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The Scrum Survival Guide™

Conquer Scrum to deliver iterative Agile projects, even in complex and changing environments, with this two-day workshop. It will help you to understand the principles and theory underpinning Agile, the Scrum framework, the Scrum team and the Scrum Master’s role.

Overview

This workshop will help you:

  • Approach projects confidently in iterative steps, testing at different points and welcoming constant change even when faced with conflicting priorities.
  • Focus on tasks that provide tangible outcomes and business benefits, by concentrating on what the business wants, by delivering little and often.
  • Ensure flexibility by adopting an Agile mindset – when you plan and analyse you don’t always know what’s going to happen.
 

Who is it for?

Not just for IT teams, Agile and Scrum are successfully implemented by:
  • Business and team leaders looking for common-sense, practical ways to enhance collaboration and productivity – reducing the risk of project failure.
  • Traditional Project Managers looking for a different way to approach projects and solve complex issues.
  • Scrum and Agile practitioners needing to consolidate their knowledge and prepare for the Professional Scrum Master 1 (PSM1) certification.
  • Creatives working in volatile, complex environments needing to manage uncertainty and deliver innovative solutions.
  • Start-up’s and enterprise teams wanting to better understand Agile and reduce risks on product and project delivery.

Definitions

An AGILE project – a lean and a collaborative way to deliver a project using a number of frameworks like SCRUM, SAFe and DSDM.

Why AGILE vs Traditional methods – often the business does not know what it wants at the time of initial brief, this often causes complex issues for the project teams trying to deliver.

The Agile framework enables project teams to plan, test and deliver in stages; taking feedback and using it to refocus and adapt to what the business now requires and sees as providing the most value.

SCRUM (an Agile Framework) – a collaborative way to develop complex products using the right people (their skills and know-how) to iterate and incrementally deliver a product/solution.

SCRUM MASTER – is the coach/leader of the project team with the objective to develop the team to be able to work independently, using Scrum, eventually without their Scrum Master

What's it all about?

Scrum is based on an empirical approach, which emphasises that knowledge and understanding come from experience, with decision-making based on what is known. This workshop will help you:

  • Understand the theory that underpins Scrum thinking, helping you to adapt your project management methodology to this approach.
  • Acquire a broad knowledge of Agile frameworks to identify the practical applications and limitations of Scrum.
  • Deal with complex issues by planning up-front and changing, as necessary, to deliver a successful project.
  • Understand Agile projects and the Scrum team, master and product owner roles vital to project success.
  • Learn the duties of a Scrum Master and the Scrum Framework according to the Scrum Guide.
  • With practical exercises and role-play to develop and reinforce working knowledge.
  • Understand the importance of building collaborative relationships between delivery teams and business stakeholders.
  • Go back to your workplace and start working as a Scrum Master or in a Scrum team.
  • Engage with your wider business community to promote Scrum and help stakeholders understand this way of working.
  • Gain a good understanding of the Scrum Guide to prepare for the Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master (PSM1) certification.

What will you get out of it?

The workshop will help you:

  • Adopt a more Agile approach to the way you manage projects.
  • Apply the core values and principles of Agile and understand the origins of Agile frameworks.
  • Facilitate Scrum events: refinement, planning, daily scrum, review and retrospective reviews.
  • Implement the Scrum Master role, the responsibilities of the Scrum team and understand how Scrum fosters collaborative relationships through coaching, facilitating and upskilling your project team.
  • Evolve the skills to be a Scrum Master – so you can develop internal project teams so that they can confidently use Agile frameworks to deliver successful project outcomes.
  • Enhance the work of your development team by enabling creativity and creating a focus on quality and early value delivery.
  • Positively embrace feedback and change – reducing stress levels, especially in complex situations by using a range of techniques that give you room to manoeuvre and deal with uncertainty.
  • Expedite projects by using the full skill-set within the team and delivering little and often.

What will your organisation get out of it?

Improved individual and team morale as well as having a go-to support point for projects.

Organisations will find that their project teams become more flexible, with the ability to deal with complexity and constant change. These confident Scrum Masters will be able to focus the project team to deliver the right outcomes, reducing waste and saving time. The project team will have a continuous improvement mindset, developing competencies, improving working practices, increasing productivity and reducing the risk of project failure.

Typical workshop content

What is Agile?

  • Origins of Agile.
  • Agile Manifesto and principles.

What is Scrum?

  • Overview of the Scrum framework.

Complexity and empiricism:

  • Empirical theory underpinning Scrum.
  • How Scrum deals with complexity.

Agile projects:

  • Project constraints in traditional projects versus Agile projects.
  • Limitations of Scrum and a comparison to Agile project frameworks.

The Scrum team:

  • Product owner - the voice of the customer and responsible for return on investment.
  • Scrum Master - responsible for facilitating and coaching the Scrum team.
  • Development team - self-organising and responsible for delivering 'done' work during the sprint.

Scrum Artefacts:

  • Product Backlog - an ordered list of what is needed for the product.
  • Sprint Backlog - the items the team agreed to deliver during the Sprint and a plan of how to do it.
  • Product Increment - the total of the ‘done’ backlog items so far.

Scrum events (The five Scrum events):

  • Sprint planning - to plan the Sprint.
  • The Sprint - a fixed period to produce a potentially shippable product increment.
  • Daily Scrum - a daily meeting for the team to synchronise activities.
  • Sprint Review - to see what has been ‘done’, highlight any issues and review the Product Backlog and upcoming activities.
  • Sprint Retrospective - after a Sprint, the team inspects itself and plans opportunities to improve in subsequent Sprints.

Scrum events (Backlog Refinement):

  • Preparing and maintaining the Product Backlog.

Scrum events (Release Planning):

  • Projecting a project or release timeline upfront, based upon initial estimates.

Agile tools and techniques (things that are part of Agile, but not strictly Scrum):

  • User stories.
  • Estimating and prioritisation.
  • Kanban boards and burn-down charts.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Scrum Master Masterclass™ can count towards your CPD recognition with leading professional associations and trade organisations. You can normally record your attendance in the 'organised learning' or 'self-learning' sections. Please check with your membership organisation for more information.

In-House workshops

Our in-house delivery option gives you the flexibility to train teams, groups and departments. Reducing delegate travel, training cost (significant saving when compared to our open public workshops) and environmental impact - as we train at your choice of location or online, in the UK or internationally. Options for tailoring content are available.

Prices quoted are based on 12 delegates per event, we can accommodate up to 20 delegates for an additional fee:

  • Face-to-face classroom workshops - delegates receive a printed workbook/materials.
  • Virtual learning sessions - delivered as highly interactive modular sessions using our Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex platforms or your own. Virtual workshops require access to a PC/Mac/tablet and internet connection, a webcam, speakers/headphones and enabled microphone, or attendees can simply dial in on their phone.

    The format will be similar to face-to-face classroom workshops, we always cover a core programme. It is delivered using interactive group learning sessions, lots of practice, group and individual feedback and 1-2-1 trainer coaching. We combine this with screen and document sharing, polls, interactive whiteboards and breakout rooms. Delegates receive access to an online workbook/materials that can be viewed online, downloaded to a portable device or printed. Printed workbooks are available at additional cost. 

Delegate places are available at from £575pp + VAT.

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