Mistakes to Avoid in Agile Project Management
Mistakes to Avoid in Agile Project Management
What you’ll learn
Skills you’ll gain
If you were just made an Agile project manager, you may feel like you were just thrown into a pool of alligators. There’s little or no formal training or mentorship for early Agile project managers, and there often isn't even an agreement about what the job entails. However, by taking this course you'll get that information and the support you need to escape many potential pitfalls of Agile management. Your instructor is Michael de la Maza, PhD, one of approximately 100 Scrum Alliance Certified enterprise coaches. In this course, he'll help you successfully start your career as an Agile project manager, and give you the confidence and skill you need to do the job well. You'll learn the most common mistakes new Agile leaders make, as well as how to avoid them. you'll also discover how to build and maintain organizational trust, along with tips for recognizing change that is — and is not — inside of your control. Being an agile project manager can be the best of both worlds, or the worst. By taking this course, you'll be making sure you end up on the right side of that equation, starting on day one.
Syllabus
Download syllabus-
1
Misunderstanding agile To implement agile, you must first understand what it is. 3m
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2
Don't over-promise results When implementing agile, it's important to advocate for its benefits without overpromising to those who are impacted. 3m
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3
Set the right pace Don't rush change. After this lesson, you will recognize how to set a pace for implementing organizational change with agile. 3m
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4
Consistent project titles While new names and slogans can provide a temporary lift, true benefits are more than skin deep. 2m
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Not setting the tone Leaders lead from the front, and implement the practices and behaviors that they want the rest of the people in the organization to follow. 3m
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2
Too much regulation Leaders catalyze autonomy by trusting teams to manage themselves, and self-organizing is important for agile success. 3m
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3
Lack of transparency Successful leaders are open about what they do not know and what mistakes they have made. 4m
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Assigning tasks Agile project managers don't assign work to team members. 3m
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Overlooking values Agile focuses on values instead of tools and processes. 4m
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Predicting, not estimating Instead of making hard and fast predictions about when work will be done, agile teams estimate. 5m
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4
Managing change incorrectly Agile teams zero in on what they can change and don't spend time complaining about what they can't change. 3m
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Not planning Agile teams plan so they can coordinate their efforts, not because they think they can predict the future. 4m
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Not releasing frequently Agile teams release products frequently to get feedback from customers and deliver value. 3m
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3
Avoiding stakeholders Communicating with internal stakeholders about product progress is a responsibility of an agile project manager. 3m
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Missing feedback Agile teams give each other feedback on how to improve. 3m
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Starting too large When starting to improve, start small. 3m
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Avoiding metrics Avoiding metrics when evaluating performance leaves room for error. 4m
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Sitting still Continuing to identify new ways to improve is important when working in agile. 3m
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Overlooking handoffs The art of a smooth handoff is one that's necessary for new and experienced teams. 3m
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Unclear priorities Agile teams work in priority order, so it's important that the ordering of tasks is always clear. 4m
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Finishing vs. Starting Agile teams finish work before they start new work. 3m
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3
Adding work It's important for you to only assign work for your team that feels comfortable for them to complete. 3m
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Set yourself up for long-term success Apply what you have learned in this course every day and you will be a successful agile project manager. 1m
Certificate
Certificate of Completion
Awarded upon successful completion of the course.
Instructor
Michael de la Maza, PhD
Michael de la Maza accelerates corporate innovation by applying a variety of methods (from agile to corporate venture capital). He was the co-founder of Inquira (acquired by Oracle) and VP of Corporate Strategy at Softricity (acquired by Softricity). He is the co-author of Why Agile Works: The Values Behind the Results; co-editor of the Best Agile Articles book series; author of Rapid Chess Improvement; and co-author of the upcoming An Invitation to Enterprise Agile Coaching. Michael is is an active angel investor with seed investments in unicorns Boom, Rappi, and Relativity Space. He holds in a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from MIT. Michael lives in Boston and San Francisco.
Michael de la Maza, PhD
Founder and Enterprise Agile Coach at Heart Healthy Scrum
Accreditations
Link to awards
How GoSkills helped Chris
I got the promotion largely because of the skills I could develop, thanks to the GoSkills courses I took. I set aside at least 30 minutes daily to invest in myself and my professional growth. Seeing how much this has helped me become a more efficient employee is a big motivation.
