Video: Managing Work in Progress: Part 1
- Video: Managing Work in Progress: Part 2
- Video: The Quagmire of Estimation, the Power of Flow
- Video: Demo: Using Trello for Agile
- Video: Bill Wake on Estimates and Prioritization
- Video: Greg Cohen on User Stories
- Video: Bill Wake on Burndown
- Video: Greg Cohen on Prioritization
- Video: Agile Methodologies and the Job of Deciding
- Video: Skit: Iteration Planning
- Reading: Sample Problem Scenario, Epic, Stories, and Kanban Board
Graded: Week 2 Quiz: Learning and Deciding
Graded: Your Best Backlog
WEEK 3
Building, Managing, and Introducing
This week we’ll dive into the jobs of building software and the core management jobs in running an agile team. Agile--and XP in particular--offers a rich body of work on specific coding practices. We’ll step through a few of the most prominent and discuss key linkages with the other concepts and practices you’ve learned. On the job of managing, we’ll dive deeper into what that means and what works in an agile context. We’ll close with ideas and case studies for introducing (or reintroducing) agile to your organization.
24 videos
- Video: Building Software with Agile
- Video: XP on Writing Software: Part 1
- Video: XP on Writing Software: Part 2
- Video: Bill Wake on YAGNI
- Video: Bill Wake on Integrated QA
- Video: The Agile Manager
- Video: Creating an Agile-Friendly Environment
- Discussion Prompt: Siloed vs. interdisciplinary teams?
- Video: Skit: A Developer at Work
- Video: Bill Wake on Self-Organization
- Video: Bill Wake on Support Escalations
- Video: International and Distributed Teams
- Video: Skit: Retrospective #6
- Video: Agile Teams Meet Waterfall Processes
- Video: Greg Cohen on Software Development
- Video: Agile Product Teams Meet Big Customer
- Video: Working with Big Customers: Keeping the Initiative
- Video: Working with Big Customers: Accommodating Customer Variations
- Video: Skit: Big Meeting with Marla
- Video: David Chait on Using Data with Clients
- Video: Getting Started
- Video: Yael Grushka-Cockayne on Transitioning from Traditional Project Management
- Video: Spotify: Scaling Agile
- Video: Salesforce: The Big Plunge
- Video: Yael Grushka-Cockayne on Project Managers and Agile
Graded: Week 3 Quiz: Building, Managing, and Introducing
WEEK 4
Planning an Iteration
Now that you’ve learned about the four jobs of software development, you’ll have a chance to think through how they relate to your work in this week’s peer-reviewed assignment. You’ll finish the course with a clear plan to accomplish the jobs of learning, deciding, building, and managing for your project.
1 video
- Video: Final Thoughts
Graded: Your Best Software Project
FAQs
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Coursework
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Creators
University of Virginia
A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
The course was challenging for me since I lacked the experience of working in an IT/Software Development, but I thought all the practical exercises forced me to develop some practical skills.
Thank you, Alex. It was wonderfully narrated.
Great Insights into agile principals
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This is an interesting course that provides critical information regarding collaboration with key stakeholders outside the scrum team. I use lessons learned in the course daily.