Sprint Planning for Faster Agile Team Delivery from edX

Speed is by far the most sought-after benefit of Agile.

First mover advantages, the economic cost of delays, and the enabling effect on innovation drive the search for speed. Agile offers the fastest means of attaining speed: managing scope. But beyond the hype over scope management, there are key principles of non-traditional task management that ensure the scope chosen is delivered as efficiently as possible.

In this course, you'll learn how to drive speed into any project by selecting and limiting work-in-progress through agile planning and task management. There are two principle roles involved, the scrum master and the product owner. However, the entire scrum team needs to understand the principles behind backlog refinement, sprint planning, and execution throughout the sprint cycle.

In this course we'll show you how to run effective sprint planning meetings that produce a sprint backlog ready to deliver on your sprint goals and release objectives. You'll learn the power of prioritizing backlog items, and why we agile planning and sprint planning isn't just a managed list you work top-down in priority order. Instead, scrum teams commit to achieving goals and work together to ensure the user stories that are highest priority get delivered in this sprint, so the upcoming sprint isn't delayed. This also means understanding your team capacity and how to ensure safe and on-time delivery of the highest items on the product backlog that actually matter to your customer.

While this course will not make you an agile certified practitioner (PMI-ACP), or certified scrum master (CSM), it offers a more fundamental agile certification based on agile principles and how sprint planning enables hyper productivity in industry today. You'll finish this course more than ready to continue your agile journey, which we hope takes you to the next course in the series on “Agile Innovation and Problem Solving Skills.”

Upon successful completion of this course, learners can earn 10 Professional Development Unit (PDU) credits, which are recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PDU credits are essential to those looking to maintain certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

What's inside

Learning objectives

Kanban boards to limit work-in-progress (wip) in a timebox
Time boxing activities to eliminate delays and gain schedule advances and ensure team capacity

Application and iteration of the pareto principle for product backlog refinement
Rolling wave planning and to ensure you deliver on the big picture

Kanban boards to limit work-in-progress (wip) in a timebox
Time boxing activities to eliminate delays and gain schedule advances and ensure team capacity
Application and iteration of the pareto principle for product backlog refinement
Rolling wave planning and to ensure you deliver on the big picture

Syllabus

Week 1: The first week focuses the discussion on Agile to its primary benefit, Speed, and how to easily calculate and prove its supremacy in benefits of any project management method because of timing impacts and market changes outside a project manager’s control.

Week 2: The second week explores why and how varying scope is the most powerful method to achieve speed; introducing the Exponential Pareto Principle and how to apply it effectively. Perhaps the most important lesson is that not all product backlog items are equal, and in fact, most don't matter at all!

Week 3: The third week dives into second tier methods for achieving speed through sizing, simplicity, and sprints with real-world examples ranging from air and space craft to software. Team members work together to ensure a smooth glide on the burndown chart by actively managing work in process during daily scrum sessions.

Week 4: The last week teaches ground-level techniques to avoid delays, increase speed, and apply a full range of planning, execution, and control techniques that will guarantee 2x or better improvement on traditional projects. This week is essential to producing a winning product backlog and release plan.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on the benefits of Agile for increased speed in project management

Explores advanced task management techniques to ensure scope is delivered efficiently

Delves into the roles of scrum master and product owner, emphasizing the importance of teamwork

Provides hands-on instruction on conducting effective sprint planning meetings

Requires prior knowledge of agile principles and scrum methodologies

Does not offer official agile certifications (PMI-ACP or CSM)

Reviews summary

Faster sprint planning for agile teams

Learners say this course provides various tips and tricks to apply agile methods to project management in order to achieve deliverables faster. The course focuses on delivering faster outcomes, while avoiding common pitfalls in the process. Core concepts include double Pareto, buffer guarantees, and the importance of focusing on one thing at a time. Instructors provide real-world examples and reference additional materials for further reading.

There are many benefits to using an Agile approach to project management, including the ability to deliver outcomes more quickly.

"Speed is the most sought-after benefit of Agile."

"First mover advantages, the economic cost of delays and the enabling effect on innovation drive the search for speed."

