Use this comprehensive Agile product and project management guide with real-world case studies and examples for self-learning or as a student textbook. Whether you are a CEO or a student, this book will take you from Agile delivery to team topology and product-market fit.
You'll Learn
- The Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework, which explains why every project has to align with organizational objectives and how these objectives are used to measure project success
- Agile (Scrum, Kanban, XP), Waterfall, and hybrid product and project management practices, and how to apply the "working backwards" framework from the customer to IT projects
- The Lean Startup framework of product design, based on the "build-measure-learn" feedback loop, and compared with Waterfall requirements gathering and project scope management
- Design Thinking and customer research practices
- The product backlog taxonomy (epic, user story, subtask, bug, etc.), prioritization techniques, ongoing backlog maintenance, and stakeholder communication
- Major aspects of IT delivery, including Agile teams, roles, frameworks, and success criteria
- Waterfall planning and Scrum, in detail, including its Sprint structure, artifacts, roles, and ceremonies (meetings) as well as a comparison of Agile scaling frameworks
- Case studies of modern technology leaders, from startups to FAANG
- Examples of release plans and delivery reports based on actual projects in a wide range of companies, ways to minimize technical debt, implement DevOps, and establish quality management practices for software products
- Effective ways of managing dependencies and delivering products that delight customers and made the Silicon Valley giants successful and allowed for rapid business growth
Autorentext
Dr. Mariya Breyter is an educator and a practitioner who brings 20 years of leadership experience to the Agile and Lean community. Her passion for managing complex business initiatives and delivering superior products to clients through efficient, Agile and Lean processes has produced success after success in companies ranging from Big 4 consulting and Fortune 100 insurance and financial services firms to mid-sized educational businesses and startups.
Dr. Breyter has a PhD in Computational Linguistics from Moscow State University followed by a Post-Doctorate scholarship at Stanford University. She has built her career optimizing and improving software delivery and instilling Agile and Lean values at multitudes of companies while keeping the primary focus on the people within those processes. The list of her certifications includes CSP, SPC, CSM, PMP, PMI-ACP, ITIL 3.0, Agile Facilitation, and Agile Coaching from ACI.
Dr. Breyter is an Agile project management thought leader and a frequent presenter at Agile conferences, from the Lean IT conference in Paris to the Agile Conference in San Diego, CA, and a popular blogger. Dr. Breyter's free educational and coaching websites were nominated for multiple Agile and Lean professional awards.
Inhalt
Introduction: The Role of Project and Product Management in IT
This chapter covers the history of project management as a profession and uses IT industry examples to show the need for incremental and iterative delivery, a collaborative work environment, innovation, and a customer-centric approach to product delivery. It incorporates an interactive review of the primary Agile delivery frameworks.
CLASS ACTIVITY: COMPARE TRADITIONAL AND AGILE FRAMEWORKS
CASE STUDY: FROM BLOCKBUSTER TO NETFLIX
SIMULATION PROJECT: A BUSINESS IDEA
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. TOPIC: IT DELIVERY VALUES AND PRINCIPLES.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN IT
ADDITIONAL SOURCES (A LIST OF ONLINE RESOURCES AND RELEVANT MATERIALS TO REVIEW): AGILE MANIFESTO, PMBOK INTRODUCTION, AND SOFTWARE GUIDE
Part I: Building the RIGHT IT Product
Chapter 1. Starting your IT Project with Why
This chapter covers the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework as a part of the project management. It outlines why every project has to align with organizational objectives and shows how these objectives are used to measure project success. In addition, it explains the difference between a project and a product and introduces the distinction between project and product management in all primary project management frameworks.
CLASS ACTIVITY: REVIEW MISSION STATEMENTS AND OKRS FOR APPLE, AIRBNB, DISNEY, FACEBOOK, ALZHEIMER ASSOCIATION
CASE STUDY: MEASURE WHAT MATTERS (BONO CASE STUDY)
SIMULATION PROJECT: CREATE YOUR OKRS
TEMPLATES: OKR TEMPLATE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. TOPIC: GOOD AND NOT-SO-GOOD OKRS. OKRS FOR IT
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: OKR CRITIQUE
ADDITIONAL SOURCES (A LIST OF ONLINE RESOURCES AND RELEVANT MATERIALS TO REVIEW): MEASURE WHAT MATTERS BY JOHN DOERR
Chapter 2. Getting to Know Your Customer
This chapter covers Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid product management practices, applying the "working backwards" framework from the customer to IT projects. It builds on the knowledge of business objectives to focus on customer needs. It explains the concept of a persona type and provides tools and templates to identify the customer, empathize with the customer's problem, and define the product as "working backwards" from customer needs.CLASS ACTIVITY: CREATE A CUSTOMER PERSONA TYPE
CASE STUDY: KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER
SIMULATION PROJECT: EMPATHY MAP
TEMPLATES: PERSONA DEFINITION
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: PERSONA REVIEW AND TARGET MARKET ANALYSIS
1 There may be further changes to content outlined in this document, including but not limited to case studies, examples, or subsections. The structure and the number of chapters will remain as stated.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: DESCRIBE PERSONAS FOR FIVE WELL-KNOWN IT COMPANIES
ADDITIONAL SOURCES (A LIST OF ONLINE RESOURCES AND RELEVANT MATERIALS TO REVIEW): LEAN UX BY JEFF GOTHELF
Chapter 3. Validating the Product Hypothesis in IT Projects
This chapter covers the Lean Startup framework of product design, based on the "build-measure-learn" feedback loop, and compares it with Waterfall requirements gathering and project scope management. Once the customer is identified, it is essential to validate whether our understanding of the customer's need is accurate. This chapter introduces the concepts of customer hypothesis, validation, minimum viable product (MVP), and the principles of making a decision to pivot or persevere. It describes the non-linear nature of lean startup validation, which is equally relevant for IT projects.
CLASS ACTIVITY: DEFINE AN EXPERIMENT BASED ON AN IT PRODUCT
CASE STUDY: AMAZON FIRE AND GOOGLE PLUS
SIMULATION PROJECT: VALIDATE YOUR SOFTWARE PRODUCT HYPOTHESISTEMPLAT…