5 ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) courses

Agile is not what you do, Agile is what you become! An introduction to the essentials of Agile Scrum as a delivery method. The same learning objectives as used in central government & public sector digital delivery projects. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agile is not what you do, Agile is what you become! Since 2012, all government departments have been required to use the Agile approach to project management, to build and run new digital services. As you begin your Agile journey, one of your first challenges will be understanding the rules and roles that support Agile delivery, some of the most frequently asked questions are "Which Agile framework is applicable to our business operating model?" or, "Is the Project Manager role equivalent to that of theProduct Owner?" and, "What does a Scrum Master do?" A strong corporate culture not accustomed to the Agile mindset can also be a difficult environment in which to implement Agile methods.  In some cases, the company’s culture and practices may reward non-Agile milestones while inadvertently discouraging Agile success. This intensive two-day training course combines PowerPoint presentations, informal discussions and practical exercises to introduce you to Agile Scrum as a Delivery Method, without the impending pressure of having to pass a formal certification examination. Previous experience of Agile delivery is not a pre-requisite to attending this course, although it is assumed delegates have previously attended the Primer course, or have some understanding of Agile Scrum terms and practices. This course, designed by Agile Scrum practitioners and coaches with specialist experience of working on GDS (Government Digital Service) Service Standards compliant government and public sector projects has been accredited by The CPD Certification Service and is now available outside its usual central government and public sector digital delivery setting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who this course is for Service and Programme Managers If you are a Service Manager or Programm Manager who wants to explore the benefits of transitioning to Agile ways of working and want to understand how your existing business processes and resource landscape will fit into an Agile delivery model, then this course aims to provide you with enough information to enable you to make an informed decision. Career ambitions If you are new to Agile and your intention is to pursue a career either as an Agile Scrum Master or Agile Product Owner, you will hopefully be provided with enough knowledge to enable you to determine which role best suits your Agile career ambitions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frequently Asked Questions How this course differs from other Agile courses Delegates will learn the 'How', not just the 'What'! This course has been designed by highly experienced Agile practitioners and coaches with specialist real-life experience of working on GDS (Government Digital Service) Service Design Standard projects. Delegates will find that the learning objectives are significantly more detailed than with other Agile courses which only focus on teaching the learning objectives of The Scrum Guide. Delegates must take the certification assessment. No! During enrolment, delegates can opt out of taking the C-ASDM certification assessment. The online Agile Scrum as a Delivery Method – Essentials course quiz is optional Absolutely! Delegates are provided access to the online Agile knowledge quiz which accompanies the Agile Scrum as a Delivery Method – Essentials course. The quiz helps delegates gauge their level of attainment but is entirely optional. Delegates can take the certification assessment without enrolling on the course. Yes! Delegates with existing Agile project delivery experience can choose to take the certification assessment without enrolling on the course. I will receive my certificate as soon as I have completed the course You will initially receive an Assessment Completion report after completing the assessment. The report details the certification status: 'Pass' or 'Fail', and includes information on which questions were answered incorrectly. Your certificate is issued by the CPD Certification Service approximately four-to six-weeks after successfully completing and passing the C-ASDM Certification Assessment. A CPD certification is recognised by employers Yes! CPD certification is recognised by private and public sector employers, and in central government departments as a valuable way to evaluate the skills of an individual, and the quality of the learning activities. Listing your CPD certification as well as the number of CPD Points you have achieved on your CV is essentially showcasing your achievements in continuing your professional development. One CPD Point is equivalent to an hour of training CPD points are units that quantify time, and the quality of learning and development activities. Delegates will earn 3 CPD Points upon successful completion of the C-ASDM Certification Assessment or 13 CPD Points after completing the two-day course. My CPD certificate will expire after three years Your certificate will not expire however, best practice suggests a renewal after three years. You can do this by enrolling on the C-ASDM course to ensure your knowledge of Agile as a Delivery Method is up to date. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Service features * Two-day Agile Scrum training course * The course uses eCommerce and other Business Case examples for context * Optional online CPD certification assessment * Optional Agile knowledge quiz to help delegates gauge level of attainment * Online Retrospective feedback to enable continuous course improvements. Service benefits * Delegates will understand the concepts and benefits of Agile Scrum development * Scrum team roles and role accountabilities * INVEST-compliant User Stories and BDD formatted Acceptance Criteria * Agile approach to incremental project delivery * Agile artefacts and Agile reports (burn-down & burn-up charts) * Agile Events & Scrum rules * Comparison: Agile methodologies (Lean, XP, SAFe & Scrum) * Use of Kanban for workflow management * Government Digital Service (GDS) Service Standards and Service Assessment * Be able to communicate the ideals of Agile to stakeholders -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Service Agenda General knowledge * Agile Delivery 101 * Scrum process and sprints * Applicability of Scrum * Agile Manifesto Scrum roles and accountabilities * Overview of Scrum roles (Core & Ancillary) * Scrum Master role and role responsibilities * Scrum Product Owner role and role responsibilities * Scrum team Scrum events * Sprint Planning * Daily Scrums * Sprint Reviews * Sprint Retrospectives Scrum artefacts * Product Backlog * Sprint Backlog * Increments Scrum Reports * Burn-down and Burn-up Charts Scaling Scrum * Working with multiple Scrum teams * Working with distributed Scrum teams GDS (Government Digital Service) * Service Standards * Service Assessments Risks and challenges * Risks and challenges of transitioning to Agile delivery Frequently asked questions * Discussion on frequently asked Agile questions Agile knowledge quiz * Examples of the multiple-choice questions in the optional online quiz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On-going support Email support No Telephone support No Webchat support No Online support No -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Community Support Yes! Delegates are offered access to our private online 'Community of Agile Scrum Practitioners'. Delegates who achieve the pass mark for CPD certification are additionally offered access to our private 'Certified Scrum  Practitioners’ Guild', a private Slack community of like-minded Agile professionals.

