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Tag: Agile business analysis

How Big Is The Agile Methodologies Provider Industry

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Let us first understand what Agile methodology is all about. Under Agile methodologies, the software is developed in an escalating, incremental manner through rapid cycles. The process focuses on adaptability and customer satisfaction of the software product. Each cycle of software building is better and incremental than the previous one, and thus the cycle continues.
There are various reasons why Agile methodology has gained worldwide fame, appreciation, and popularity.
(a)One of them being that Agile is used to prevent large projects from failing, it had a prime focus on business profitability and delivering software as opposed to documentation.
(b)It is user-friendly and treats the user/consumer in a friendly way rather than a machine-centric manner.
There are certain strong strategies that Agile has adapted to have become this popular and widely acclaimed. They are as follows:
1. It shares the common value and goal of fixing large scale projects
2. It is user/customer/human centric rather than being machine-centric. This has positively impacted the productivity of Agile users and shown proven efficiency in business successes.
3. Inclusive/collaborative approach – The agile methodology has a very inclusive feature that supports the entire Agile team and promotes collaborative efforts of the team through its built-in flexibility.
4. Some Agile methodologies are very popular and user-friendly. These include Extreme Programming (XP), SCRUM, Features Driven Development (FDD) and Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
5. Agile methodology helps you perform quicker and can also be developed at a good pace.
There many Agile methodology courses and certifications that you can sign up for. You can start with basics, and if you have previous exposure to the software development and its aspects such as coding, testing, and other software skills, it helps you gain Agile knowledge much more efficiently. From mastering an adaptive approach to product development, the courses are streamlined for your needs/requirements.

What You Will Gain From An Agile Certification Course?

1. You will gain the knowledge base, skills, tools and techniques involved in Agile methodologies and will be able to understand, apply and implement the principles of Agile.
2. You will also learn to smoothly coordinate Agile development processes including managing your respective teams, bringing about a social culture of experimentation, and running sprints.
3. In the final project completion stage, you should be able to apply, everything that you have learnt to a real-world hands-on practical project and demonstrate your skills and abilities.
4. Flexible schedules to learn the course in case you are already a working professional. Many education platforms offer online certification courses and you can time these according to your convenience.
The job opportunities you will encounter are many to pick from. You can become an Agile Scrum Master, Technical project manager, Technology manager, Scrum Master consultant, Project leader, Senior Agile transformer, and Agile coach/tutor/mentor/guide and give lessons and coach many more hundreds of people, Product Owner handling the business operations too, and/or software development manager, among other opportunities. The Agile Scrum certification promises you a great career with a heavy income. A career with a business analyst certification India is also possible using these skills and knowledge base.

