germanflores’s posterous

I'm writing this the review of the Agile Project Management training from ASPE because when I was searching for reviews for this training I didn't find any, so in hopes that this might help somebody here is my review.

Reason For Attending
I have been been working witha traditional waterfall model project management approach for the last two years and have heard and read about Agile Project Management/SCRUM. The current project I've been working on is being executed by an outside vendor that is using a "SCRUM" approach. We are now exposed to new practices like iterations/sprints/timeboxes, daily SCRUM calls, etc.. These Agile/SCRUM practices have changed our project approach.

Instructor
Bill Gaiennie wasthe instructor provided by ASPE, he is knowledgeable, knows Agile/SCRUM practices and has working experience implementing Agile/SCRUM. The risk with training sessions is that they're taught using perfect world scenarios but Bill managed to relate the practices to real world challenges you might encounter with Agile/SCRUM in your organization.

Learned a new word among many things from Bill: Propinquity: proximity: the property of being close together.

Classroom Size
Our classroom facilities were great and classroom size was fantastic at five attendees. In this small setting material was covered at a faster pace and questions not as numerous.

Training Content
The contentcovered comes from the ASPE Agile Project Management book and covers topics from high level to a low level i.e. Agile Project Management to Estimating. With a two day class the depth of the material can only go so far but it provided more than a general overview.

Impact Professionally
After attending Agile Project Management training am I a better project manager? Yes. Sometimes you gain knowledge by reading, sometimes by attending training, and sometimes by doing. I learned key Agile/SCRUM concepts, but being able to implement the concepts learned is what really matters moving forward (executing).

Impact On Job performance
This training will impact my job performance in a positive way. I plan to start using iterations, daily SCRUM calls, deliver working software and deliver often. Note that implementing SCRUM in an environment that does not support Agile/SCRUM practices will be tough and management support is key.

My Outline
In addition to the training book from ASPE I have a list of bullet points that I want to remember:

"The world is run by those who show-up". If meetings are going over the scheduled time you need to be more efficient in the way you conduct them. Always start on time and end on time.

Build set of expectations to change behavior. Be up-front about the project to build the proper expectations.

Requirements: Who, What, and Why. Good requirements give you a why and reduce misunderstandings.

Too much detail upfront gives the impression that more discussion is not necessary. When doing stories with your clients remember that detail comes later in the tasks.

Goldplating: Substituting goals of the customer with other.

"Trust but verify". Love this quote.

Ask developer what is done? Don't ask for work in progress. Work in progress doesn't exist.

Lessons learned should be conducted at the end of each sprint/iteration/timebox not at the end of the project.

Resources
Agile Project Management
Waterfall Model
Bill Gaiennie Twitter
ASPE Inc
Goldplating
Book: Influencer: The Power To Change Anything