This 4-day course starts with a basic introduction to Scrum, then moves on to teach students that delivering software functionality using Kanban is radically different from traditional waterfall project management. Rather than plan, instruct and direct, Kanban utilizes a Lean “pull” implementation to guide the work through the process. Using Scrum and Kanban together enhances organization agility, improves visibility of work flowing through the process and provides greater transparency for impediments that inhibit throughput. Participants learn how to implement Scrumban and all of the controls and reporting necessary to monitor the flow of work. Labs, case studies, and examples are used to bring home the realization of how to implement Scrumban.

Objectives

Grasp the origins and fundamentals of agile.

Comprehend how Scrum works, the roles involved and the artifacts needed.

Understand the origins of Kanban and the theory behind it.

Grasp how Kanban and Scrum coexist in software development.

Know how to complete a “Value Stream Mapping” and what to include.

Comprehend throughput and how to organize the work.

Grasp how to manage the process and the input queue.

Understand options for tuning the Kanban implementation.

Comprehend relevance and implementation of key metrics.

Detailed Outline

1. Agile Overview
   • The Agile Potential
   • The Agile Manifesto
   • Can Agile fail?
   • THE Best Agile
2. Scrum Overview
   • Roles and Responsibilities
   • Scrum Overview
   • Scrum Artifacts
   • Scrum Values & Rules
   • Other Keys to Success
3. Product Backlog
   • Defining the Product Backlog
   • User Stories
   • Roles & Personas
   • Spikes & Special Stories
   • Prioritizing the Product Backlog
4. Kanban Overview and Introduction
   • House of Lean
   • Defining Kanban
   • Motivation for Kanban
   • Kanban as an “Agile plugin”
   • Managing Quality
   • Work In Progress (WIP)
   • How to Prioritize
   • Demand vs. Throughput
   • Sources of Variability
5. Value Stream Mapping
   • The Value Stream
   • Making Work Visible
   • Value Stream Lab (Part 1)
   • Card Walls
   • Demand Analysis
   • Allocating Capacity
   • The Work Card
   • Value Stream Lab (Part 2)
6. Throughput
   • Identifying Work Item Types
   • Sizing Work Items
   • Building User Stories
   • User Story Lab
   • Visual Control
   • Pull vs. Push
   • Theory of Constraints
   • Service Levels: Class of Service
   • Throughput Application Lab (Incorporating Class of Service into the Card Wall)
7. Managing the Process
   • Daily Standup Meetings
   • After Meetings
   • Queue Replenishment Meetings
   • Release Planning Meetings
   • Triage
   • Geographically Dispersed Teams
8. Improving the Process
   • The Importance of Cadence
   • Limiting Work-In-Progress
   • Identifying Bottlenecks
9. Key Metrics Review
   • WIP
   • Lead Time Throughput and Measuring Flow
   • Blocked Work
   • Quality
   • Failure Load