Online Leading Agile Teams Course | Villanova University

8-Week Course

8 Continuing Education Units

80 Military Clock Hours

About the Course

The final course of the Certificate in Agile, Leading Agile Teams complements the first two courses and rounds out your Agile expertise with important guidance on team building, change management and other crucial topics.

This eight-week course includes four weeks of instructional content, four weeks of exam prep and an additional 12 weeks of access to a dedicated test preparation classroom.

Prerequisites for this course:

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Curriculum

8 Week Course

Week 1

Scaling Scrum

Identify tools and techniques for scaling Scrum
Discover techniques and approaches to scale your roles and ceremonies
Examine the most common way of scaling teams, known as Scrum of Scrums
Employ a framework for setting up a Scrum of Scrums methodology
Define Agile scaling patterns to scale the Product Owner
Explain how to scale the product backlog
Discover how to apply the patterns of scaling ceremonies at the Scrum team level
Explore common challenges for distributed teams

Week 2

Scaling Scrum Advanced Topics

Identify stakeholders to ensure the requirements gathered are accurate
Discuss effective ways to ensure your project is balanced
Define how to implement Scrum for multiple Scrum teams
Determine if you can locate your entire team into one location
Discuss tools of communication for colocated teams
Explore how the triple constraint model is used in stakeholder communication
Explore effective ways to implement team fixes
Examine methods of receiving independent verification
Describe contract negotiation within an Agile framework
Explain how to engage in effective customer collaboration
Discover how to obtain the greatest mutual value between the team and stakeholders
Describe contract negotiation within an Agile framework
Define the Shu-Ha-Ri method of mastery and continuous improvement

Week 3

Scrum, Kanban, and Advanced Topics

Explore the similarities and differences between Scrum and Kanban
Describe the importance of self-organizing teams
Analyze how Scrum and Kanban use prioritization to increase business value
Discover how Scrum and Kanban use transparency to drive process improvement
Explore the concept of blending Scrum and Kanban boards
Distinguish the difference between being a coach vs. a trainer
Explain the mentoring aspect of being an Agile coach
Discuss the role of the coach as a teacher, problem solver, conflict navigator, collaboration conductor and facilitator
Identify the behaviors that need to be embraced to become and stay Agile
Discuss the behaviors Agile PMOs need to embrace and avoid
Analyze Agile contracts and how they differ from traditional ones

Week 4

Agile Coaching

Explore how the coaching role works in Agile
Analyze the culture and leadership needed for Agile to truly work
Discover the relationship between leadership and culture
Discuss the difficulty of change and how Agile transitions work despite this difficulty
Examine what part the coach plays in making Agile transitions successful

Week 5

Advanced Product Owner

Explain the importance of the Product Owner in the Scrum process
Describe how to plan the backlog
Discuss how good grooming supports teams for successful sprints
Advocate using the definition of ready and the ready checklist
Identify warning signs of projects in trouble
Facilitate effective meetings
Discuss the importance of organizational alignment in Agile
Analyze standard frameworks used to align an organization
Discuss how to gather requirements
Review the importance of prioritization
Explore methods of storing and acting upon requirements once they are gathered

Week 6

Value Management

Examine the two levels of focus for value management
Discuss the use of value management inherent within Agile
Discuss how value management is used within teams
Explore the different skills and behaviors involved in value management
Recognize the diverse skill sets required to deliver effective value management
Explore the roles and organizational structures responsible for seeking value
Examine the discovery process within value management
Review the benefits of the continuous discovery of value
Explain the levels and approaches inherently found in the continuous discovery of value

Week 7

Problem Detection and Resolution

Discuss the critical role of problem detection and resolution in successful Agile projects
Examine the role of an open and safe environment for successful Agile teams
Discuss how the mindset of personal safety and “fail fast” supports risk reduction
Discuss the importance of identifying threats as part of initiating the iteration
Explain why information radiators play an important role in the issue resolution process
Discuss the powerful influence of visualization for threat management
Explore why workflow modeling plays an important role in successful issue resolution
Define the critical requirements to effectively communicate threat status to stakeholders

Week 8

Continuous Improvement

Discuss the power of continuous improvement in successful Agile organizations and projects
Describe the power of applying continuous improvement to project processes
Evaluate how Agile leverages processes to create tailored, targeted and integrated cultural change
Examine how Agile leverages retrospectives and spikes to improve team processes
Discuss using the power of Agile to improve product value by reducing IKIWISI
Describe how Agile relies on incremental development to acquire important feedback
Discuss Agile’s dependence on continued learning for the team
Review PMI’s code of ethics and professional conduct
Determine why the four values are important to Agile leaders
Discuss tips for passing the PMI-ACP® exam

Learning Objectives

Skills Learned

Agile Scrum Team Leadership Project Management Process Improvement Prioritization

What You’ll Study

Scaling Scrum Teams for Larger Complex Projects
Building Agile Coaching Skills
The Many Facets of Value Management
Effectively Managing Change
Identify the Behaviors That Need to Be Embraced to Become and Stay Agile
Analyze the Culture and Leadership Needed for Agile to Work
Must-Know Tips for Passing the PMI-ACP^® Certification Exam

Related Certificate Programs

Agile Certificate

24 Weeks

3 Courses

$6,059+

Learn to create quality deliverables faster and more efficiently while preparing for Agile and Scrum certification.

Certification Prep

Who Should Register

If you’re a professional working in any level of government or in healthcare, finance or other business sectors, you can benefit from earning a Certificate in Agile and the Villanova Professional Certification in Agile designation. The program also helps you prepare for certifications including PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^® from PMI and Professional Scrum Master™ (PSM) from Scrum.org. Any organization aiming to increase teamwork and improve overall results is also encouraged to consider this process improvement training for its workforce.

PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) and PMI-ACP are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Tuition & Payment

Total Course Cost

$2,495

Course offerings and associated prices are subject to change without prior notice. Pricing for multi-course certificate programs varies depending on course selection. View the Professional Education Catalog for more information on the courses and programs.

Payment Options

There are multiple ways to pay for your certificate program. Just let your enrollment representative know the choice that works best for you.