Agile/Scrum Soft Skills Training Curriculum · Agile Soft Skills Training Curriculum By their nature, Agile/Scrum driven projects require a high level of interpersonal communication,

Helping Today’s Technologists Become Tomorrow’s Leaders

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: 855-286-1110 www.ManagerMechanics.com

(c) Manager Mechanics LLC, All Rights Reserved [email protected]

Agile/Scrum Soft Skills Training Curriculum January, 2017

Soft Skills Hard Results


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Agile Soft Skills Training Curriculum

By their nature, Agile/Scrum driven projects require a high level of interpersonal communication,

teamwork, problem solving, decision making and other related business and soft skills. Additionally, those

in the key roles of Scrum Master and Product Owner require additional specialized skills including

leadership, negotiation, conflict resolution, influence and more.

This customizable training program is designed to give Agile/Scrum team members, Scrum Masters and

Product Owners the soft skills needed to maximize their effectiveness and enhance project success.

Like a typical college program, this program begins with a core curriculum with topics for all team

members. These topics are:

Primary Core Topics

o Interpersonal Communication (one day)

o Leadership without Authority (one day)

Optional Core Topic (based on team need)

o Problem Solving and Decision Making (one day)

o Working on a Virtual Teams (half day)

o Being an Agent of Change (half day)

o Great Internal Client Service (one day)

Additional topics of value for Scrum Masters and Product Owners are:

Running Effective Meetings (half day)

Conflict Resolution (half day)

Negotiation Skills (one day)

Fostering Innovation (half day)

Additional topics of value for Scrum Masters are:

Leading a Virtual Teams (one day)

Leadership Concepts (half day)

Accelerated Team Building (one day)

Additional topic designed to assist Product Owners work with the business community are:

Strategic Thinking and Planning (half day)

Collaborative Consulting Skills (one day)

Contact us today to enhance your team’s effectiveness tomorrow!


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Class List / Table of Contents

Primary Core Topics

Interpersonal Communication (one day)

Leadership without Authority (one day)

Optional Core Topic (based on team need)

Problem Solving and Decision Making (one day)

Working on a Virtual Teams (half day)

Being an Agent of Change (half day)

Great Internal Client Service (one day)

Scrum Masters and Product Owners

Running Effective Meetings (half day)

Conflict Resolution (half day)

Negotiation Skills (half day)

Fostering Innovation (half day)

Scrum Masters Only

Leading a Virtual Teams (half day)

Leadership Concepts (half day)

Accelerated Team Building (half day)

Product Owners Only

Strategic Thinking and Planning (half day)

Collaborative Consulting Skills (one day)


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication skills, ranging from emotional intelligence, to questioning

techniques, to active listening, are essential to effective commination within the Agile team itself

as well as all those associated with the project is some way. These ancillary, but very important

people, are project stakeholders, vendors, and those in other parts of the company supporting

project, like IT.

This class is specifically designed to enhance the ability of Agile team members to by expanding

their knowledge in communication techniques, concepts, and best practices.

Class Topics include:

Emotional intelligence

o Why EQ, not EI?

o Self-Awareness and Self-Management

o Social Awareness and Relationship Management

Question Types

o Closed, Open and High Yield

Question Usages/Purposes

o Accuracy, Clarification, Completeness, Relevance, etc.

Active Listening

o Repeating, Paraphrasing, Reflecting

With Criticism Comes Opportunity

o To Learn, Grow Professionally, Deal with Change, etc.

Passive, Aggressive, and Assertive

o Understanding Basic Communication Styles

Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Communications

o Understanding of Three Basic Types

Building Rapport on the Phone

o First Impressions, Barriers, and Techniques

Listening Framework

o Caller, Topic, Delivery, and Setting

Listening Styles

o Action, Informational, etc.

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding Emotional Intelligence concepts

Working knowledge of question types and techniques

General communications techniques needed to maximize the value of personal and

professional interaction


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Leadership without Authority

The ability for Agile team members to influence others is key component of technical

innovation, internal cooperation and the overall success of the project. Additionally, Scrum

Masters must motivate and team members, and individual contributors must often influence

those outside the team to get the resources and information they need to complete their tasks.

This class is ideal for all Agile team members and all others required to give direction and/or

influence others without the specific organizational authority to do so.