What Does a Sourcing Manager Need to Know About Scrum

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The sourcing manager’s role can be quite arbitrary and is very important especially in Agile and Scrum practicing ones. Traditionally the role of a manager was boxed into middle management and senior management categories who decided the quantity of work that needs to happen and who or how to go about achieving these desired attributes. So should the procurements manager also be Scrum compliant? Should the PO and the team be a part of the procurement strategy as envisioned in Scrum? And, is there a clash between the SM and sourcing manager’s responsibilities? Let’s explore.
Sourcing Manager Vs Product Owner:
Scrum principles have a clear mandate for the SM, PO and the Scrum team. The PO is responsible to bring clarity between the team and the client. As a PO the job role is definitely about the value of the products and customer needs. It also encompasses the work-prioritization schedules which the team self-organizes and executes. It has little to do with the sourcing of items; third-party vendor development etc and the sourcing manager would do well to remember that work-control is part of the Scrum team’s responsibility and does not need delegation of jobs.
Sourcing Manager Vs SM:
The role of the SM is a multi-tasking sourcing manager in the making. The SM role is designated to develop and enhance the self-organized capacities of the team in producing sellable products quickly. As there is a huge area that envelopes the duties already being executed by the SM the sourcing manager would do well to remember that he bats for the management team. He can build value and enable both the SM and team by removing hurdles, ushering in improvements and practicing Scrum values more diligently. He is the enabler and management’s teacher on Scrum Teams.
The Sourcing Manager’s Role:
As part of the mid-level management team, the sourcing manager would need to keep the complete picture in mind and enable the building of great customer experience, rapid quick-release marketable products, and building capacities in the organization. As you ascend to higher levels it becomes more about strategy-making, enabling decisions, and bettering the organizational key parameters and productivity.
It is important for the sourcing manager to understand that to build organizational capacity upwards from the Scrum team, it is vital to enable horizontal capacity building. The Agile principles also place emphasis on customer collaboration and changes being systemic. This does interfere with the important negotiation of contracts. If the sourcing for technology, and product development enablers are product and project related, it will make perfect sense to allow the Scrum team to decide on sourcing.
How to be an Agile sourcing manager:
In Agile practice on a Scrum framework the collaboration of multiple vendor and requirements, delineating the procurement process, collaboration strategy decisions, maintaining cordial relationships between team and vendors and ensuring loyal vendor and customer experiences are goals for every ideal sourcing manager or/and SM. The Scrum teams are then free to take decisions on delegated work achievement in a self-organized and managed manner as a team.
Vendor selection is crucial in sourcing. If from a third-party the negotiation starts with the PO and the need for finance. Procurement applications like the Source web can be very helpful in sourcing. To place emphasis on quality, timely-deliveries, procurement lead-time, vendor capabilities, site requirements, pricing, and such parameters the reverse auction strategy works very well within the Scrum framework.
The true enabler in sourcing is removing the hurdles in terms of financials to enable the Scrum team to perform optimally. Since Scrum and Agile are best practices, that teach everyone on the team to be multi-purpose, multi-tasking and self-enabling progressive team members one will require even the management to be Agile. The main role the sourcing manager would then be a wee bit of the PO, SM and traditional Manager’s role rolled into one!
Conclusions:
The Scrum team activities do not include procurement and the management would need to ensure sourcing, procurement or contracts specialist to fill the sourcing and procurement void. Thus the sourcing manager is the management’s tight rope walker on a Scrum team who ensures the Agile multiple C’s of collaboration, communication, contribution, and management cordiality.
To learn more about Scrum, Agile and best practices in project management, Imarticus Learning scores high as a reputed training partner. Enroll and use the opportunity to grow yourself.

Ten Contracts For Your Next Agile Project!

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 4 minutes

An iterative approach like Agile Project Management, guides a project throughout the production process, just like in Agile Software Development, where several iterations are reviewed and critiqued by stakeholders before moving onto the next step of the project. There are different types of contracts governing various types of agile projects. Such contracts or agreements may seem to be a set of guidelines or rules to be followed, but they hold significance as fixed instruments, which can lead to unfavorable consequences if not obliged to. Agile contracting lets the parties focus on the result of the Agile in a collective manner.
Here are ten contracts for your next agile project:
1. Fixed Price
Here the risk is mostly associated with the developer or supplier who agrees on the deliverables. The customer intends to have this sort of a contract since the target price is fixed; the developer tries to complete the project at a lower cost than the target cost and the satisfaction of the customer is guaranteed. After all, that is the prima facie of developers. However, if the project takes longer or costs more than the fixed price, then the cost is borne by the developer leading less scope for changes in this type of contracts.
2. Incremental delivery contracts
The project is broken down into segments, wherein the customer reviews the development stage at predetermined review points. Both parties evaluate the pros and cons at each review point and then decide on the further steps. At the end of each successful review point, both parties have incentives. Each increment subsequently improves the overall development of the project that ultimately is a result of cooperation leveraged in incremental delivery contracts as opposed to the rigidly fixed price contracts.
3. Time and materials
It is one of the most convenient forms of contracts wherein the supplier makes the payment for the amount of work or service that is done using necessary materials for creation. Since the customer holds the edge of changing minds, the supplier enjoys this type of contracts. However, such agreements sustain firmly on the legitimate efforts of the supplier to cut down the cost for the benefit of the longevity of the arrangements.
4. Time and materials with fixed scope and a cost ceiling
In this form of contract, if the supplier completes the task early, the payment will be made only for the actual efforts. There is no scope for incentives for finishing the project early. Having said that since the cost of the project is capped, the supplier will aim to achieve the maximum capped cost of the project.
5. Time and materials with variable scope and ceiling
As a consequence of the capped limit, the financial risk associated with the customer is less. The variable range and capped budget bring a collaborative approach from both supplier and customer to complete the project. This sort of contract is ideal for budget oriented projects. A constructive relationship upholds this type of contracting in achieving desired business.
6. Bonus/Penalty clause
As the name suggests, the supplier will be rewarded with the bonus upon early completion of the task and will be penalized for late deliveries. Such contracts reduce the potential risk of late deliveries for the customers. Penalty clause makes the supplier forsee the consequences related to delay and drives towards completing the task on time or even early.
7. Joint Ventures
The two parties involved in the agile project agrees upon to invest in a project with mutual interest. Though the development phase of the project may not be rewarding for either of the parties involved. There must be a return on investment for both parties either from the revenue or by the end result of the project. Here the project itself to be considered as a separate company which needs to be developed and marketed for a common benefit.
8. Money for nothing changes for free
This type of contract was created by Jeff Sutherland, which involves two clauses. The first clause is altered for free. This clause essentially leverages space for any new features to be added in a project without charging any fee for the changes made. Secondly, money for nothing clause is a win-win situation for both supplier and customer. Here the supplier separates the different segments of a project and delivers the most prioritized segment first.
9. Fixed profit
Every project ideally has a predetermined cost and profit estimation. By using fixed profit contracts, the parties involved in making the said project, agree upon a fixed amount regardless of the time period of the work completed. Since there is an incentive set for both, parties like the customer save cost, and the supplier has the chance of seeing higher profits.
10. Sprint contract
A sprint contract is ideal for Scrum projects wherein a project is broken down into bits. An agreement between the product owner and a team performing a sprint is known as a Sprint contract. The team tries to convince the product owner by delivering expected quality work in one sprint.
In a nutshell, having proper contracts reduces the risk associated with your clients, as it increases human accountability at both ends. Though your agreement does not serve as your project manager, it certainly acts as a risk mitigation technique. So even if you have a cordial relationship with your clients, a contract in place never hurts!
To know more about the Contracts for your next Agile Project, you can also consider our Business Analyst Certification.

