Agile Project Management (online)



Overview

This Agile Project Management (online) course is for anyone with an interest in completing projects quickly and efficiently.

It will provide you with a clear understanding of the leading Agile method (Scrum) and the key ideas, techniques, tools, behaviours and ways of thinking that can make it work for you.

Our tutor Dr Rob Collins in a screen shot from a recent presentation of Agile Project Management (online) course.

Each session in this interactive project management course includes opportunities to practice the practical tools of Agile, using our recommended team collaboration environments.

You will also learn how to leverage those same tools to support your own projects with geographically dispersed teams.

The course features an extended, interactive case study which will help you practice with typical Agile scenarios in a practical and useful way.

About Agile

Agile is effective because it focusses on continual learning and adaptation - it is an evolutionary approach to getting things done.

Traditional projects depend on a definition of requirements – a clear statement of each aspect of the work that needs to be done.
However, Agile’s approach accepts that you can't know all of those requirements until you start work, and start to learn about the problem.

Where traditional project management puts a significant emphasis on management of risk, Agile avoids such risks by reacting quickly, efficiently and in a controlled manner to deal with problems and issues as they arise.

Agile is not just 'free-form' or 'random', it has a well-developed discipline of tools, techniques, behaviours and thinking that drive progress towards a successful project conclusion

Dates, Times and Delivery

This course will be delivered live from our purpose-built broadcast studio, with opportunities to ask questions during the sessions, as well as via the online collaboration environments throughout the course.

There will be five 90-minute tutorials, delivered on weekdays.

All times listed are UK times. A world clock and time zone converter can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bSPu6D

This is a ‘virtual classroom’ course. To replicate the experience of a classroom, the sessions are ‘live’ and are not recorded.

During the course you will have access to an online collaboration website. This can be used to interact with the course tutor, and will also be used to support learning activities during the course.

Accessing Your Online Course 

Details about accessing the private MS Teams course site will be emailed to you during the week prior to the course commencing.  

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within three working days of the course start date. 

Programme details

  • An introductory case study of a failing project that was transformed by applying Agile
  • Tutorial on our recommended online environments for Agile projects with geographically dispersed teams
  • 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto, and what they mean for your projects
  • An introduction to Scrum – the most widely adopted Agile method
  • Definition of ‘done’
  • Team values and culture
  • Team roles in Agile – Scrum Master, Product Owner, Team
  • Team communication and team size
  • Structure of Agile projects
  • Building understanding through user stories
  • Estimating tasks and effort
  • Tracking your project to a successful conclusion
  • Servant Leadership: Key skills of the expert Scrum Master
  • Key skills of expert Product Owners

Extended Interactive Case Study

The last session of the course will be a focussed case study, taking you through a typical Agile project, providing you with an opportunity to think about the practical application of the tools learnt on the course.

The case will be run using our online collaboration environment, enabling you to share your ideas, and to read and discuss those of the other students.

Intended Audience

Agile Project Management is used by small and large businesses, in both the private and public sectors.

This course is relevant for both new and experienced project managers who want to build their knowledge and understanding of this important and powerful new approach to project management.

Providing a non-technical approach to agile project management, this course is relevant to both IT and non-IT practitioners alike, and assumes no prior knowledge of the subject area. 

Digital Certification

To complete the course, you will be required to attend and participate in all of the live sessions on the course in order to be considered for a certificate. Participants who complete the course will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course.

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will also be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Standard course fee £595.00

Payment

Fees include electronic copies of course materials.

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the “book now” button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

Tutor

Dr Rob Collins

Speaker

Visiting Fellow

Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford

Dr Rob Collins is a visiting fellow of Kellogg College Oxford and teaches courses at the University. Dr Collins has taught on the MSc in Software Engineering through Oxford University’s Computing Laboratory for over 20 years. He currently teaches modules on Classical Machine Learning, Software Testing and Safety Critical Systems.

Dr Collins also teaches courses in Artificial Intelligence, Systems Thinking, Agile, Machine Learning, Design Thinking and Business Process Improvement. He regularly provides consultancy to industry in the area of Business Process Excellence, Artificial Intelligence and Systems Engineering.  He gained his Black Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma from Lockheed Martin – the world's largest Systems Engineering company and a world-leader in advanced technology.

As well as his undergraduate degree in Physics and Computing, Dr Collins holds a PhD focussed on training, psychology and processes for introducing complex technology into learning environments. He completed an MBA in 2012 at Henley Business School, and so has a strategic business view as well as deep understanding and practical experience of hands-on process improvement in technology and service.

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click Contact Us at the top of this page.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online using Microsoft Teams. You will be required to follow and implement the instructions we send you to fully access Microsoft Teams on the University of Oxford's secure IT network.

To participate you must be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.
It is advised to use headphones with working speakers and microphone.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support