Presenter: Jennifer McCloskey
Date: May 10 & May 11, 2012
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Agile teams and organizations need managers, too.

This fundamental concept is often misunderstood, to the detriment of many well-intentioned Agile transformations. Many people assume that "management" and "Agile," or "management" and "self-organizing," are incongruous. Traditional line managers and team leaders in an Agile transition often equate Agile with their extinction. Naturally, this is scary, and may be a reason why management is considered to be one of the biggest obstacles to Agile software development transitions (VersionOne State of Agile Development Survey, 2009).

However, Agile teams and organizations need managers and team leaders like any other type of team or organization - the critical difference is that Agile teams and Agile organizations need Agile managers who understand how to work with self-organizing teams. So what is an Agile manager? What is an Agile manager's role, and how can they successfully interact with and support a self-organizing team?

Based on the Mike Cohn Signature Series book, Jurgen Appelo's 2-day Management 3.0 Agile Leadership Practices Course explores the role of Agile management. But to understand management's new role in an Agile environment, we first need to examine some of the underlying assumptions and ways of thinking that led us to use a command-and-control style of management to begin with. These assumptions about the predictability and controllability of software development projects and teams are at the heart of why a command-and-control management style often doesn’t work well. Then we will examine a new way of perceiving software development teams as complex adaptive systems - networks of people who are interconnected and whose behavior can be somewhat structured, but also somewhat unpredictable.

An Agile perspective sees unpredictability as potential; with the proper guidance, structure, and nurturance of an Agile manager, these complex adaptive systems can self-organize to transform that potential into innovative software products. Team members can also grow and develop in ways that give them a greater sense of accomplishment and fulfillment with their work experience (Jurgen Appelo, 2010).

By focusing on energizing and empowering individuals and teams; helping them develop skills and competence; setting clear project goals, boundaries, and constraints; and fostering continuous improvement the Agile manager provides a critical support structure within which self-organizing teams can thrive. Using the Management 3.0 Model, this course explores these topics and practical techniques for implementing them. It also provides an opportunity to practice the techniques through team-oriented games and exercises, and serves as a forum for discussing your top questions and issues related to Agile management in your work environment.

Embrace the potential and creativity of a complex world.

For more information, please see Custom Project Solutions and Management 3.0.

Early Bird Registration: $850 until April 18
Standard Registration: $950
Register here!