Scaling Workshop
Dates: Oct 14, 2019
Location: New York City, NY
Course Location:
NYC Seminar and Conference Center
71 W 23rd St #515
New York, NY 10010
Expired. Please choose another course.

Scaling Workshop

New York City, NY

The Scaling with Agile Workshop is a one-day, standalone workshop.

Anyone may take the workshop, but we recommend you take it after you have taken a Certified ScrumMaster or Product Owner Course.

It is quite useful when a small group from one company attends. This could be a Scrum Team, and probably representatives from various areas in a company, including some managers.

For purposes of this workshop, we are defining scaling as three or more teams working together on one product (or project), and we assume that there is a fairly high need for communication and coordination across the three or more teams. We will also discuss other aspects of scaling Agile in an organization more broadly, but usually addressing the narrower definition gives us plenty to do in one day. (Note that the word scaling is used to indicate many other things.)

 

The Main Purpose

The main purpose of this Scaling Workshop is to help you get results. The workshop conceptually has two parts.

  • First, we provide an overview and introduction to Agile scaling. This is an important but relatively small portion of the time. It is time-boxed, in part because the known ideas and patterns are quite extensive.
  • Second, we work with you to understand your specific needs and largest problems, and then help you devise solutions to them and an implementation plan. This part is very practical.

 

In this workshop, we will explore how to scale Agile in more than three groups. We expect to get two or more companies represented in each workshop. So, the exact conditions of scaling will vary. We think this is a feature more than a bug — that is, the different context will help free the minds of some people in your group to see other possible solutions to problems.

What we do not offer:

  • A simple pat answer to a complex specific problem
  • One “flavor” of scaling (e.g., SAFe, LeSS, etc.)
  • A guarantee that things will be magically easy

 

What we do offer:

  • To address your specific situation, as best you can describe it
  • To offer our best advice (modestly, as the Lean folks would say)
  • To allow you and your colleagues to think together in a fresh way (we tend to believe you already have many of the answers)
  • Help in getting your group to reach consensus on the most useful actions (changes) to take or make now

 

The course is tailored to the specific questions, situations, and needs of the attendees.

The main thing is that we will take your situation and its current problems, and help you address them, in such a way that you can get real results in the next few months, and then take iterative and incremental steps towards a better approach to the scaling issues you have today.

Additional benefits:

  • 8 PDUs towards your PMI requirements
  • 8 SEUs towards the Scrum Alliance requirements

Workshop Outline:

  • Introduction to Agile scaling
  • Review of common scaling patterns, such as:
    • Implementing a Chief Product Owner & Product Owner group
    • Creating a single Product Backlog & synchronizing iterations
    • Scrum of Scrums
  • Techniques for optimizing geographically distributed teams
  • Scaling Impediment Removal
  • Scaling Patterns in ScrumPLOP.org
  • Overview of Scaled Agile models including Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) & Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

 

  • Current State: Draw and describe the current state of two specific situations. In most cases, you have already started scaling. So, we will identify your current problems, issues and concerns with scaling.
  • Future State: For each of those two situations, draw and describe a possible Future State about six months out. Everyone can propose ideas.
  • Implementation Plan: We all will help identify a reasonable implementation for getting the Future State to happen in your specific situation.

 

We will devote the most time to Current State, Future State and Implementation Plan. Again, probably limited to two specific situations. For others in the room, experience shows that the two situations chosen will still be beneficial to you.

Real Situations: The two situations chosen will be real situations at real organizations. Those who from those organizations do not after reveal every piece of “dirty linen” and they hide the truth a bit. But do plan to be relatively forthright about both your successes and your opportunities for improvement.

Challenges: We (the instructor(s)) and others may challenge anyone or any situation about the successes and the biggest areas for improvement.  But those other people are not in your organization (in this example), so ultimately you get to decide which are your biggest and best opportunities for improvement.

For each proposed solution, we will also discuss its pros and cons, and how you might get it implemented.

The workshop is described more here.

 

The Trainers:

Joe Little and David Muldoon.

  • Joe Little, an experienced Agile coach and Certified Scrum Trainer (CST). Joe has in-depth practical experience in helping teams become very productive with Scrum and Agile. He has co-taught eight courses with Jeff Sutherland. He has years of experience working with scaling. Take a look at Joe’s blog, Agile & Business.

 

You may want to ask about our Referral Program and about our Refresher Program.

 

Registration and Fees

  • Price for the workshop is $500.
  • There is a 10% discount for any group of three or more.
  • In addition, there is a 3% discount off the net due if you pay with cash (e.g., at the beginning of the course). There are more details to this; let’s discuss.

The fee covers food and beverage (typically a continental breakfast, a.m. break, lunch and a p.m. break).

Please register (above right).