Agile for Technical Teams From Principles to Practice

The course utilizes in-class Agile project activites to replicate the rapid, time-boxed and iterative nature of Agile.  Participants will engage in hands-on exercises to understand and implement the fundamental roles, processes and artifacts of Agile project and product delivery.  The course includes a combination of presentations, readings, videos, examples and case studies.

A key aspect of the course is an Agile project simulation where teams of participants collaboratively go through each stage of an Agile project.  They will assume different core roles in Agile and apply Agile practices and processes to design and develop a product prototype.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze various Agile project management methodologies, their application to different types of projects, and key differences from traditional waterfall approaches.
• Execute key steps and processes within an Agile project lifecycle.
• Utilize basic Agile artifacts, documents, and metrics in the context of project management.
• Identify roles within an Agile project team and assess organizational readiness for adopting an Agile project management approach.
• Critique the limitations of Agile methodologies and propose solutions to organizational concerns about using Agile project management approaches.

• Development Engineers
• Project Engineers
• Program Managers
• Manufacturing Engineers
• Maintenance Engineers
• Technical Professionals
• Technical Leaders
• General contractors and construction managers needing to collaborate with their clients
• Facilities managers looking for more details than can be found in an introductory HVAC course

This course is part of the Technical Leadership Certificate. Course can be taken individually as well.

Module 1: Course Intro/Introduction to Agile: What is it - roots/history - current trends - what it's not.

Module 2: Agile project lifecycle models

Module 3: Agile project process models

Module 4: Agile project artifacts and documents

Module 5: Agile project team roles

Module 6: Agile Communications and Team Interactions - Daily stand-ups/scrums, team spaces/bullpens, other communications tools/methods

Module 7: Agile Estimating - Sizing and story points, planning poker, analogous estimating

Module 8: Agile Planning - release planning, Iterations/Timeboxing, retrospectives, burndown/burnup charts, task boards, definition of done, thin vertical slices, releasable increments

Module 9: Agile Metrics and Tools: Velocity, burndown/burnup charts

Module 10: Scaling Agile – LeSS, SAFe, S@S, Hybrid

Module 11: Adopting Agile - assessing projects, adoption, alternatives/adaptations, organizational readiness and typical challenges

Shawn Belling

Shawn Belling is a technology executive, speaker, instructor, and author based in Madison, WI. Shawn has held executive and management roles in health tech, higher education, software, consulting, bio-pharma, manufacturing, and regulatory compliance sectors. 

Shawn is a Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro) within the College of Engineering at UW-Madison. Shawn is also the Delivery Experience Officer at FarWell Project Advisors LLC of Madison, WI. Areas of professional and academic practice include project and program management, agile practices, organizational change management, software and IT strategy and delivery, new product development and remote work.

In addition to over 30 years of technology and project leadership experience, Shawn teaches, speaks and consults for businesses, universities and professional organizations on various leadership and management topics and practices. Shawn released his books Succeeding with Agile Hybrids in November of 2020 and Remotely Possible in June of 2021.

Shawn is certified by PMI as a Project Management Professional and Agile Certified Practitioner and is also a Certified Scrum Professional and Registered Scrum at Scale Practitioner.

Shawn earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and Master of Science in Project Management from UW – Platteville. Shawn earned a certificate in Organizational Change Leadership from UW-Platteville and Doctor of Education in Leadership at the University of the Cumberlands.