Initial Thoughts and Vocabulary

o Types of Respect

o Barriers to Influence

Leading Influence Concepts and Techniques

o Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence

o Cohen-Bradford Influent Model

Understanding Yourself and Others

o The Johari Window

o Merrill & Reid Social Styles

Maximizing Your Personal Power

o 12 Ways That Position You to Influence Others

Push and Pull Influencers

o Types and effectiveness of Push and Pull Techniques

Influential Communication

o Storytelling

o Use of Purposeful Questions

Influencing Other Corporate Players

o Business Peers and Clients

o Levels of Commitment

o Managing Up

Key Leadership Processes

o Expectations Setting

o Building Trust

Key Take-A-Ways:

Enhanced ability to influence those inside and outside your Agile team

Ways to enhance your professional brand in a way that positions you to influence others

How to use storytelling and purposeful questions to professional advantage

Greater ability to be heard and listened to by senior management and project stakeholders


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Problem Solving and Decision Making

This class discusses the decision making process and many of the challenges Agile team

members face in making timely decisions. It covers the impacts of the human element on

decision making, decision constraints, stakeholders, challenges in problem definition, and other

related topics.

It also includes various structured problem solving tools and exercises such as root cause

analysis, brainstorming, prioritization, alternative selection and nominal group technique.


Thoughts on decision making

o The Hidden Choice

o Why make decisions

o Why people don’t make decisions

o Ways to make a decision

o Decisions solve problems

o Decision making vs. Problem solving

Problem definition

o Realizing a decision must be made

o Defining the problem

o Defining desired end state

o Defining stakeholders

Problem solving process

1. Problem definition

2. Decision to act on problem

3. Define problem solving scope

4. Finding root cause

5. Prioritizing root cause correction

6. Defining potential solutions

7. Select a solution

Key Take-A-Ways:

Conceptual insights into problem solving and decision making processes

Problem solving and final state definition techniques

Knowledge of root cause analysis techniques

Working knowledge of various prioritization, selection, and brainstorming techniques


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Working on a Virtual Teams

Working virtually, rather than at the same physical location as your team and/or boss, introduces

specific business, logistical and communication challenges and enhances the challenges of common

business activities.

This class is designed to provide insights into the tactics, techniques, and processes to deal with

these virtual complexities.


Virtual team challenges

o Basic challenges for all virtual teams

o Challenges magnified by time zone, cultural differences, and international context

General Team Communication

o Understanding Cross-Location Rules of Engagement

o Understanding Team Member Expectations

o Building Trust and Communication

o Specific Cross-Location Processes

Virtual Meeting Participation

o Being heard

o Things Going Against You

o Helping the Call Run Smoothly

o Maximize Your Personal Energy

Using Virtual Technologies

o Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Tools

Cultural Intelligence

o Value of Diversity in The Workplace

o Communication and Etiquette Rules

o Local Business Ethic/Practices

o Understanding Global Cultures

o Mitigated Speech

Maximizing Your Participation

o Being Part of the Team

o Task Assignment

o Job Measurement

o Performance Reviews

o Mentoring and Training

o Career Planning

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into the true lead challenges and issues then managing virtual teams

Key methodologies, tips and techniques to maximize your virtual team’s effectiveness

Insights into the cultural idiosyncrasies and best practices when leading diverse teams


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Being an Agent of Change

The implementation of enhanced computer applications requires new manual and automated

procedures, changes in business processes modifies task workflows, and the rollout of new

corporate business models changes career paths and trajectories.

This class outlines what can be done, as Agile team members, to minimize the stress on those

receiving these changes, while simultaneously increasing their adoption and acceptance.


Changing People and Culture

o Role of an Entrepreneur

o Needed change management skills

o The change management process

o Emotional stages of change

o Agents of change

o Proper communication

Commitment and Buy-In

o Levels of Commitment

o Levels of Required Support

o Level of Support and Opposition

Formal Change Methodologies

o Lewin's Three Stage Model of Change

o Kotter's Eight Step Change Model

o Conditions for effective change

o John Fisher's Personal Transition Curve

o Organizational renewal

Changing the Company

o Process automation

o Platform replacement

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding the role of project management in organizational growth and change

Knowledge of key industry change methodologies

Conceptual perspective to induce change within an organization


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Client Service and User Experience

User satisfaction comes from the combination of great client service and user experience. Client

service refers to the ability to provide assistance when asked, properly set user expectations, and

other related activities. User experience refers to the quality of previously implemented systems

and processes.