What is Agile Methodology?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Agile thinking is Lean and continuous. It relies on Scrum values and a number of different methods that form a combination way of tackling solutions to improving productivity and efficiency in enterprises with a large emphasis on customer-first policies and principles. Agile has caught everyone’s imagination because of the fantastic outcomes from transitioning to these values.

The Methodology Involved

Agile is no methodology. In reality, it is a way of thinking, a task-training philosophy and a flexible simple mindset. It comprises of Scrum frameworks and others too along with different sets of methodologies that aid specific task aspects in the Agile Manifesto.
The frameworks and methodology sets that are used in Agile are
• Scrum methodology
• Lean development of software.
• DSDM/ Dynamic-Systems-Development method
• XP/ Extreme Programming.
• ATDD/ Acceptance-Test-Driven-Development method.
• TDD/ Test-Driven-Development method.

Let us explore how these methodologies fit into the Agile framework and its practice.

Scrum:
Scrum is widely used in software development using Agile as an incremental and iterative way of handling team-oriented developmental software projects, applications, and products. The Scrum team members are all equal and work together towards the common goal while being flexible, self-organizing, communicative and collaborative as a team. Scrum also works very well with tools and techniques in TDD, DSDM, Lean and XP and offers an excellent framework to function in.

Lean development:
Lean agile methodology principles emphasize minimizing waste and maximizing customer-values to create the ideal customer-environment with minimum resources, focused key processes and zero waste. Optimization of assets, technology, product flow, inter-departmental communications, and various inter-related processes all along the value-stream leads to eliminating wastage. Such practices do lead to lower costs, higher production, more efficient processes, faster time-cycles, lesser defects and of course increase in productivity, efficiency and more accuracy.

XP/ Extreme Programming:
The XP software development method in Agile is again related to iterative customer requirements, frequent release cycles, and shorter time-cycles in development. The improvements are very visible in the areas of
• Flexible communication.
• Process simplicity.
• Constructive feedback.
• Peer and customer respect.
• Courage for appropriate feedback.

DSDM:
DSDM is a part of the agile method used for the development of software. The extended DSDM 4.2 embodies the DSDM principles to be used for consistent deliveries.
These are:

• Business needs focus.
• Timely deliveries.
• Consistent collaboration.
• Zero compromises on quality parameters.
• Using firm foundations and incremental development method.
• Incorporate iterations.
• Clear and continuous communications.
• Demonstrating measures of control.

DSDM the non-IT solution from the Agile Alliance gives great results in time, quality and cost control using prioritization by the MoSCoW method of must, should, could, and won’t-have constraints.

