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About The Job Hackers

Location: San Francisco

Our mission is to change the way people connect with their lives and careers. The Job Hackers provides individuals with the knowledge and experience needed to navigate the complex world of knowledge work. We do this by not only giving our participants... Read More

Courses

Agile Training Class

Cost: Free
Duration: 6 weeks
Locations: San Francisco
In-person Only
Course Description:

Agile Scrum Master Class Tentative Syllabus

Required Reading has links to Amazon website. You can find some of the books on Safari Online (indicated where applicable). Many public libraries give access to Safari books with membership. Some can be found at your local library.

Part 1 - Introduction to Agile and Scrum

We will cover what Agile is, the philosophy behind the Agile Manifesto, why Agile can only be known as a reaction to the prevalent Waterfall approach, the 3Ps of Agile, what is scrum and how does it embody the Agile philosophy, how to use relative estimation techniques to quickly and easily discover Value and Effort and how to achieve Transparency, Predictability and Value. This week we cover the Philosophy and most prevalent Practice (Scrum).

Required Reading:
The Agile Manifesto – A Brief and Bold Guide by Larry Apke
The Scrum Guide – PDF version of most recent official scrum guide (online)

Presentations:
The Why of Agile
Introduction to the Scrum Framework
Relative Estimation Presentation and Exercise

Part 2 – Introduction to Software Quality / Technical Debt / DevOps

This week we will cover two things that are necessary to for sustained Agility over time – Acceptance Test Driven Development (BDD/TDD) and Continuous Integration and Delivery. It can be very difficult to complete, test and deploy software each iteration but it is possible. Over the short term it can be done via sweat and hard work, but over a period of time there are practices that make it possible.

Required Reading:
The Cucumber Book - Matt Wynne
Evolutionary Design (online) – Martin Fowler

Presentations:
BDD – Building Quality into Software
High Cost of Low Cost Software Development

Part 3 – Product Development Flow and Systems Thinking

Reinertsen’s book on Product Development Flow, though not written to do so, provides good explanations why Agile software development works well. We will continue to examine the nature of complexity through systems thinking.

Required Reading:
The Principles of Product Development Flow – Don Reinertsen
The Fifth Discipline – Peter Senge

Presentations:
Principles of Product Development Flow
Introduction to Systems Thinking

Part 4 – Cognitive Biases and the Human Side of Programming

Software development is about people. We cannot understand it unless we understand the people that do the work. If time allows, we will also cover alternative to Scrum like Kanban (Scrumban).

Required Reading:
Drive – Daniel Pink
Peopleware – Tom Demarco
KanBan and Scrum – Making the Most of Both – Henrik Kniberg (online)

Presentations:
Peopleware
Drive
Cognitive Biases

Part 5- Overflow and deeper dives

We will use the last part of time remaining to dive deeper into topics the class needs more information on.

Subjects:
Product Mgmt, Scrum

The Job Hackers Reviews

Average Ratings (All Programs)

The Job Hackers logo

4.98/5 (143 reviews)

Peter Harper
Graduated: 2019

11/26/2019

Course
Agile Training Class

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Engaging, thorough, robust, completely worth the time"

I'm an Agile novice. But I keep running into it in my work.
This course delivers detail and quality, each time.
Larry's teaching is clear, understandable, engaging, he provides lots of added resources--guest speakers, reading, videos--and his humor adds... Read More

David A. Todd
Graduated: 2019

11/7/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Invaluable lessons on how to survive and thrive."

DevOps is deep and full of fads and other undercurrents. Larry Apke's Agile course and associated simulations are engaging, applicable and relevant to the jobs nowadays. The lessons allow us to survive and swim and even leverage and lead among the crazy... Read More

Jenny L
Graduated: 2019

10/1/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Free AgileMBA for job seekers and professionals to transition and/or advance your career"

Attending this free six-week AgileMBA course, which meets in-person or online twice a week in the morning, is well worth the time if you're looking to transition or advance your career as a job seeker or professional. The basics are covered by the instructor... Read More

Jenny Liu
Graduated: 2019

10/1/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Free AgileMBA for job seekers and professionals to transition and/or advance your career"

Attending this free six-week AgileMBA course, which meets in-person or online twice a week in the morning, is well worth the time if you're looking to transition or advance your career as a job seeker or professional. The basics are covered by the instructor... Read More

Karla Nema
Graduated: 2019

9/20/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"I wholeheartedly recommend JobHackers/Larry Apke’s Agile MBA"

I would definitely recommend The Job Hackers’ Agile MBA course to anyone needing to grasp the concepts of Agile management in a very thorough manner. Larry does an amazing job of teaching the concepts, translating them into real life examples and with... Read More

Andrew L
Graduated: 2019

9/20/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"The Agile mindset, concise and in-depth"

Too much of the conversation about Agile nowadays focuses on specific processes and tools that someone is selling. With everyone looking for a quick fix trick to jump on the Agile bandwagon, it’s easy to forget that the Agile Manifesto gives more value... Read More

The Job Hackers’ Agile MBA class restores that proper perspective with excellent readings, lectures and discussions on topics such as Cognitive Illusions, Systems Thinking, and Human Motivation (Drive) in addition to more traditional elements. The conversations with fellow classmates during and outside of class were powerful in expanding my perspective and understanding, and I am more prepared to lead teams effectively as a result. The PSM scholarship was the icing on the cake, giving me a globally-recognized certification to help prove to prospective employers the additional value that I bring after having completed this program.

I cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed my time with The Job Hackers. Thank you, Larry and team, for all that you do.

Marina Yoon-Kovrigina
Graduated: 2019

9/16/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"10/10 Would Recommend this course"

Larry is a fantastic teacher! I really enjoyed his teaching style and I love this class from the beginning to the end. They provided so much valuable information about software development which you can not earn at school. The most valuable part of this... Read More

Charles Chiu
Graduated: 2019

9/12/2019

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Fantastic training full of agile knowledge!"

If anyone is looking to learn about agile the practical way, look no further. This 6 week training would give you a very good idea what agile is and what you can become in the agile world. Even if you are already working with agile, you can still benefit... Read More

Peri Caylor
Graduated: 2019

7/24/2019

Course
Agile Training Class

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Lively and Fascinating"

I've done seat-of-the-pants and waterfall project management in work and life, so it seemed natural to consider becoming a Scrum master after a long break from paid work. I came to The Job Hackers' Agile-MBA course with an open, curious mind, not a conviction... Read More

I'm now a fan of Apke, Agile, and Scrum. Larry Apke's reading assignments and presentations were lively and fascinating. The reading is wide ranging and gives context for the presentations and dialog that follow. In class, Larry toggles between teaching straightforward Agile and Scrum lessons, and talking discursively about the textured history behind and reasons for Agile and Scrum's growth. The course content far transcends tech. I took away how the development of technology and other products can work with our human needs for affiliation with others, internal drive, and a real-world life outside the job that allows for reflection and renewal. After all, we need to keep working for the long haul. It's not Psych 101, but I did learn more about what motivates us and how we interact at our best and worst.

Will I become a Scrum master? I don't know. But thanks to The Job Hackers, I'm well-informed about Agile and Scrum and better able to engage in complex and iterative work, including life itself!

Jim Chie
Senior Software Developer | Graduated: 2019

7/22/2019

Course
Agile Training Class

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Great Description of 'Why Agile?'"

This course starts off with the "What is Agile?" question, but quickly moves on to "Why do Agile?" Larry describes scrums and sprints and story points, but then moves on to better management practices that come with Agile. Early delivery of client value,... Read More

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