Scrum and Agile Training

This week the Q&A series is all about Scrum!  The Scrum Alliance is answering the questions for us this week, so let’s get started.

What exactly is Scrum?

Scrum is an agile framework for completing complex projects. Scrum originally was formalized for software development projects, but works well for any complex, innovative scope of work. The possibilities are endless. The Scrum framework is deceptively simple.

·         A product owner creates a prioritized wish list called a product backlog.

·         During sprint planning, the team pulls a small chunk from the top of that wishlist, a sprint backlog, and decides how to implement those pieces.

·         The team has a certain amount of time, a sprint, to complete its work - usually two to four weeks - but meets each day to assess its progress (daily scrum).

·         Along the way, the ScrumMaster keeps the team focused on its goal.

·         At the end of the sprint, the work should be potentially shippable, as in ready to hand to a customer, put on a store shelf, or show to a stakeholder.

·         The sprint ends with a sprint review and retrospective.

·         As the next sprint begins, the team chooses another chunk of the product backlog and begins working again.

The cycle repeats until enough items in the product backlog have been completed, the budget is depleted, or a deadline arrives. Which of these milestones marks the end of the work is entirely specific to the project. No matter which impetus stops work, Scrum ensures that the most valuable work has been completed when the project ends.

Who uses Scrum?

Rethink what Scrum could mean for your complex project. Whether you're building the next iPad app, shipping dog food across the country, or running a charity event, Scrum can help. Scrum offers benefits for any kind of team, including improved teamwork, better communication, and faster results.  The answer to this question is really that anybody can.

Do I receive PDU credits for a CSM course?

Yes. Please follow PMI's procedure for Category B: Continuing Education. According to the PMP handbook: 'Contact hours of project and/or program management education may be earned by attending relevant educational courses offered by organizations not registered with PMI. The good news is that we’re a registered PMI member, so taking the CSM course through us will allow you to obtain the proper continuing education requirements.

How can I get started?

The best way to get started is to join our Certified Scrum Master course on 9/24-9/25.  Join CSM Tom Mellor and Brian Levy for an exciting two days of training.

Speaking of Brian Levy, he was here this week with another Agile Practices for Managers class, and again it was a huge success!  Check out the pictures from the class below.

Brian Levy instructs the class on Agile Practices for Managers

In-class discussion

Next week the Q&A series will return with a deep dive into Cisco Authorized Training.

-Matt

PMP® Certification

Our Q&A series continues this week with a look at Project Management with our senior instructor/consultant David Wirick.  Let’s get started!

Dave, when it comes to project management, why is it important to obtain your PMP® certification?

The PMP is becoming a professional requirement for project managers.  It's much like the CPA certification for accounting and finance professionals in that it indicates basic competence and professionalism.  Increasingly, when organizations advertise for project managers, they require or strongly suggest that applicants have their PMP.  The PMP also gives an applicant for a job and advantage over all of those without the certificate.  It demonstrates the fact that you have experience in project management, that you've invested in your education in project management, and that you have a solid understanding of the worldwide standard in project management.

With that being said, what is the advantage of taking classroom instruction for the PMP® exam as opposed to self-study?

The PMP certification requires 35 hours of "contact" education.  Though you might have taken project management courses in the past, they probably weren't focused on the PMP exam.  When you take a PMP-prep course from Babbage Simmel, you will meet the education requirements for the exam and be exposed to the content tested on the exam as well as methods of preparing for the exam.  In a Babbage Simmel PMP-prep course, you'll both learn and apply the material required for passing the exam.  Plus, you will be earning Professional Development Units (PDU) toward maintaining your PMP certification.

What are some good courses to take after the PMP® class to obtain more PDU’s?

After earning your PMP, you are required to accumulate 60 PDUs every three years to maintain your certification.  One way to get PDUs is through ongoing education.

There are three types of courses you can take at Babbage Simmel after earning your PMP that can earn PDUs.

-Courses to build your "hard" skills in project management, including time and cost management

-Courses to build your "soft" skills in project management, including conflict management and communications

-Courses that increase your ability in areas related to project management, including IT management and specific IT applications (e.g., Project Server, SharePoint)

Thanks Dave!