This class is designed to help Agile teams maximize their client service knowledge and enhance

their ability to provide world-class client support.


Initial Thoughts on Client Service

o Definition, Challenges and Importance

o Value of Defining Your Business Function

Managing Client Expectations

o The “One IT” Concept and Moments of Truth

o Importance of Controlling the Discussion

o DANCE Expectation Management Framework

User Experience

o Definition

o Product Quality

o Services Quality

o Documentation and Training Quality

o Multi-Channel Accessibility

o IT Thought Leadership

o The User Experience / Client Service Connection

Internal Client Service Concepts

o Understanding Your Clients' Characteristics

o Being Proactive vs. Reactive

o Showing Service Ownership

o What Your Internal Clients Want

o Importance of Communicating Project Status

o Communicating with Your Client Leadership

o Importance of Proper Measurement

o Prioritization

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into internal client service concepts, politics, and best practices

Leadership attributes/processes needed to create a service-oriented environment

Specific actionable techniques to enhance your user satisfaction


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Running Effective Meetings

The ability for Scrum Masters and Product Owners to run efficient and effective meetings is an

illustration of your leadership ability, organizational skills, political clout, and the opportunity to

dramatically move your business and professional goals forward.

This class discusses meetings from two perspectives: firstly, it provides insights on ways to organize and

run meetings of all types. Secondly, it provides specific direction on ways to lead and enhance the

quality and productivity of departmental staff meetings and other ongoing gatherings over which you

preside.


The True Cost of Meetings

Scrum Meetings

o Standing Versus Sitting

o War Room design

o Meeting formats

o Key Tips and Tricks

Traditional Meetings

o Meeting Agendas Strategies

Can Greatly Enhance Your Meeting

Distributing an Agenda Prior to the Meeting

Example Agenda Format

Agenda Item Order

o Staff meeting formats

Writing Great Meeting Minutes

o Advantages of Being the Note Taker

o Design Your Meeting Template

o Tips on the Note Taking Process

Controlling the Room

o Why it’s important

o Useful Tips

o In-Meeting Body Language

Management Time vs. Worker Time

Meeting Times Based on Circadian Rhythms

Key Take-A-Ways:

Proper technique and etiquette to run effective daily Scrum meetings

Knowledge needed to effective plan and execute traditional meetings

Understanding of the techniques and concepts needed to lead meetings of all types


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Conflict Resolution

Knowing how to recognize, understand and intervene effectively in conflict situations with team

members, stakeholders, management and others is a critical career-enhancing and project-saving skill

for both Scrum Masters and Product Owners.

The class outlines the causes of team conflict, strategies to deal with conflict, techniques designed to

defuse tense situations and a formalized conflict resolution process.


Initial Thoughts and Vocabulary

o The typology of conflict

o Types of conflict

o The Conflict Spiral

10 Common Causes of Workplace Conflict

Giving Constructive Feedback

Question Restatement

Addressing Difficult Responses

Conflict Strategies

o Accommodating, Avoiding,

o Collaborating, Competing, Compromising

Quick Conflict Resolution Tips

o Interpersonal Ground Rules

o Nice Ways to Say “no”

o Using "How" and "What" questions

o VASE, ERIC, and BEGIN

o Using Emotional Maturity

o Body Language Queues and Concepts

The Conflict Resolution Process

o Seven step process moving from defining the issues at hand, through resolution,

and ending with ways prevent future conflicts

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding of team conflict sources and dynamics

Working knowledge of key conflict resolution strategies

How to manage various common types of employee issues


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Negotiation Skills

Scrum Masters and Product Owners negotiate with vendors about price, delivery dates, service

levels, and a myriad of other topics. They also negotiate with their business users on everything

from budget to software application features. As a result, negotiation skills are a key element of

both IT organizational success and individual professional career development.

This class describes negotiation styles, keys to successful negotiation, how to deal with difficult

negotiation tactics, and other related topics.


