Agile Project Management from Coursera

Embark on a transformative journey into the world of Agile Project Management with our detailed course on Scrum. Begin with a solid foundation as you explore the core principles and roles within Scrum, understanding the responsibilities of Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Development Teams. Through engaging videos and practical examples, you'll learn how to establish and manage stakeholders effectively, ensuring their active involvement and satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.

Progressing further, the course delves into the intricacies of building and managing a robust product backlog. You’ll master the art of writing user stories and acceptance criteria, prioritizing tasks, and estimating story points, all crucial for maintaining a well-organized and efficient backlog. Sprint planning, a pivotal element of Scrum, is covered comprehensively. You’ll discover techniques to prepare, conduct, and follow up on sprint planning meetings, ensuring your team stays aligned and productive.

In the latter part of the course, you’ll focus on the sprint lifecycle, including daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. These sessions are designed to equip you with strategies to enhance team collaboration, identify and mitigate impediments, and continuously improve processes. The course also includes advanced topics like release planning, using velocity, and integrating Kanban with Scrum to optimize workflow and deliver high-quality results on time.

This course is tailored for project managers, team leaders, and technical professionals with a basic understanding of Agile principles. Ideal for professionals looking to refine their project management capabilities.

What's inside

Syllabus

Part 1 - Agile Project Management - Scrum Step by Step with Examples

In this module, we will introduce you to Agile Project Management and the Scrum methodology. You will gain an understanding of how Scrum can be implemented step by step, with real-world examples to demonstrate its application and effectiveness in various projects.

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Provides a step-by-step guide to creating and managing a product backlog, which is essential for Agile project management and helps in organizing and prioritizing tasks effectively

Explores the sprint lifecycle, including daily Scrum meetings, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, which are crucial for enhancing team collaboration and continuous process improvement

Covers release planning and the use of velocity to guide project timelines, which helps in setting release goals and prioritizing features for timely and efficient project releases

Explores the concept of limiting work in progress, which enhances focus and productivity, improving project flow by effectively managing the number of ongoing tasks

Requires a basic understanding of Agile principles, which may necessitate additional introductory study for learners without prior exposure to Agile methodologies

Teaches Kanban, which, while still relevant, is not as widely adopted as Scrum, and learners may find that some organizations do not use it

Reviews summary

Solid scrum basics for project professionals

According to learners, this course provides an excellent foundation in Scrum and Agile principles, particularly useful for professionals and project managers transitioning to Agile. Students found the content clear and well-structured, covering key roles and ceremonies with a step-by-step approach. The practical examples, real-world case studies, and valuable tips on topics like user stories and sprint planning were highlighted as being applicable immediately. While it covers the fundamentals comprehensively, some reviewers noted that the course feels basic in parts and lacks depth on advanced topics or complex scenarios, making it potentially less suitable for experienced practitioners seeking advanced knowledge.

Explanations are clear, structure is logical.

"The instructor explains concepts clearly..."

"The content is well-structured, covering the key roles and ceremonies."

"Fantastic course! The step-by-step approach makes learning Scrum very accessible."

"It broke down Scrum into manageable pieces..."

"Clear, concise, and very useful."

"The structure is logical, following the process flow. The lectures are easy to follow."

Great for those new or transitioning to Agile.

"It's great for professionals looking to implement Agile practices."

"Good course for someone new to Agile."

"As a project manager transitioning to Agile, this course was perfect."

"Covers the Scrum basics described in the syllabus. ... a basic intro for a complete newbie."

"A bit light on advanced concepts, but good for getting started."

Examples are clear and applicable to work.

"...uses practical examples that are easy to follow."

"I appreciated the real-world case studies; they really helped solidify the concepts. The tips on meeting deadlines were particularly valuable."

"...provided practical strategies I could apply immediately."

"The focus on practicality and real-world examples is a major plus."

"Learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

Provides a clear and practical foundation.

"This course provides an excellent foundation in Scrum and Agile principles."

