Agile Project Manager Master Class

Agile and agility have become widely used terms. But what exactly do they mean? And what does Agile mean to our projects and our organisations?

The world has become an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment in which to do business. And recent events such as the pandemic, and political and financial disruption have brought this further home.

Change is continuous, not least when it comes to customer requirements and expectations. Successful organisations are changing the way they work.

Agile is about people over tools, working product over documentation, collaboration over contract negotiation, embracing change over following the plan. But Agile does not mean ‘lack of control’.

During this Agile Project Manager Master Class training course participants will learn how Agile principles, tools and mindsets are systematically used to deliver value in the post-pandemic complex environment.

Starting with the principles of Agile, the training course takes a detailed practical look at the most popular frameworks and tools.

This Coventry Academy training course finishes with a detailed look at the latest post-pandemic trends and what Agile means to the organisation.

What Are The Goals?

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Recognise how and where to apply an Agile approach to projects

• Understand and explain the benefits of an Agile approach

• Be able to apply Agile values and principles to all projects

• Understand the new mindset and culture required for successful Agile delivery

• Understand the critical nature of customer focus and value-driven delivery

• Use Agile planning and delivery tools

• Set up and run an Agile project using the Scrum framework

• Describe what Agile means to the larger organisation

• Explain the latest trends in Agile delivery post-pandemic

Who Is This Training Course For?

This Coventry Academy training course is aimed at the Project Manager who wishes to understand and apply the principles of Agile to their projects.

However, it is suitable for a wide range of professionals who serve supporting and collaborating roles to the delivery of projects:

• Project and program managers who wish to gain a practical knowledge of agile and how it can benefit their projects

• Senior leaders who want to understand how an agile approach could benefit their organisation

• Subject matter experts in marketing, strategy, product development, engineering, HR, customer management, sales, R&D or innovation who want to understand the benefits that Agile could bring to their day-to-day work

• Agile/ Scrum team members who would benefit from understanding the basis of Agile delivery

• PMO staff who support Agile projects and Agile delivery

How Will This Training Course Be Presented?

This Coventry Academy training course will utilize a variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension and retention of the information presented.

This includes many examples, case studies, interactive activities, exercises, Q&A sessions and learning from other participants. The aim is to learn practical tools, tips, methodologies and frameworks, as well as their underlying basis in the Agile Manifesto and values.

The course ends with practical planning as to each participants’ future steps in applying Agile.

Course Outline

Day One: Agile Principles and Mindset

• The need for agility in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world

• The Agile manifesto, values and principles

• The Agile ‘growth’ mindset vs. the ‘fixed’ mindset

• Locating Agile, Lean and Kanban approaches

• The disruptive nature of the Agile approach

• How complexity drives lifecycle choice

Day Two: Creating an Agile Environment

• ‘Being Agile’ vs. ‘Doing Agile’

• Understanding value-driven delivery

• Roles and responsibilities

• Empowering through servant-leadership

• People over processes: team performance

• People over processes: stakeholder engagement

Day Three: Agile Planning

• Approaches to delivery

• Central importance of the customer

• The Scrum framework

• Applying value-driven delivery

• Agile planning

• Agile practices and tools

Day Four: Successful Project Delivery in an Agile Environment

• Design-thinking and Agile

• Monitoring and Controlling in Agile projects

• Contracting in Agile

• Problem detection and resolution

• Risk management in Agile

• Continuous improvement

Day Five: Projects and Organisational Agility

• What is an Agile organisation?

• Building strategic agility

• Current trends in Agile adoption

• Value stream management

• Agile techniques and maturity

• Addressing implementation challenges

• Scaling Agile

The Certificate

• Coventry Academy Certificate of Attendance will be provided to delegates who attend and complete the course