TDD:
This process uses repetition of short cycles of development in a project lifecycle. Testing here begins with coding the automated test-case, defining its new functions, improvements and such before re-testing and factoring in the changes required until the code reaches the acceptable pre-determined values. It has immense scope in debugging, and legacy code testing improvements.

ATDD:
The agile methodology process stresses collaboration between stakeholders to ensure that testing and iteration is a result of communication and thus fool-proof. Agile is thus really a collection of rediscovered best practices being put together under the umbrella called agile methodology.

The Agile learning course:
To become an Agile coach one will need to get trained and demonstrate the applications of Agile. The Agile coach is the key team-mentor for effective team management. The coach embodies and instills the values of Agile while implementing Agile practices, the Agile mindset, and team-collaboration to get desired outcomes of shorter time cycles and rapid release cycles of market-viable products.

Imarticus Academy’s agile certification courses provide continued learning certification courses. The certification is globally recognized and approved as a standard of Agile skill certification which permit the Agile coaches to do-and-learn by taking on the responsibility of an Agile coach. The course uses practical simulation of team-management scenarios and helps inculcate the Agile practices and skills through role plays, effective immersive mentoring, quizzes and such forward-thinking training methods.

The agile methodology training outcomes aimed for are:

• Nurturing Agile-Lean mindset and culture to usher in iterations, positive change management, and Scrum Agile tenets and attitude.
• Inculcating successful Agile values and core competencies.
• Proficiency in Agile Scrum practices, tools, techniques, skills, and best practices useful to both existing and new coaches in team transitioning.
• Resolution of conflicts and handling issues related to them more effectively.
• Empowering oneself and the team to achieve set goals using mock and practice sessions.

Course topics:
No formal educational qualifications are required for the agile certification though an understanding and experience in Agile practices do count.

Some of the important topics covered practically and

• Developing Agile methodology thinking and mindset.
• Equipping through skilling for the coach’s role and responsibilities.
• Raise self-awareness and organization to promote and improve team motivation and dynamics.
• Transition and mentor Agile transformations and roles.
• Resolve effectively hurdles and team-conflicts.
• Collaborative communication and building contributive teams.
• Recognize and remove impediments, obstacles, issues, and change-resistance.
• Define and maintain coaching limits with neutrality.
• Improving team-performance through effective mentoring and coaching.
• Imbibe agility by recognizing and handling organizational and systemic challenges.
• Create product and personal backlogs as records of performance.

The IT major Yahoo! discovered that teams with an Agile coach who has trained and certified from such courses actually brought about increased the productivity of 300% when compared with teams where no Agile coaching is provided. Their improved performance was a mere 35% in comparison.

More and more industries especially large enterprises with cross-functional teams have used Agile to improve their production and efficiency. However, unless every team member is on the same wavelength and has the identical mindset Agile may just remain lip-service and not produce the desired outcome even with an Agile coach.

In parting, one finds that there is a lot of debate about the trending Agile methodology being adopted by corporate giants and industries alike. Learning Agile changes your mindset and simplifies the execution of complex tasks. The agile certification course leads you through the various methods and agile methodology which comprise the best-practices in Agile.

At Imarticus Learning Academy, these courses lay emphasis on practical work in industry-relevant situations. Besides certification they empower you to think Agile, transform teams and lead from the front for team-success. Improve your prospects and career with such futuristic courses. Hurry!