Buffer guarantees involve adding extra time to your project plan to account for unexpected delays and can help you avoid falling behind schedule.

"Buffer guarantees provide a realistic view of what is possible when planning a project."

"Adding buffer guarantees to your project plan is a great way to ensure that you have enough time to complete the project without rushing through it."

In order to be efficient, it is important to avoid multitasking and instead focus on completing one task at a time.

"Focusing on one thing at a time is the best way to get things done."

"By focusing on one thing at a time, you can increase both the speed and quality of your work."

WIP is "work in progress" and limiting it means that you are not bogging your team down in too much unfinished work.

"One of the benefits of the WIP limit is that it will help you enhance the speed of your team deliverables."

"Limiting WIP is a great way to speed up your delivery time and improve the quality of your work."

Use the double Pareto principle to remove non-essential tasks from your to-do list to increase efficiency.

"Eliminating the waste of time is an important concept. It means that you should work only on the most important tasks, which will have the biggest impact on your project."

"The Double Pareto principle is a great tool for finding out which tasks are your "must haves", "could haves", and "should haves" so that you can focus on the most important things."

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 Sprint Planning for Faster Agile Team Delivery with these activities:

Kanban Boards

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Review the Kanban method to enhance your understanding of work-in-progress (WIP) management.

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Read the Kanban documentation as provided by the Kanban University: https://kanban.university/kanban-method/kanban-system-design#TOC
Create a personal Kanban board for a project you're working on to practice WIP management.
Join an online Kanban community or forum to connect with others and learn about best practices.

Time Boxing Activities

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Explore time boxing techniques to improve schedule management and eliminate delays.

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Watch a tutorial on time boxing.
Read articles or blog posts about time boxing in Agile development.
Experiment with time boxing in your daily routine to manage your tasks.

Applying the Pareto Principle

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Practice applying the Pareto Principle to prioritize tasks and enhance product backlog refinement.

Browse courses on Pareto Principle

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Identify a list of tasks or projects.
Apply the 80/20 rule to categorize the tasks into essential and non-essential.
Create a plan to focus on completing the essential tasks first.

Five other activities

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Show all eight activities

Rolling Wave Planning

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Gain a comprehensive understanding of rolling wave planning to ensure alignment with the big picture.

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Find a comprehensive tutorial or article on rolling wave planning.
Watch a video demonstration of rolling wave planning in action.
Join an online community or forum to discuss rolling wave planning and learn from others.

Attend an Agile Planning Workshop

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Participate in an Agile planning workshop to gain practical experience in creating sprint backlogs and release plans.

Browse courses on Agile Planning

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Research and identify reputable Agile planning workshops.
Register and attend the workshop.
Actively participate in the exercises and discussions.

Attend Agile Meetups

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Join Agile meetups to connect with fellow professionals, exchange ideas, and expand your knowledge.

Browse courses on Agile

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Find Agile meetups in your local area or online.
Attend meetups regularly to stay updated on industry trends.
Network with other Agile practitioners and learn from their experiences.

Contribute to Open Source Agile Projects

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Enhance your skills by contributing to real-world Agile software projects.

Browse courses on Agile

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Identify open source Agile projects that align with your interests.
Review the project documentation and identify areas where you can contribute.
Submit pull requests with your contributions.

Build a Tool to Manage Work-in-Progress

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Design and develop a personalized tool to enhance your management of work-in-progress effectively.

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Define the requirements and specifications for your tool.
Select suitable programming languages and technologies.
Implement and test your tool to ensure it meets the requirements.

Career center

Learners who complete Sprint Planning for Faster Agile Team Delivery will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Scrum Master

Scrum Masters are accountable for facilitating Agile ceremonies, including Sprint Planning. By taking this course, aspiring and current Scrum Masters can enhance their skills in running effective Sprint Planning meetings, ensuring that the team has a clear understanding of the sprint goals, tasks, and timelines. The course's focus on time-boxing activities and managing work-in-progress aligns with the responsibilities of a Scrum Master.