Important concepts

o Win-Win, Win-Lose, and Lose-Win

o Distributive vs. Integrative negotiation

o Competitive vs. Cooperative negotiation

o Needs vs. Wants

o and more …

Negotiation preparations

o Understand what you’re negotiating

o Know your objectives

o Know your bottom line

o Know your ability to walk away

o and many more …

Negotiation strategies

o Look for mutual gain

o Invent creative options

o Negotiate the problem not the person

o Trade effectively

o and more …

Handling difficult tactics and advantages/disadvantages of. . .

o Threats, withdrawal, pressure, etc.

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding of key negotiation strategies and tactics

Insights into proper negotiation preparation

A life skill you can use at work and home


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Fostering Innovation and Creative Thinking

Innovation is the successful creation, implementation, enhancement and/or improvement of a

technical process, business process, software product, hardware product, or cultural factor that

reduces costs, enhances productivity, increases company competitiveness, or provides other

business value. Creative thinking is the mental process, applied by an individual or the Agile

team as a whole that considers ways to enhance the value of the organization it serves.

This class is designed to provide Scrum Masters and Product Owners with the information,

insights, and tools needed to foster innovation and enhance creative thinking within their Agile

team.


Thoughts on Innovation and Creativity

o What is Business Innovation?

o Sustaining and Disruptive Innovation

o Innovation is Part of the Job

o Business Uses of Innovation

o Lateral Thinking vs. Programmed Thinking

o The Inspiration Paradox

o Barriers to Innovation

Expanding Your Thinking

o Look and Learn on the Road and in the Office

o Widened Thinking in Motion

Enablers of IT Innovation

o Understanding Business Goals and Objectives

o Collaboration Between IT and Business

o Commitment to Quality Improvement

o Willingness to Seek and Accept Feedback

o Ability to Think Outside-The-Box

o Culture of Innovation

Drivers of IT Innovation

o Constrained resources, competition, survival, greed

Six step Innovation Process

Innovation facilitation tools

o Brainstorming, Design Thinking, Mind Mapping

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding of successful innovation within an Agile team context

Insights into the advantages, drivers, uses, and pitfalls of innovation

Specific ways to create a culture of innovation

Conceptual understanding of the creative thinking process


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Leading a Virtual Teams

Leading people within a single location certainly has its challenges. These challenges are

magnified when your team is remote--physically dispersed across town, across the country,

and/or across the world.

This class is designed to provide insights into the tactics, techniques, and processes needed to

effectively lead virtual Agile team.


Virtual Team Efficiency

o Management Style

o Team Communication

o Team Building

o Business Process

o Team Stakeholders

Virtual Team Profile

o Required Team Interdependency

o Team Status

o Team Composition

Virtual Meeting Best Practices

o Key Concept: Don’t Just Participate, Observe

o For New-be Virtual Meeting Leaders

o Things Going Against You

o Ideas to Help the Call Run Smoothly

o Maximize Your Personal Energy

Virtual Talent Management

o Hiring

o Delegation and Job Assignment

o Measurement

o Performance Reviews

o Mentoring and Career Planning

Virtual Team Building Activities

Appendix 1: Home Office Productivity Tips

Appendix 2: Home Office Design Tips

Appendix 3: Video Cam Tips and Tricks

Appendix 4: Virtual Body Language

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into the true lead challenges and issues then managing virtual teams

Key methodologies, tips and techniques to maximize your virtual team’s effectiveness

Insights into the cultural idiosyncrasies and best practices when leading diverse teams


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Leadership Concepts

Leadership is a required skill for both Scrum Masters and Product Owners. Scrum Masters lead

their teams and Product Owners indirectly lead those outside of the team including the business

community and project stakeholders.

This class discusses various leadership concepts, leadership styles and servant leadership, which

is key to leading an Agile team.