Sharpen Your Knives -Making Agile a Reality

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 3 minutes

According to the reports of a joint study by Forbes magazine and Scrum Alliance, Agile-suites have become the buzz word of the latest models for SME businesses and across sizes that include startups, large companies with cross-functional teams, and everything in between. Being so is synonymous with faster marketing times and efforts, improved financial results, rapid innovations, and better workplaces.
Management practices today demand the implementation of effective change management, constant changes in requirements of the backlog, and snapping free of traditional ladders in organizations to scale and transition to a Scrum-Agile environment.
The Agile transitioning parameters:
The all-important parameters when training and recruiting for a successful agile organization are:
Developing talent:
Upskilling and certifications are the norms today with many large organizations retrenching the employees who do not up-skill. Agile environments require developing Scrum minded talent. An aspirant for agility needs formal training, a can-do attitude, creativity, and innovative capacities to learn rapidly, enthusiasm for the Agile thinking, knowledge of Scrum practice, change management skills and effective CSM’s motivation.
Stability and Loyalty in employees:
Crucial to all growth is its dedicated workforce. One of the best means to earn these parameters is to retrain employees interested in change and the benefits including financial ones that such changes can bring in.
CSM/ Coach Motivation:
Being transitioned needs a knowledgeable, certified coach or SM to lead by example. Staff motivation and retention sees an upswing when the organization is committed to collaborative work culture, where loyalty and retention may depend on the rewards, biasing Scrum environments effectively, re-skilling and training and many more such factors.
Employee Skills:
Retraining employees is possible by doing advanced courses at Imarticus who are reputed globally for their excellent courses. Agile does encompass technological changes incorporation and cross-functional knowledge of fields like Big Data analytics, Deep and neural networking,  AI, ML and visualization techniques which will need to be over-hauled and re-trained for effectiveness.
 Perceptual changes:
The very success of the technology and framework lies on adapting the uniform mindset required to become self-organized. Lip-service is insufficient and involvement from the grassroots levels up-wards will need drastic Agile changes in perception.
The benefits that accrue:
1. Scrum tools ease the process of managing the Scrum projects even if they work remotely.  These tools are reliable, help the teams to work, aid team collaboration, and facilitate the team’s and organizational productivity: Ex: Jira, Scrum Vivify, Manuscript, Scrum DO, Axosoft, Targetprocess, QuickScrum, Yodiz, ScrumDesk,   ScrumWise, Zoho sprints, and ClickUp.
2. The Scrum success story has spurred recruitments in large, medium and startups including Philips, Honeywell, Dell, Siemens, Accenture, Capgemini, Allstate Insurance (India), Informatica, and Zensar Technologies. Scrum tools are conducive to remote-working and are extremely reliable across platforms, technologies, and types of teams. Life in an Agile-Scrum cross-functional team of experts is an excellent aid in collaboration, communication, and contribution of the true Scrum team members. No one is different in the framework and success depends on the team performance spurred by an able SM.
3. Scrum has the potential the playing ground of organizations and is poised to affect everyone in the environment.
Why being Agile has become popular:
The changes brought about by the transformation are welcomed by employees and organizational management alike because

  1. The agile work-hierarchy has turned flat and encourages the thinking of all as Scrum team-members who are equal and work collaboratively.
  2. Over half the organizations have transitioned successfully.
  3. The framework has included effective Scrum mentors and Agile coaches to help and aid the teams to perform better.
  4. Re-training is easy by doing a formal course at Imarticus.
  5. Agile framework and Scrum values have very many benefits for the organization including efficiency and productivity with rapid time-boxed frequent viable products releases.
  6. The methodology is actually a philosophy that is equally applicable in personal tasks and life.

Conclusion:
Agile running on a Scrum framework is akin to sharpening the blades of success. Everyone from a flexible director and project manager, the self-organized Scrum team, the crucial strategy of an Agile Coach’s role, and the transforming mindset are set to impact everyone in the chain and across processes. Do a good pro degree with Imarticus in the classroom mode to get your CSM or Agile Scrum certification and contribute positively to your team and organization.

The Framework That Changes Everything

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Everybody is talking about Scrum-Agile principles, its framework, and success. Well, Scrum is not a technology suite. Rather it is an implementation toolset to revamp the way organizations function and think. And this framework when looked at from its core aims and values needs to be adopted across the organization and affects every employee. Scrum has the answer to implementing productive AI, ML, VR or AR technologies and changing the very way we think across industrial infrastructures, technologies applied and size of organizations. Everyone is set to benefit and think in Scrum.
The implementation benefits:
Scrum efficiency brings great results to teams who use Agility related principles on the Scrum framework because in this philosophy it is all about being effective and robust as a team and managing projects under a talented SM to infuse the mindset, values, and practices into the equal-members Scrum team. They flourish on getting self-organized, communicating effectively and contribute through being constantly contributive in all transactions private and team-wise. Thus the talent pool allows efficient scaling and functional management.
Drawbacks:
The framework is a recent addition and is yet evolving to deal with rapid technological changes, increase in data capabilities and scaling issues. Though compatible with many evolving technologies the basic Agile premise of the main project being sub-divided into achievable product backlogs dealt with in short sprints with Scrum values implies that a uniform Scrum mindset is being applied across all processes of the organization. This is hard to achieve and can negatively impact performance, productivity, and efficiency when not adhered to. And this is true also because of the vast variety of verticals, processes, and ownership to which it is being applied.
Key Scrum functions:
Since nearly all industries wish to implement the Scrum benefits, we need to look at the core functions listed below.

