The challenge was to train a team with Agile methodologies, specifically with Scrum and help them certify as PSDs and PSPOs.
We wanted to portion the training over a longer time period (over a year) instead of a one or two day training.
The issue we found with a one or two day training was it was specifically geared towards passing the PSD or PSPO exam. Nothing wrong with that. There are companies which specialize in that and do a great job.
We had Learning and Development Strategy for the team and it was split into three parts namely:
- Individual
- Learning programming languages and tools. eg: Code Academy
- Team
- Learning process frameworks. eg: Scrum training
- Company
- Training offered by company. eg: Information Security
The Professional Scrum Competencies were a nice set of skills that an Agile Team could learn over a year. We split the training between Developers and Product Owners. We had one two hour session per month and had totally 10 sessions in 10 months. It was great to see the team increasing their competencies in Scrum over a time period.
Here are some snapshots from memorable training sessions with the teams:
The Focus game is always a great way to show that the human mind is not great at multitasking and how context switches cost more time and energy.
Developing People and Teams
Sharing the memories of their best teachers and themselves acting as teachers for their team members was fun to watch on what stays when taught well.
Forecasting is fun to understand with Velocity or Throughput and see that Agile forecasting can be easy, real and repeatable.
Optimizing flow with Kanban concepts like Work in Progress limits and Work Item Aging help teams understand how they can flow with simple controls.
Understanding the value of Portfolio planning to efficiently make use of a team’s time and skills.
Here are some of the testimonials from the trainees of this training:
Testimonials – Moss and Lichens
Links:
The Professional Scrum™ Competencies | Scrum.org
The Professional Scrum Team | Scrum.org
The Professional Scrum Product Owner Book | Scrum.org