I hope this gave everyone some insight on our Project Management courses here at babsim and why they are important to your career and organizations.  The PMP® credentials certify your knowledge and experience in project management so you can be more confident at work and more competitive in the job market. The good news is, we have another PMP® prep class coming up on October 3^rd!  Sign up now to reserve your seat.

Our campus at 2300 West 5th Avenue is just minutes from downtown Columbus with every restaurant you can imagine right nearby.  We're looking forward to seeing you here soon!

 

-Matt

A quick Q&A about ITIL Certification

This week is going to start a month long “Q & A” series covering some of our most popular courses.  Each week I’ll share the information our instructors have shared with me concerning the most frequently asked questions by our students.  We’ll kick this series off this week with a closer look at ITIL Certification.  A big thanks to Eric Tisdale our Senior ITIL Instructor/Consultant for letting us pick his brain for a little bit.

Eric, why is ITIL certification so important?

ITIL certification lays the groundwork for a career road map. The holder of the certificate has an understanding of Best Practice for IT Service management that can be applied immediately in the workforce. On top of that, the ITIL certification is recognized worldwide.

Why is it important to take classes from an accredited trainer & training organization?

Only accredited course providers may bestow certificates. Any certification from a non-accredited trainer would be meaningless.

Lastly Eric, what are the most popular ITIL Intermediate Courses to take after you have received your ITIL Foundation Certificate?

There are two "streams" of the ITIL Intermediate Course offerings: Capabilities and Lifecycle. The Capabilities Stream of Intermediate Courses are most useful to those who will be taking part in the day to day practical activities described within each of the processes. Of the four Capabilities Courses, Operational Support and Agreements (OSA) and Service Offerings and Agreements (SOA) are the most popular.
The Lifecycle Stream Courses mirror the five core ITIL manuals. They address the aspects of ITIL from a holistic, lifecycle perspective. As such they are more suited to those with managerial responsibility looking at the overall IT Service Management picture. Service Operation (SO) is by far the most popular course.

The popularity of the above courses is much more a function of familiarity than need of the student or quality or the material. The Courses that involve the Operational processes (Incident Management, Problem Management, Event Management, etc.) discuss what most people in IT are used to - what they do daily. Strategizing, planning, etc. are also very important features of any IT Organization, but many organizations neglect these areas, focusing efforts on putting out the "fires of the day". However, long-term success with ITIL demands that the Strategy, Design, and Transition processes be implemented into the enterprise.

Thanks Eric!

I hope this gives everyone a little glimpse into the world of ITIL Certification here at Babsim. 

The next date for our ITIL Foundations course is 9/7/11-9/9/11.

Be sure to check back next week as the series continues with a look at Project Management!

-Matt

New Look Classrooms

I spent all day last Friday unpacking boxes.  While that doesn't sound too fun (and believe me it wasn't), the end result was pretty fantastic.  We have completely upgraded our main classroom with brand new Dell Optiplex 790 Desktop machines with, wait for it, DUAL MONITORS!  One of the more frequent requests from students that we hear is the need for dual monitors and we have delivered.  This is especially helpful when using electronic coursebooks in class. Take a look at the pic below to see a glimpse of what the new rooms will look like once fully set up.  The tables won't be nearly as cluttered, as I was just trying to get everything unpacked.  I did play around on one of the machines before I left and it's awesome! 23 inch Dell Professional monitors, Intel Core i7, 3.4GHz processors, 16GB of RAM... just for starters...

 

The new desktops aren't the only changes on their way.  Starting next week and continuing through to October we will be opening some of our classrooms up to the Ohio State University Medical Center as they train all of their employees on their new clinical application system.  It's a busy but fun time for us here at babsim!

Before I wrap up this week I wanted to take a second to let everyone know that we still have a couple seats left in our Project Management PMP Prep class starting on 8/15 as well as our CISSP Certification class that same week.  Sign up now to reserve your spots!

-Matt