  • Revamping team structures: The movement to cross-functional teams and hiring an effective CSM is at the core of up-scaling.
  • Scaling design: This cannot be isolated and needs to factor in the various strategies, compliance, and inter-departmental integration to induce Scrum oneness across the framework.
  • Monitoring the product backlog and release management: This factor is crucial in large projects and best achieved with an efficient CSM, the Scrum team and product owner working together effectively.
  • A productive backlog: This crucial element needs team consensus, constant CSM monitoring, and a knowledgeable CSPO.
  • Mentoring Support: The CSM is the unofficial manager of the team leading through effective Scrum value implementation and lies at the very heart of success as a team.

Why Scrum is popular:
Here is how Scrum is instrumental in such success.

  • The Scrum growth has been exponential in terms of its adoption by nearly 65 percent in the IT sector.
  • Scrum is effective in handling timely schedules, and preventing project costs overrun which is an important factor according to the McKinsey report for project failures.
  • The framework is simple and compatible with all verticals and sectors as long as you have an efficient SM.
  • The Scrum-Agile framework has been tried and tested across large, medium, small and startup environments successfully.
  • The SM is essentially the Scrum values leader and unofficial team manager to induce the Scrum state in all processes and persons associated.
  • Scrum requires smaller teams and results in higher efficiency and productivity across departments.
  • Scrum basic assumptions are collaborative teamwork in the framework where all are equal, self-organizing and responsible for team performance.

Conclusion: 
The software when working for Agility in Scrum incorporates items like product backlog and sprint planning features important to developing the framework for Scrum operations. But Scrum goes beyond the IT industry and can be used as an effective management practice in all sorts of situations and even in personal life. Scrum is a philosophy and is definitely set to impact all who learn it across all levels of the organization.
In parting, to imbibe Scrum effectively one will need formal training. It should involve hands-on practice on industry-relevant situations and is a process that benefits from the mentorship of a certified SM. It is also important to get your training at a reputed organization like Imarticus Learning where the Scrum Alliance issues your certification. You also earn a 2-year alliance membership for free which provides you with efficient peer-support when you implement Scrum values and transition teams to an Agile state. Why wait? Grab this opportunity today.

How To Cope When The Project You Are Leading Fails?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 
Everyone fails at some time or the other. Failures are meant to be dealt with and learned from. Yet, there isn’t a single training course that deals with fears of failure, coping with failing projects or handling failures at work. And this, despite the fact that project failures cost money, maybe losing a client and leaves you despondent and feeling completely at sea. So read on to discover the simple path.

Realization and acceptance of failure:   

Admit the failure and accept the fact. Don’t run away from it and blame others. After all, as a Project Manager, you will realize that there are many factors leading to the failure of projects. Face it that you are not alone and solely responsible. Failures can happen to all of us. How you walk-on is more important than how you celebrate project success.

Know when to let go:

Never get stuck with the sinking boat. There is only the drowning way out if you don’t bail out in time. The tell-tale signs of reduction in buy-ins, missed timelines, apathy from the senior management, costs incurred so far, and last but not the least your ego and knowing when to let go.

Review and review constructively:

The project has failed and it is now your failure. So get to the task of a constructive passionless review of where, why and when the train got off the rails. Take responsibility for your team and the failed project. In part, it is your failure!
Were deadlines missed, were resources competent and timely, were there any tell-tale signs of off-roading, what exactly have you failed at? Well, seek and you will find. Recognize your mistakes and be sure that they will ensure you don’t go the path of failure again.

Bias will color your sights:

Reviews often seek reasons for project failure. Seek them without bias. Have an outsider audit the process, don’t look for reasons that confirm the easy way out, and avoid blaming others when things don’t go, as you planned. If you knew along it was doomed, why did you not act? Optimism is positive when in moderation as is bias and playing the blame game.

Don’t play the blame-game:

The PM has to bear the brutal brunt of a failed project. It’s the job, not the person that is being blamed. Check to see what lessons you can learn, what were the signs you did not see, how can you prevent the same one happening again, how can you get your team up and running, what really was your role in the error. Now that it has happened, move on. Do what you can as the PM and do it best, is a great policy to follow, now more than ever!

