2017 Agile Sprint Series 4 - User Story Workshop

Each session is worth 4 PDUs

You Will Learn:

• How to define requirements in a language that the project team and customer can both understand
• The six criteria for defining an effective user story
• How user stories relate to traditional requirement gathering techniques
• How to run a user story workshop on your project
• How to manage your requirements backlog after it is established
• How to use a great tool for collaborative requirements gathering – story mapping
• Alternative ways to create story backlogs, including flow diagram conversion and business process reengineering

You can sign up for the entire series of 4 workshop for a discounted price by clicking the following link: http://pugetsoundpmi.org/meetinginfo.php?id=164&ts=1483577211

Description:

Successful projects require an effective method for defining and understanding requirements.  Gather the incorrect requirements, deliver the incorrect project. This is where user stories come in.

User stories allow us to gather and define requirements in a language that the business and project team can both comprehend.  This leads to more accurate project delivery and higher customer satisfaction.  It also allows a more collaborative process for defining and understanding the requirements with your product or business representative.

We will use a case study that begins with high level project goals, and then evolve the goals into explicit user stories. 

• Some of the questions we will answer are:
• What is a user story?
• What is the value of stories?
• Are user stories the same as use cases?
• Who creates the stories?
• How much information do I need to write code and test a story?
• When should I split a story?
• How much information do I need to estimate a story?
• Can I use stories if I am just configuring an off the shelf product?

You will leave this workshop with a clear understanding of what user stories are, and how to use them effectively on your projects.  You will also receive 4 PDUs.

Who This Course is For/ Prerequisites:
This workshop is for anyone who works on software project teams.  This is typically project managers, business managers, product managers, product owners, scrum masters, business analysts, systems analysts, programmers, architects, line managers, and even executives.

This course covers the needs of the Agile/Scrum novice, and also provides several tips for the experienced Agilist.  Agile experience is not required to attend this workshop, but you should have experience with at least one project that required defining software or system requirements 

Envisioning and Foundation Design is The Most Critical Phase of an Agile Project

Overview:

Larger projects and initiatives need to establish a project foundation before proceeding to the Scrum and sprints.  This workshop builds on the learnings from over 100 Agile transformations, and shows you the key steps you need to do at the start of an Agile project to ensure success.

You Will Learn:

• How to synchronize the team on project objectives
• How to identify and manage the most critical project constraint
• How to get the development team and business synchronized
• How to identify your target audience
• How to initialize your product backlog
• How to establish an architectural runway
• How to put a project foundation in place before sprints begin
• How to design a custom sprint structure for your team

Audience:

This is an essential workshop for anyone who works on Agile projects.  Typical attendees are project managers, product managers, developers, business analysts, designers, DBAs, and architects.  Also a great workshop for executives and managers.
 
Detailed Description:

Any project, whether Agile or traditional, needs to ensure a great foundation at the start of the project.  In this workshop we will show you how to document and communicate key project goals before the project begins.  We will show you tools and techniques that lead to collaboration between the development team and the business owners.  We also discuss an area rarely mentioned during Agile projects – determining roles and responsibilities within the project team.

We will conclude the workshop by identifying users and their known needs, leading to the creation of a product/project backlog of needs.  We will use the story mapping technique to harness the knowledge of the team and minimize the risk of missing a requirement or key user.

Tools and Templates You Will Leave With:

• Sprint Structure Worksheet
• Elevator Statement Format
• Focus Matrix for Constraint Prioritization
• Story Mapping Workflow
• Project Charter/Worksheet
• RACI Chart

Who This Course is For/ Prerequisites:

This workshop is for anyone who works on technology or software project teams.  This is typically project managers, business managers, product managers, product owners, scrum masters, business analysts, systems analysts, programmers, architects, line managers, and executives.

This course covers the needs of the Agile/Scrum novice, and also provides several tips for the experienced Agilist.  Agile experience is not required to attend this workshop, but you should have experience with at least one project related to technology or software deployment.  

 
About the Instructor – Greg Smith

Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Professional, Certified Scaled Agile (SAFe) Process Consultant, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
 
Greg is an Agile coach and trainer who specializes in the practical adoption of Agile methods.  During his career Greg has held positions as a Product Manager, Program Manager, Development Manager, Scrum Master, and Project Manager.   

Greg has helped several Fortune 500 companies and major institutions move to Agile including Exxon Mobil, JP Morgan Chase, StubHub, Stanford University, First Data Corporation, Fannie Mae, Expeditors International, Lexis Nexis, The Joint Commission, and TD Ameritrade.

Greg became the instructor for Agile Project Management at Bellevue College in 2005.  In 2009 Greg co-authored “Becoming Agile in an Imperfect World.”  This book has helped a number of companies move to a more effective development lifecycle, and is often used as a guide for entire project teams. PMI uses Becoming Agile as part of its curriculum for Agile certification.

Greg is highly involved with the Agile Alliance and was a Stage Producer for the Agile Collaboration stage at the 2013 Agile conference. Greg is also a volunteer for the PMI Agile Community of Practice.

Other Highlights:

• Author – Becoming Agile in an Imperfect World
• Presenter at Agile 2016
• Stage producer for Agile 2013 Agile Alliance conference
• Agile Instructor at Bellevue College
• Frequent speaker and trainer at PMI chapters
• Using Agile since 2001 by Jim Highsmith
• Extensive experience in Agile, Lean, and Traditional project management methods
• Agile Trainer and blogger for the PM Times and BA Times