See salaries and explore the career path for Scrum Master

Product Owner

Product Owners are responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog, ensuring that the team focuses on delivering the most valuable features. This course provides an in-depth understanding of Sprint Planning for Agile teams, which is fundamental for Product Owners to effectively plan and manage the product backlog, prioritize user stories, and set clear sprint goals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Owner

Agile Coach

An Agile Coach plays a pivotal role in facilitating the successful implementation and application of Agile methodologies - such as Sprint Planning - within an organization. This course will equip aspiring Agile Coaches with the foundational knowledge to guide teams in adopting Agile practices, particularly regarding Sprint Planning and Backlog Refinement, to optimize project delivery and enhance productivity.

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Project Manager

Project Managers may adopt Agile methodologies like Sprint Planning to enhance project efficiency. This course offers valuable insights into Agile principles, Sprint Planning techniques, and work management practices, enabling Project Managers to improve project delivery, manage scope changes, and adapt to evolving requirements.

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Business Analyst

Business Analysts can leverage their knowledge of Agile methodologies, including Sprint Planning, to contribute effectively to project teams. This course provides a structured approach to Sprint Planning and Backlog Refinement, empowering Business Analysts to assist in identifying and prioritizing user stories, estimating effort, and ensuring that the team aligns with business objectives during Sprint Planning.

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Software Developer

For Software Developers, mastering Agile methodologies like Sprint Planning is essential to deliver high-quality software products. This course covers the fundamentals of Sprint Planning, enabling developers to actively participate in planning sprints, estimating tasks, and contributing to the team's commitment to delivering valuable features.

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Product Manager

Product Managers play a crucial role in defining the product strategy and vision. This course offers valuable insights into Sprint Planning and Agile principles, which can help Product Managers collaborate effectively with scrum teams and ensure that the product aligns with market demands and user needs.

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Quality Assurance Analyst

Quality Assurance Analysts may find this course particularly beneficial as it sheds light on how Agile teams plan and manage sprints to deliver quality software. Understanding Sprint Planning enables QA professionals to better align their testing efforts with the team's priorities and contribute to timely delivery of high-quality products.

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Systems Analyst

Systems Analysts can gain valuable insights into Agile methodologies and Sprint Planning through this course. By understanding how Agile teams plan and manage sprints, Systems Analysts can contribute to the analysis, design, and implementation of Agile systems, ensuring that they align with business objectives and deliver value to stakeholders.

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Change Manager

Change Managers can benefit from this course as it emphasizes the importance of managing change effectively within Agile environments. Sprint Planning is a key aspect of Agile change management, and this course equips Change Managers with the knowledge and skills to facilitate successful adoption and implementation of Agile practices within organizations, including managing resistance and ensuring stakeholder engagement.

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IT Manager

IT Managers may find this course beneficial as it provides a comprehensive overview of Agile methodologies, including Sprint Planning. Understanding these concepts enables IT Managers to make informed decisions regarding Agile adoption within their organizations and support teams in implementing Sprint Planning to enhance project outcomes.

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Consultant

Consultants may find this course helpful, as it provides a framework for implementing Agile practices, including Sprint Planning, in various organizational settings. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of Agile methodologies, consultants can effectively guide their clients through Agile transformations, improving project delivery and team performance.

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Data Analyst

Data Analysts can benefit from this course by learning how Agile principles and Sprint Planning can be applied to data-driven projects. Understanding how to plan and manage sprints in an Agile context enables Data Analysts to contribute to more efficient data analysis and decision-making processes, ultimately improving data-driven outcomes.

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UX Designer

UX Designers can benefit from this course as it emphasizes the importance of user-centric design in Agile environments. Sprint Planning involves defining user stories and prioritizing features, and this course provides UX Designers with the knowledge to actively participate in these processes, ensuring that user needs are met and the product aligns with user expectations.

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Project Coordinator

Project Coordinators can enhance their skills by gaining insights into Agile methodologies and Sprint Planning. This course provides a structured approach to project planning and execution, enabling Project Coordinators to effectively support Agile teams, manage project documentation, and ensure smooth coordination throughout the project lifecycle.

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