"A solid overview of Scrum. ... it's a good starting point."

"Excellent content delivered clearly. ... learning the fundamentals."

"Good introduction to Agile project management with Scrum. ... for foundational knowledge, it's great."

"A decent course for understanding the basics of Scrum methodology."

Good for basics, less so for advanced topics.

"Some parts felt a little basic..."

"...I was hoping for more depth, especially on scaling Agile or integrating with other methods..."

"...maybe not enough for experienced practitioners."

"I would have liked to see more advanced topics or real-life complex scenarios discussed..."

"A bit light on advanced concepts..."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Agile Project Management with these activities:

Review Agile Principles

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Solidify your understanding of the core Agile principles before diving into Scrum. This will provide a strong foundation for understanding the 'why' behind Scrum practices.

Browse courses on Agile Principles

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Read the Agile Manifesto and its principles.
Reflect on how these principles apply to project management.
Identify areas where your current practices align or conflict with Agile.

Review 'Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time'

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Gain a deeper understanding of Scrum's underlying principles and practical applications. Reading this book will provide valuable context and insights to complement the course material.

View Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half... on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the core principles and case studies.
Take notes on key concepts and examples.
Reflect on how these concepts can be applied to your own projects.

User Story Writing Practice

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Sharpen your user story writing skills through targeted practice. This will improve your ability to capture requirements effectively and create a well-defined product backlog.

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Find several example project ideas.
Write user stories for each project idea, following the INVEST principle.
Review your user stories and identify areas for improvement.
Rewrite the user stories based on your review.

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Answer Questions in Agile Forums

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Reinforce your understanding by helping others learn. Answering questions in online forums will challenge you to articulate your knowledge and identify areas where you need further clarification.

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Find online forums related to Agile and Scrum.
Browse the forums for questions related to topics covered in the course.
Answer questions to the best of your ability, providing clear and concise explanations.

Create a Scrum Guide Summary

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Synthesize your understanding of Scrum by creating a concise summary of the Scrum Guide. This will reinforce your knowledge of the framework's key elements and their relationships.

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Read the official Scrum Guide.
Identify the key elements of Scrum (roles, events, artifacts, rules).
Write a concise summary of each element, explaining its purpose and how it relates to the others.
Combine the summaries into a single document.

Simulate a Sprint

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Apply your knowledge of Scrum by simulating a sprint with a small team. This hands-on experience will solidify your understanding of sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.

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Form a small team (3-5 people).
Choose a simple project to work on.
Plan a sprint, including defining a sprint goal and selecting user stories.
Conduct daily scrums to track progress and identify impediments.
Hold a sprint review to demonstrate the completed work.
Conduct a retrospective to identify areas for improvement.

Review 'Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business'

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Expand your knowledge of Kanban and its integration with Scrum. This book will provide a deeper understanding of Kanban principles and practices.

View Discovering Kanban on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the core principles and practices of Kanban.
Take notes on key concepts and examples.
Reflect on how Kanban can be integrated with Scrum in your projects.

Career center

Learners who complete Agile Project Management will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Scrum Master

A Scrum Master acts as a servant leader for a development team, facilitating the Scrum framework. This course provides a detailed understanding of Scrum, including the roles of Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team. It also teaches how to run essential Scrum ceremonies, such as sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, all of which are essential for a Scrum Master. This course will help you build a foundation necessary to coach a team to collaborate effectively and improve its agile processes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Scrum Master

Product Owner

A Product Owner defines the product vision and manages the product backlog. This course covers key topics for a Product Owner, including building and managing a robust product backlog, writing user stories and acceptance criteria, and prioritizing tasks. With its focus on stakeholder engagement and sprint planning, this course prepares someone to be an effective Product Owner, enabling them to maintain an organized backlog. This is important to ensure a product meets the needs of its users.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course provides a comprehensive overview of Agile project management, specifically Scrum. It delves into creating and managing a product backlog, sprint planning, and using velocity for release planning. This course provides techniques to set goals, prioritize tasks, and manage project timelines. A project manager will benefit from this course with the knowledge to deliver projects on time while also improving team collaboration.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Agile Coach

An Agile Coach guides organizations in adopting and implementing Agile methodologies. This course focuses on the specifics of Scrum, which is a key component of Agile. From this course, you will learn how different roles within a Scrum team function, and how to establish effective processes, such as sprint planning and backlog management. This course's focus on practical examples and how to improve processes makes it well-suited for an Agile Coach, who helps teams continuously improve.

