Agile Software Development Methods (CSQM #9) or (AKA #7) or (CTM Elective) or (CSTP Elective) or (CSTAS Elective)

This course covers the CSQM area #9 of the Certified Software Quality Manager requirements. This course also covers AKA area #7 of the International Software Process Improvement Certification (ISPIC) requirements. This course also covers the Elective area for the Certified Test Manager (CTM) certification and the Test Professional Body of Knowledge and the CSTAS certification.

For costs and cities where this course might be offered, please see the right border of this page or to bring this course to your test team at your location, contact our Education and Professionals Services Group.

Concepts

As the Agile software development methods are becoming mainstream, more and more organizations are integrating them into their tool sets and adapting them to meet their projects' unique needs. Such adaptation can be difficult without a clear knowledge of what Agility is and is not, a comprehension of the values and principles that underlie them, and an understanding of how those values and principles manifest in Agile practices.

Participants will learn:

• Understand the philosophical underpinnings of Agile practices
• Apply an Agile ( iterative and incremental) lifecycle model
• Judge the effectiveness of Agile practices at achieving their goals, especially:
  • Progressive Requirements Elaboration
  • Iterative Planning and Adaptation
  • Incremental Product Delivery and Acceptance
• Identify key roles on an Agile team (especially the Coach and the Customer)
• Apply the Agile approach to project monitoring and adaptation
• Adapt Agile practices to organizational realities and limitations

Outline

• The values, principles and philosophies that underpin Agility
  • The Agile Manifesto
  • The 12 Agile Principles
  • The Essence of Agility
• Contrasting Agility with other software development methods
  • Agile vs. waterfall
  • Agile vs. RUP
  • Agile vs. Spiral
  • Agile vs. traditional incremental approaches
• The iterative and incremental lifecycle
  • The Agile lifecycle model
  • The nature of an Iterative process
  • The purpose and value of Incremental development
• Progressive requirements elaboration
  • Writing Agile “Stories”
  • The role of Ambiguity in Requirements
  • Elaborating Requirements detail as needed
• Iterative planning and adaptation
  • The five levels of Agile Planning
  • High-Level Agile Planning
  • The role of Ambiguity in Plans
  • Elaborating Plan detail as needed
• Incremental product delivery
  • The focus on Customer value
  • Rapid Feedback
  • Incremental Customer Acceptance
• Coaching self-directed teams
  • The nature of self-directed teams
  • Team ownership of plans
  • Individual and collective Commitment and Accountability
  • Collaborative Leadership (vs. Command-and-Control Leadership)
• Agile project monitoring
  • Delivered Software as the primary measure of Progress
  • Daily statusing
  • Translating team status for other stakeholders
• Welcoming project change
  • Adapting to changing requirements
  • Adapting to changing priorities
  • Adapting to technical surprises
  • Adapting to reality in the face of planning errors
• Interpreting Agile practices relative to reference models
  • CMMI
  • PMBOK
• Tailoring Agile methods
  • Suitability of Agile methods in various contexts
  • Limitations of Agile methods
  • Adapting Agile methods to organizational realities