COURSE 4815 | 2-DAY SESSION
Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile
Becoming more Agile in your organization — Agile method foundation course
Contrast the Agile approach with Waterfall
The Agile software development methods are different from traditional approaches in significant ways. Those differences are the main reason why adopting them can be challenging. Armed with a clear understanding of those differences, you will be able to capitalize on them to gain the cooperation and acceptance of stakeholders who must approve and participate.
Understand the implications of making the transition to Agile
The Agile methods come with many benefits that must be the centerpiece of your transition strategy. The many challenges that come with changing the way work is done must be addressed head on. In this course, you will get three case study scenarios that echo the attributes of your organization, each providing a touchstone as we explore and discuss the hurdles to Agile. Learn to overcome these hurdles and interweave your traditional practices with Agility to develop the best software for your organization.
Plan your Agile transition strategy
After considering all of the ways in which the Agile methods will affect your organization and considering the benefits and challenges associated with each, you will be ready to plan your Agile adoption strategy. What will you do first? Who should be involved? How will you capitalize on the benefits you will experience? In this course you will gain all the tools, skills, and knowledge to return to your office and successfully integrate an Agile transition strategy that best fits your environment
Three Case Studies:
Each concept and technique covered in this course is illustrated using three different Case Studies that are designed to include the attributes of many different types of organizations. Their purpose is to provide you with touchstones that bear some resemblance to your organization to help you in applying the lessons of this training course. While it is likely that one of the case study organizations will be remarkably like yours, it is unlikely that the other two share no attributes with yours. For each dimension of Agility, we will discuss the unique needs and situations of each of the three Case Study organizations, and determine how to make the transition from traditional to Agile.
Specifically, we will explore:
- How to sell the benefits to your organization
- How to address the challenges within your organization
- How to define processes that will work in your organization
- Who needs to be trained in new ways of working
In-Class Exercises:
During this class, you will:
- Identify the problems your organization is currently experiencing with software projects
- Identify the Agile concepts that your organization has already accepted
- Determine how you can build collaborative, self-directed teams
- Determine how you can institute incremental planning and adaptation on your projects
- Determine how you can move your projects to a more customer-centric, change-tolerant requirements process
- Determine how you can make quality the job of each and every team member
- Prioritize the Agile changes you could make, identifying the “low-hanging fruit”
- Create the beginnings of your Agile transition action plan
Immediate Benefits of Participating
in this Workshop
- Review the Agile Manifesto Principles to truly understand the philosophy and balance required for “True” Agility
- Determine how Agility can improve your software projects
- Appreciate the essence of Agility
- Understand the Agile lifecycle and its implications
- Reduce project risks using selected Agile practices
- Appreciate the value of learning and adaptation on projects
- Accept that change is good because it is a symptom of learning
- Value regular and continuous collaboration among all team members
- Identify all of the people who should be treated as members of the team
- Focus primarily on your customers and their needs
- Give your customer a central role in project success
- Teach your project teams to self-manage
- Find a good coach for your agile teams
- Learn along with your customer about their requirements and needs
- Adapt to your customer’s evolving understanding of their needs
- Get regular feedback from your customer to ensure the project stays on track
- Deliver high value in your customer’s eyes
- Control schedule and costs by effectively time-boxing your projects
- Adapt your plans smoothly to changing project realities
- Eliminate waste by doing just enough at the right times
- Run Lean projects, delivering high value fast
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