Thoughts on Leadership

o Leadership Versus Management

o Managers Lead by Example

o Building Trust

o Delegating Without Control

o Expectations Setting

o Relationship Building

o Role of the Manager Leader

o Advocating Employee Ideas

o 10 Types of Leadership Styles

Servant Leadership

o Description

o Key Characteristics

o Advantages and Disadvantages

o Consistency with the Scrum Master Role

Leadership and Management Concepts

o U.S. Army Four Factors of Leadership

o The Oz Principle

o Situational Leadership Concept

o Managerial Grid Model

o Monkey Management

Key Take-A-Ways:

A general understanding of leadership concepts

Actionable leadership techniques directly applicable to Agile type projects

Strong understanding of Servant leadership and its uses for Scrum Masters

Leadership techniques Product Owners can use when working with stakeholders


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Accelerated Team Building

Congratulations! A new team at your company is being created to start work on an exciting new

project and you have been selected as the team’s leader. While this is a great opportunity, your

new position is also highly visible and you are expecting to immediately start getting results.

Most of your new team members have never met before and those who have, never worked

together. Your fear, as the Scrum Master, is that the more time your team needs to become a

functional Agile group, the longer it will take to begin doing meaningful work.

This class, based on the LEAPFROG Teambuilding Accelerator© methodology by Manager

Mechanics, is designed to get your team up and running quickly.


Key Team Building Essentials

o Assessing team dynamics

o Team building

o Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

o Accelerating Tuckman's Stages

The LEAPFROG Teambuilding Accelerator© methodology

o L - Layout organizational structure and staff roles

o E - Establish relationships and trust among teammates

o A - Assemble goals, objectives and values

o P - Provide Individual and team Critical Success Factors

o F - Form a culture of teamwork and camaraderie

o R - Render efficient internal department processes

o O - Outline specific process measurements

o G - Get going

Ending Thoughts and Action Items

Key Take-A-Ways:

How to get new teams up and running quickly in a way that facilitates short-term

wins and long-term success

An understanding of how to form, build and lead a successful team


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Strategic Thinking and Planning

Strategic thinking is the mental process, applied by an individual or by the organization as a whole, that considers and organization’s future direction, new products and services, new markets, new internal processes or other similar objectives. Strategic planning is the systematic process used to defining the steps, deliverables and milestones needed to meet this future vision. This class discusses these two interrelated topics from a conceptual, step-by-step and how-to

perspective.


Organizational Thinking

o Planning and Positioning

o Organizational Learning

o Constructive Transformation

Vision, Objectives and Values

o Vision Statement

o Objectives Definition

o Values Statement

Thoughts on Strategic Thinking

o Vision Effectiveness

o Making Time to Think a Priority

o Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

o Focusing on Results vs. Methods and Means

o Using Forward Thinking

6 Step Strategic Thinking Process

Thoughts on Strategic Planning

o Definition of Strategic Planning

o Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning

9 Step Strategic Planning Process

Key Take-A-Ways:

Conceptual understanding of the strategic thinking process

Critical Success factors of the strategic thinking process

Insights in various formal strategic thinking methodologies

How to structure for vision, mission, and value statement

Insights into common IT strategic planning issues

Nine step strategic planning process


________________________________________________________________________________________________



Collaborative Consulting Skills

For Agile teams to deliver superior consulting-level results to the stakeholders it servers, the

Product Owner must understand how to effectively blend technical and business expertise with

superior communication and collaborative skills.

This class is specifically designed to provide Product Owner, and other Agile team members

working directly with stakeholders, with the tools needed to provide this high level of business

acumen and proactive business participation.


Consulting as a Conceptual Profession Discipline

o What is In-house Consulting?

o Staff augmentation, Subject Matter Experts and Business partners

o Consulting Versus Technical Support

o Six Personal Imperatives for Consultants

Five Step Consulting Model

o Setting up a Relationship

Warm-up and Rapport

Understanding the Customer

Understanding Communication

o Establishing Needs

Use of Client Type Information

Question Types and Purposeful Questions

Moving Towards Closure

o Recommending Solutions

Problem Definition

Desired End State

Suggested Tool Set

Customer Centric Vision

o Valuing Objections

Define Stakeholders

Assess Stakeholder Agreement

Noteworthy Points

Watch Out For . . .

o Executing - Next Steps

Summarizing, Reporting and Staying Connected

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding the for SERVE consulting methodology

Techniques for building client trust and long term relationships

Ways to build your professional reputation

Novel approaches to communicating with internal clients and others

Documents

Agile/Scrum Soft Skills Training Curriculum · Agile Soft Skills Training Curriculum By their nature, Agile/Scrum driven projects require a high level of interpersonal communication,