Plan to better implement projects rather than produce better products:

Let your focus be on doing things differently the next time around. As leader of the team, concentrate on implementation practices rather than a high-velocity release of products. Your team will produce results when you lead from the front and help implement projects better on time and within the budget each time, every time. There will always be so much beyond your control to complain about another day.
In parting, let’s remember failure is a great teacher. Great lessons are learned and success implies always trying to gain control even beyond what you can actually control.

What Would Be The Career Path For an Agile Coach?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The job role for an Agile coach originated from IT but is now in demand by various industries across the globe. If you’re a project manager and are looking to take the next step in your career, becoming an Agile coach might just be the perfect role for you. More prominent organizations and companies are now looking to increase the efficiency rate and delivery rate while making software and hence adopt agile methods to be able to do this. As an Agile Coach, you’re required to create and motivate high-performing teams by imparting Agile methodologies via open communication and collaboration of team.
An Agile Coach ensures that the team is working together in the most effective way possible. The role is different from the program/project manager whose task is to ensure that everyone is clear about the functionality of their roles. An Agile Coach needs a combination of experience in project management and high leadership skills.
Project management experience: can be in IT, software development or other domains where one has been involved in overviewing the delivery of a plan right from its conception to its completion.
Leadership skills: Agile Coaches have high leadership, advisory and consultancy skills, and they are also skilled communicators, facilitators and great at identifying various solutions and approaches to problems by understanding organisational development.
Good Agile coaches can generally easily transition from being Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Developers, etc. It doesn’t matter where a person is currently, what matters is having the perfect skill set for the job role.
Tips on becoming an Agile Coach:

If you start adopting Agile practices in your current job role, you will impress the recruiters as they look for people who have practical experiences.
Get involved in Agile training and consider doing a certified course. Being certified in Agile is not enough on its own to secure a position as an Agile coach, but it shows recruiters a willingness to learn, and it will ensure you’re up to date with the very best practices in the industry. Go to Agile or Scrum Meet-Ups and meet others in the field. There are always conferences and group seminars one can attend to gain more knowledge of this filed.
There are certain required capabilities that recruiters look for while considering a person for the role of an Agile coach.

They are,
Required skills:
Experience in Project Management.
Practical and hands-on Agile delivery experience.
Expert knowledge of Agile principles and practices, and being able to transfer that understanding at all levels of the organisation process.
We are consulting and facilitating skills in leading a team in the adoption and improvement of agile methodologies.
Excellent training and presentation skills.
Ability to adapt to a fast paced environment and produce quality results.
Skilled in leading meetings, decision making, and negotiating win-win solutions/approaches to problems.
Strong interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to work independently.
Excellent listener and amazing non-verbal and verbal communication skills.
A willingness to instruct and mentor without biasedness and with enthusiasm.

Following are the responsibilities that one needs to undertake as an Agile coach:
Supervise, analyse and identify problems or communication gaps in knowledge and understanding of how Agile works and lead the teams through training or mentoring sessions.
Work with the Agile teams to identify and manage interactive dependencies.
Work with the teams to identify and then implement process improvements.
Be there for the team and resolve conflicts within the team or outside of it.
Closely work with respective Project Managers to ensure the timely execution and delivery of the feedback received by the customer/user.
Undertake the project manager’s responsibilities when necessary.
Keep the Agile team motivated.

The Charm Of User Stories

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. The simplicity of a user story allows for this approach becoming the fundamental artefact in your project armoury. Let us understand two simple concepts in user stories which highlight how a user story operates and the INVEST acronym holding it together. These two simple techniques of product backlog formulating improves the quality of the product, communication of value to the user and rests wholly on the user.
Let us move to the 3C’s principle. The 3Cs approach components are:

  • Card:

Aptly named it forms the written-down text of the user story and is an open-invite to the next logical step of conversation. This concept accepts that like in Scrum the Product Backlog items are imperfect and invites the team to discuss, discover and diffuse iterational conflicts. At this stage of discovery, the elements of collaboration and communication are crucial to refinement.
It addresses the why, what and who in the user story. The format asks leading questions to discover the role, benefit and action required. Since the team is cross-functional, the questions are both important, and the user card is developed with an actual persona in mind while addressing the benefit and assigning it to the business-goal benefits.

