Title: Agile Project Management: Principles, Practices, and Digital Implementation
Overview:
This graduate-level workshop develops participants’ capability to design, manage, and evaluate projects using Agile approaches with an emphasis on evidence-informed instructional design and technology-enabled practice. Grounded in core Agile values and principles (Beck et al., 2001), the workshop focuses on Scrum and Kanban as dominant frameworks for iterative delivery, stakeholder collaboration, and continuous improvement (Project Management Institute [PMI] & Agile Alliance, 2017; Schwaber & Sutherland, 2020). The pedagogy leverages active learning, simulation, and spaced retrieval to strengthen durable application of concepts and tools (Freeman et al., 2014; Roediger & Karpicke, 2006; Cepeda et al., 2006). Participants use industry platforms (e.g., Jira or Trello for backlog management; Miro/FigJam for collaborative design) to plan and execute a time-boxed sprint simulation, generate Agile metrics, and conduct reflective retrospectives. Emphasis is placed on practical adoption challenges and success factors documented in the literature, including stakeholder alignment, organizational culture, and scaling considerations (Dikert et al., 2016; Dingsøyr et al., 2012).
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Analyze the applicability of Agile values and principles to their organizational context and constraints (Beck et al., 2001; PMI & Agile Alliance, 2017).
- Differentiate Scrum and Kanban structures and select an approach aligned to project uncertainty, workflows, and value delivery goals (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2020; PMI & Agile Alliance, 2017).
- Formulate user stories and acceptance criteria, prioritize a product backlog, and estimate work using empirically grounded methods (e.g., relative estimation, Planning Poker).
- Plan and facilitate core Scrum events and/or Kanban flow practices to enable transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
- Implement a sprint (or flow-based iteration) using a digital work management tool; generate and interpret metrics such as burndown, cumulative flow, cycle time, and throughput to inform decisions.
- Conduct structured retrospectives to identify process improvements and mitigate adoption risks documented in research (Dikert et al., 2016).
- Evaluate the ethical, compliance, and accessibility implications of Agile tooling and collaboration (e.g., permissions, data privacy, inclusive facilitation), integrating multimedia and collaboration best practices (Mayer, 2009; Clark & Mayer, 2016).
Target audience and prerequisites:
- Intended for project leads, product owners, instructional designers, learning technologists, team managers, and faculty leading cross-functional initiatives.
- No prior Agile experience is required; basic familiarity with project workflows is recommended.
Format and duration:
- Blended delivery: 12–14 hours total across one week.
- Pre-work (asynchronous, 2 hours): Short multimedia modules on Agile foundations with retrieval-practice quizzes to prime knowledge (Mayer, 2009; Roediger & Karpicke, 2006).
- Live sessions (synchronous, 8–10 hours): Facilitated case analysis, team-based sprint simulation, tool practice.
- Post-work (asynchronous, 2 hours): Reflective retrospective, application plan, and short knowledge check for spaced reinforcement (Cepeda et al., 2006).
Learning technologies and resources:
- LMS (e.g., Canvas/Moodle): Content, discussions, analytics, and submission of artifacts.
- Collaborative whiteboard (e.g., Miro/FigJam): Story mapping, definition of done, workflow design.
- Agile work management (e.g., Jira/Trello/Azure DevOps): Backlog, boards, WIP limits, reports.
- Video-conferencing with breakout rooms and captioning for inclusive facilitation.
- Low-stakes quizzes/polls for retrieval and formative feedback.
Instructional strategies and rationale:
- Active learning through problem-centered cases and simulation, supported by evidence of improved achievement and reduced failure rates (Freeman et al., 2014).
- Test-enhanced learning via frequent low-stakes checks to improve long-term retention (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006).
- Spaced practice across pre-, live, and post-work to consolidate knowledge (Cepeda et al., 2006).
- Multimedia design aligned to cognitive theory to reduce extraneous load and enhance transfer (Mayer, 2009; Clark & Mayer, 2016).
Assessment and performance tasks:
- Team deliverables: Product vision, user story map, prioritized backlog with acceptance criteria, sprint/iteration plan, and retrospective summary.
- Tool-based analytics: Interpretation of burndown, cumulative flow, cycle time/throughput, and defect trends to justify process adjustments.
- Individual assessment: Application memo that critically evaluates Agile adoption risks and mitigation strategies with reference to empirical literature (Dikert et al., 2016; Dingsøyr et al., 2012).
- Rubric-aligned feedback emphasizing transparency, value delivery, and continuous improvement; feedback cycles embedded in the LMS.
Accessibility and inclusion:
- All materials follow multimedia accessibility practices (captions, alt text, readable color contrast) and inclusive facilitation protocols during team activities. Tool selection prioritizes compliance features and clear onboarding to minimize extraneous cognitive load (Mayer, 2009).
Anticipated impact:
Participants will exit with a deployable Agile workflow tailored to their context, a configured digital toolchain, and an evidence-informed plan to sustain iterative delivery and organizational learning. The design aligns with research indicating that Agile adoption benefits hinge on context-sensitive implementation, stakeholder engagement, and disciplined feedback loops (Dikert et al., 2016; Dingsøyr et al., 2012; PMI & Agile Alliance, 2017).
References (APA 7th edition):
Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software Development. https://agilemanifesto.org/
Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). e-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Wiley.
Dikert, K., Paasivaara, M., & Lassenius, C. (2016). Challenges and success factors for large-scale agile transformations: A systematic literature review. Journal of Systems and Software, 119, 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2016.06.013
Dingsøyr, T., Nerur, S., Balijepally, V., & Moe, N. B. (2012). A decade of agile methodologies: Towards explaining agile software development. Journal of Systems and Software, 85(6), 1213–1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2012.02.033
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Project Management Institute, & Agile Alliance. (2017). Agile practice guide. Project Management Institute.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide: The definitive guide to Scrum: The rules of the game. https://scrumguides.org/