Agility has become a prized business attribute. Although Agile methods were once most associated with software development, they are now applied in a host of different areas. Agile continues to find new applications because it is primarily an attitude. This programme delivers a solid grounding in both the Agile mindset and Agile methods. It covers three methods, illustrates the benefits of each and shows how they can be integrated. It includes practical techniques as well as background knowledge. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: * Apply Agile concepts to self-manage their work * Understand the roles people take on in Agile teams * Use a variety of techniques to help deliver customer satisfaction * Focus on delivering against priorities * Employ a range of estimating techniques 1 INTRODUCTION * Overview of the programme * Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 THE BASICS OF AGILE * What makes Agile different * Agile Manifesto and Principles * Using feedback to deliver what is needed 3 AGILE TEAMS * Multi-disciplinary teams * Team size and empowerment * Agile values 4 AGILE AT THE TEAM LEVEL - SCRUM * Scrum roles * Scrum 'events' * Scrum 'artifacts' 5 AGILE FOR TEAMS JUGGLING MULTIPLE DEMANDS - KANBAN * Taking control of the work * Improving throughput * Dealing with bottlenecks 6 AGILE IN PROJECTS - AGILEPM * The phases of an Agile project * Managing change requests * Delivering on time 7 ESTIMATING * T-shirt / Pebble sizing * Yesterday's weather * Planning poker 8 PICK 'N' MIX - SOME USEFUL TECHNIQUES * The daily stand-up * User stories * Retrospectives * Work-in-process limits * Burndown charts * Minimum viable product * A / B testing 9 REVIEW AND ACTION PLANNING * Identify actions to be implemented individually * Conclusion

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of Agile approaches to product development. It explains what Agile is and when and why to use it. The scope of the programme includes: The course emphasises the collaborative nature of Agile and the flexibility it offers to customers. The principal training objectives for this programme are to help participants understand: * Why and when to use Agile * How to use Agile * The roles involved in Agile development * The cultural factors to take into account * How to manage Agile developments 1 INTRODUCTION (COURSE SPONSOR AND TRAINER) * Why this programme has been developed * Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 BACKGROUND TO AGILE * Issues with traditional approaches to product development * How Agile helps * Roots of Agile * Agile lifecycles * Product v project 3 HOW AGILE WORKS * The Agile Manifesto * Agile principles * Process control: defined v empirical * Different Agile methods * The Scrum framework * DSDM Atern 4 MANAGING AGILE * When to use Agile * Managing Agile projects * Team organisation 5 AGILE TECHNIQUES * Daily stand-ups * User stories * Estimating * MoSCoW prioritisation 6 COURSE REVIEW AND ACTION PLANNING (COURSE SPONSOR PRESENT) * Are there opportunities to use Agile? * What actions should be implemented to adopt Agile? * Conclusion