  • Conversation:

Normally all conversations are face-offs and moderated by the Product Owner. A collaborative discussion of all stakeholders ensues. This is the phase of the actual value of the user-story getting written and reflects the commonly accepted terms shared by all members before recording ‘Doneness’. Ideally, it also includes the Acceptance tests and methodology to be followed, so a shared understanding is recorded.

  • Confirmation:

The PO firstly confirms ‘done’, and the team checks the ‘doneness’ and its alignment and common definition of ‘done’ in writing of the user story.
Next, we move to INVEST and what it stands for.

  • I means Independent:

This lets the team know that this user story is independently solvable and implementable immaterial of other user stories and can be broken into technical dependency as often as required using refactoring principles.

  • N means Negotiable:

This is an open-ended evolving iterative story and is flexible and yet to be attributed to technical specifications. The DevOps team takes the final call on technical implementation.

  • V means Valuable:

Here is the why question. The alignment of business goals to each user story is vital. However, it does not suggest that every user-story must evolve into a marketable product. More than the user view the business goal is paramount.

  • E means Estimable:

In this head, it calls on the team to be Agile and approximate the work-complexity, effort and time required to build a potential bearing product. Final values will be based on consensual approximations.

  • S means Small:

In this stage, the item should qualify as small functional increment achievable in a single Sprint. As it gets to the top of the Backlog list, it achieves its maximum size due to ongoing collaborations.

  • T means Testable:

This phase deals with the common definition of the team understanding on verification and testing procedures acceptable for a ‘done’. If there is a common consensus that the ‘done’ can be verified in a particular procedural manner the ‘doneness’ being achieved in one Sprint implies the product is testable.
The INVEST set of rules is applied to all items on the Backlog list even when user stories are to be written yet.
In conclusion, the Agile user story is simple to learn, and the charm of the user story lies in its team-collaborated iterations and evolution.

Three Questions To Determine If An Organization Is Agile

Posted on by Imarticus Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Being Agile is a continuous process and a way of thing. One should never expect 100% Agility. Just as every sport is larger than its practitioners no matter how famous they are. The same applies to Agility! There will be areas of improvement, techniques of excellence and some areas of total failure. Just to give a fair idea of Agile progress in an organisation, the three important questions one must ask are as below.
Q1: How often are products fully integrated by the teams?
This question is meant to assess the team functionality and hence organisational Agility from a customer’s point of view. While many people ask how many releases and how frequently releases happen, this may not be a true index value. This is because the question of releases and frequency of releases both depend on the client needs.
A persistently demanding client will have more releases and frequently so with no real way to compare the performance of products. Going a level higher the integration frequency of products is a better index since it does indicate how often projects are released and how quickly. The capacity for being Agile especially in cross-functional teams is a good way to judge the full capacity of the organisation to release marketable products.
Q 2: How would you handle critical issues that cause the timelines or planning to go awry and make achieving them impossible?
This question is directed at measuring leadership Agile commitment. The crisis response is a true indicator of Agility. Critical phases are times when Agile principles need to be put into practice. If the response is that during crisis stages Agile is not employed for resolutions, then the organisation has no commitment to Agility which remains a mere unpracticed fad.
Q 3: Why is your Scrum Master or PO the best?
This question is meant to figure out the dysfunctional areas in organisational Agility. Taking such opinions will assess WHY someone thinks the SM or PO is the best. Many giveaways are available in their opinions. Is the SM dedicated, full-time or distributes his team-time?  Most answers will let you know if the SM/PO is effective and meets the team’s needs. You may also hear of SMs who bark orders and tell people how bad their Scrum values are. This is especially true of past Project Managers in the Scrum Master role. This effectively lets the cat out of the bag. Scrum is to be practised at all times and even in personal life. However, when a person is still a project Manager and titled SM, he is more prone to behave as a PM.
Similarly, opinions about the PO also reflect the team Agility. How can a great PO do the real job and still be a good PO without affecting his/her job? A PO needs 100% clarity of project, is able to stay and explain iterations to the team and contribute to a performing Scrum Agile team. If the PO is just attending the meets, then iterations can lead to missed calls, poor clarity and a host of negative Agility scorers.
In conclusion, you may have to understand why these questions are asked and rephrase them. However, 3 questions are not enough to get a complete picture. The pointers in the answers are a good start to understanding company values, team functioning, effective leadership being present and state of Agility. Base your assessment and opinion on these answers.