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Iteration Manager

An Iteration Manager is focused on the delivery of a project within a single sprint or iteration. This course provides specific instruction in the activities of a sprint, from planning to daily scrums, reviews, and retrospectives. This course directly addresses team collaboration strategies which are central to the role. This course can equip an iteration manager to help a team improve their processes and performance.

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Team Leader

A Team Leader guides and motivates a team to achieve its goals, frequently within a project or product development setting. This course introduces techniques for effective team collaboration and process improvement. Core topics such as daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, help team leaders enhance their ability to lead a team. This course will help team leaders foster a productive and collaborative team environment.

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Product Manager

A Product Manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of a product. This course details how to engage stakeholders and build and manage product backlogs. The course materials also include the importance of creating a product vision and how to convert ideas into actionable user stories. This course provides a foundation for a product manager by enhancing their understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies.

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Software Development Manager

A Software Development Manager leads a team of software developers. This course offers a look into how to use the Scrum framework to improve software development. This course covers topics vital to team management, such as sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. A software development manager would benefit from this course by learning to guide their teams through agile project management.

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Business Analyst

A Business Analyst identifies business needs and provides solutions. This course teaches how to write user stories and acceptance criteria using the Agile Scrum framework. This course provides a foundation in the techniques and principles of user stories, which allows a business analyst to communicate requirements effectively. Understanding this is vital to ensuring that user requirements are captured accurately and efficiently.

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Kanban Practitioner

A Kanban Practitioner implements and manages Kanban systems to improve workflow. This course discusses how to integrate Kanban with Scrum to optimize the workflow. This course explains how to visualize workflow, limit work in progress, and measure and manage flow. This course will build a foundation for someone seeking to become a Kanban practitioner.

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Release Manager

A Release Manager oversees the process of planning, scheduling, and controlling software releases. This course includes a section on release planning and how to use velocity to guide project timelines. The course will prepare you to set release goals, prioritize features, and run successful release planning meetings. A release manager will find value in this course's focus on delivering high quality software on time.

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Project Coordinator

A Project Coordinator assists project managers in organizing and overseeing the project lifecycle. This course covers fundamental concepts such as sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. This course helps build an understanding of the Scrum framework. With this knowledge a project coordinator can support project managers in their efforts, enabling smooth progress of projects.

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Technical Project Manager

A Technical Project Manager manages projects with technical components, frequently involving software projects. This course prepares someone to manage software projects within an agile environment. The course provides an overview of the Scrum methodology, including practical examples of how to apply it to projects. This course covers all the core components of sprint planning and sprint execution, as well as release planning and backlog management. This course may be useful for a technical project manager that needs to use agile methodologies.

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Program Manager

A Program Manager oversees multiple related projects, often aligning them with broader organizational goals. While this course is specific to Scrum within Agile, it provides fundamental knowledge in managing complex projects. The course provides knowledge and skill in stakeholder management, sprint planning, and release planning. This course may be useful for Program Manager wanting to manage multiple projects using Agile or wanting to gain some insight into the agile methodology.

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Change Management Consultant

A Change Management Consultant helps organizations navigate through periods of change. This course focuses on implementing agile methodologies, a type of change in many organizations. This course also emphasizes practical application and continuous improvement, all necessary skill for a change manager. This course may be helpful for a change management consultant wishing to guide organizations in adopting Agile methodologies.

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Agile Project Management

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What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Solid scrum basics for project professionals

Activities

Career center

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