Agile project management, already widely used for software development, is increasingly recognised as having much more general application. Continuous improvement programmes, business change projects, new technology development, research and development and a variety of other scenarios characterised by rapid change and high uncertainty can all benefit from an Agile approach. This programme presents the concepts and methods of Agile project management, and shows how to apply them to a range of project and change management situations. Participants will learn: * how Agile project management can help with project and change management * the 4 values and 12 principles of the Agile 'manifesto' and the range of Agile methodologies * how to apply Agile project management methods and techniques in a range of project scenarios * alternative Agile project management methods and how they can be applied and adapted * what makes Agile project teams succeed * the key roles and responsibilities needed to enable Agile project teams to work effectively * how to encourage an Agile mindset within their organisation and how to move toward an Agile approach to managing projects 1 INTRODUCTION TO AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT * Overview of 'classical' project management and methodologies * The link between project success and management performance * Limitations of classical approaches and the need for Agile methods * The 4 values and 12 principles of the Agile manifesto explained * Agile project management values: * Individuals and interactions over processes and tools * Working outputs over comprehensive documentation * Customer collaboration over contract negotiation * Responding to change over following a plan * The cultural challenges of using Agile project management * Choosing when and how to adopt Agile project management 2 INITIATING A PROJECT USING AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT * Some key Agile methodologies explained: SCRUM, XP, Crystal * Identifying and engaging project stakeholders; defining roles and responsibilities * Setting the project vision and goals; defining project scope * The Agile approach to requirements capture and elicitation of needs * Tools and techniques for capturing and characterising requirements * The role of documentation, reporting and process management 3 THE AGILE APPROACH TO DEFINITION AND PLANNING * Understanding Agile planning; the 'planning onion' concept * Developing the culture needed for collaborative involvement and iterative planning * Defining project deliverables; the 'product backlog' concept * Tools and techniques for defining and prioritising requirements in Agile projects * Understanding and applying Agile estimating techniques * Dealing with uncertainty and managing risks 4 THE AGILE APPROACH TO EXECUTION AND DELIVERY * The results orientated, fast adapting culture of Agile teams * The monthly 'Sprint' process for project planning and review * The disciplines needed for effective daily SCRUM meetings * Reviewing progress, managing change and project reporting * Testing, completing and handing over of work packages * Managing the interface between the project team and the business 5 LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK IN AGILE PROJECT TEAMS * Why Agile teams are different: the importance of individuals and interactions * The skills and attributes needed to lead an Agile project team * The challenges faced and skills needed by Agile team members * Recognising team development needs; adopting the right leadership style * Making the transition from project manager to Agile coach * Key coaching skills explored: mentoring, facilitating, managing conflict

Agile working is an approach that the NHS supports. It demands new ways of working and thinking. Agile means that work is now seen as an activity, not a place. People are the organisation. The way we communicate has to change. The way we manage has to change. This workshop will let you reflect on what works for you now and where you may need to adapt. You may need to trust and value your team more than ever, but when they aren't in front of you in the office, you will need to question your beliefs. The workshop will help you: * Understand what Agile Working is all about * Reflect on your management style * Recognise the new ways of managing agile workers * Choose the right communication methods * Understand culture and mindset * Identify different ways of measuring performance * Focus on innovation and not bureaucracy * Manage more effectively This workshop has been designed to support you in effectively managing an agile team. You will need to be open to questioning your existing techniques and be open and responsive to change. 1 WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? * What is Agile working? * What are your personal management concerns? * How to make it work * Time / location / role / source 2 YOUR ROLE AS AN AGILE MANAGER * Your style * Your team's individual preferences * Learning to let go * Your management style self assessment 3 THE 3 AREAS OF FOCUS * Trust * Delegation * Empowerment 4 COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY * New ways of communicating * Managing expectations * What are you measuring? 5 YOUR PERSONAL ACTION PLAN * What are you going to do differently?