Introduction to Agile: Beyond Methodologies

Methodologies are about driving valuable ideas to market in a more predictable way. Yet from our experience working with organizations across the globe, we’ve seen that most people are merely ‘comfortable’ with methodologies, rather than completely sold on them. Why is that?

In this introductory course, we will offer you a different way to approach Agile methodologies – tackling why they’re often misunderstood and how to make them work better for you and your teams.

We focus on changes you can make today that will make a real impact. Using work-based activities and templates, you’ll gain practical guidance that can be applied immediately to change how you approach Agile, your work and lead you toward better, more impactful outcomes.

This course is right for you if you are:

• beginning your learning journey in agility and / or product management,
• interested in product organizations, or
• working with or striving to lead agile teams.

This course is designed to maximize the outcomes through a self-guided, self-paced learning journey, enabling participants to apply the learning to real work, while taking into consideration the demands on people’s time.

• Number of modules: 12
• Total lecture time: 2-hours
  (Additional time required to download templates and complete quizzes throughout the course)

The attention span for participants of remote sessions are typically shorter so introduction of different concepts and techniques will be done in 2-3 minute videos, with multiple videos comprising each module.

Each module has learning outcomes and a brief knowledge assessment in the form of a 2-4 question quiz. Some topics are accompanied by a downloadable template or a link to a case study or additional resources, as supplemental learning materials.

Course Outline

Beyond Agile methodologies

• Introduction to Value, Flow, Quality (VFQ), the principles of VFQ and essential practices
• How VFQ works

Why change?

• Iron Triangle
• Cargo Cult
• Fixed vs. Discovery mindset

Biases and heuristics

• Defining biases and heuristics
• Exposing Systems 1 Thinking
• Types of work
• Complicated vs. Complex

Setting goals

• Defining your goal
• 5 Why’s technique
• Knowns, Unknowns and Risks

Discovering value

• Importance of value
• Delivering early and often
• Breaking down work using prisms
• Attributes of value
• Value profiles, when your goal is valuable

Understanding your customer

• The importance of the customer
• Selfridges case study
• Empathy, In their shoes
• Jobs-to-be-Done
• Clayton Christensen’s Milkshake story
• Customer profile

Defining value

• Value Proposition framework
• Awareness of other canvases/frameworks

Designing experiments

• Four reasons to design an experiment
• Hypothesis structure
• Components of a Test & Learn card

Visualizing the work

• The importance of visualization
• Designing an effective work board
• Other types of visualization

Optimizing flow

• End-to-end flow
• Understanding lead and cycle times
• 7 types of waste

Incorporating feedback

• What quality means
• Importance of feedback
• Zara case study
• Overcoming resistance to feedback
• Exploring feedback loops

Conclusion

• Summaries
• Course Knowledge Assessment