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I Am a Project Manager - How Do I "Go Agile"?

January 10, 2020
4 minute read
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I had a question from an IT project manager who is a potential participant in our public training:

I was planning on signing up for the CSM [Certified Scrum Master] course that you are scheduled to teach… in Toronto. In preparation, I viewed the Youtube videos on Scrum myths that you have posted, which, by the way, are highly informative and engaging. However, I am no longer sure this is the right course for me and wonder if you could provide some clarification or guidance. For many years I have done waterfall project management in the information technology space and am now wanting to get trained to transition to Agile. Scrum seemed the obvious choice until I watched your Scrum Myths 04 Youtube video, where you mention that “Scrum is for product development” and not for IT Projects. What methodology then should I be looking to learn for running IT projects?

Any insight you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for reaching out! It is gratifying that you have taken the time to watch the videos…

Your concern is well-placed.  I will provide guidance based on two different ways of looking at your question:

Project Manager to Agile Career:

From a career perspective, the CSM is still a good choice. The certification will help with your understanding of agility in general, and the certification is a common well-recognized one for people who are project managers… even though the fit between roles (project manager to Scrum Master) is not particularly good. A closely-related alternative is the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) class which is also a recognized certification, and the content of the class is a little more aligned to the project manager role. If your primary goal is career advancement, then I recommend the CSM as a first step.

However… you really need to supplement the CSM to stand out from a career perspective. I strongly recommend taking the 1-day Team Kanban Practitioner (TKP) certification class as a supplement to the CSM as it is also very pragmatic for anyone in IT (projects, operations, or management).  Having the CSM and TKP on your resume will make a big difference vs. just the CSM. NOTE: BERTEIG offers a substantial discount if you take the TKP in combination with the CSM or CSPO – contact us for details.

Usefulness for a Project Manager:

From a utility perspective, I strongly recommend the Kanban System Design (KSD) and Kanban Management Professional (KMP) courses leading to the Kanban Management Professional (KMP) certification. BERTEIG delivers these as two separate 2-day classes. Their focus is super-pragmatic and evidence-based.  The curriculum provides managers (including project managers) with extensive tools, skills, and techniques to effectively manage service delivery. Topics covered include everything from day-to-day work up to portfolio management.  You will learn the “Kanban Method” which is the “Gentle Path to Real Agility™”.

The Kanban University grants the KMP certification.  Some organizations recognize the certification, but not as many as recognize the Scrum certifications. As such, it may not have as much immediate benefit to your resume. However, coming out of these courses, you will have the ability to make substantial bottom-line and top-line improvements to your work in IT projects. One of the things these courses are particularly strong on is the techniques for dealing with dependencies.  They also help you understand efficiency and variation in work in complex service delivery environments.

This is just about starting points.  I’m working on a more extensive article to provide a map for Project Managers and other leaders to understand their options for training and certification.  I am going to organize the map depending on goals.  Contact me directly if you have questions or suggestions for improvement to this article.


 
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  • Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) badge

    Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP)

    21 JUN 2023 - Wednesday - Online - David Vicentin

    Early-bird Discount! C$1195.00 C$1015.75 Until 06-Jun Register Now

    - Boost your Agile Team Performance -

    This 1-day course guides you in the foundations of the Kanban Method® and serves as a fast starting point to an alternative path to Real Agility™. This course is designed for you if you are facilitating teams doing projects, operations, development, support, or research. Achieve the Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) credential with Kanban University® by successfully completing this course.

    - Participate in the FeatureBan simulation for immersive learning
    - Build a real-world Kanban board with guidance from our trainer
    - 8 PDUs | 8 SEUs
    - Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) certificate
    - Profile listing on the KU (Kanban University) alumni page
    - Registered Education Provider with KU
    - Taught by Accredited Kanban Trainers only

    EXCLUSIVE: Free "Kanban for Teams" e-book written by BERTEIG consultants!
    INCLUDES: New Training with ChatGPT-4 to leverage AI in your teams

    Please note that to become certified with Kanban University, you must keep your video on throughout the duration of this course.

    Download the recommended reading by "David J. Anderson and Andy Carmichael":
    Essential Kanban Condensed


    [Register using a corporate email address, for corporate loyalty program discounts.]
    Read More

    Location:

    Online

    Date:

    Wed 21-Jun-2023

    Time:

    09:00 AM to 05:00 PM (EST)

    Trainer:
    David Vicentin

    David Vicentin


    Senior Agile/Lean Consultant
    About Trainer
  • Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) badge

    Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP)

    19 JUL 2023 - Wednesday - Online - David Vicentin

    Early-bird Discount! C$1195.00 C$1015.75 Until 04-Jul Register Now

    - Boost your Agile Team Performance -

    This 1-day course guides you in the foundations of the Kanban Method® and serves as a fast starting point to an alternative path to Real Agility™. This course is designed for you if you are facilitating teams doing projects, operations, development, support, or research. Achieve the Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) credential with Kanban University® by successfully completing this course.

    - Participate in the FeatureBan simulation for immersive learning
    - Build a real-world Kanban board with guidance from our trainer
    - 8 PDUs | 8 SEUs
    - Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) certificate
    - Profile listing on the KU (Kanban University) alumni page
    - Registered Education Provider with KU
    - Taught by Accredited Kanban Trainers only

    EXCLUSIVE: Free "Kanban for Teams" e-book written by BERTEIG consultants!
    INCLUDES: New Training with ChatGPT-4 to leverage AI in your teams

    Please note that to become certified with Kanban University, you must keep your video on throughout the duration of this course.

    Download the recommended reading by "David J. Anderson and Andy Carmichael":
    Essential Kanban Condensed


    [Register using a corporate email address, for corporate loyalty program discounts.]
    Read More

    Location:

    Online

    Date:

    Wed 19-Jul-2023

    Time:

    09:00 AM to 05:00 PM (EST)

    Trainer:
    David Vicentin

    David Vicentin


    Senior Agile/Lean Consultant
    About Trainer
  • Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) badge

    Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP)

    15 AUG 2023 - Tuesday - Online - David Vicentin

    Early-bird Discount! C$1195.00 C$1015.75 Until 31-Jul Register Now

    - Boost your Agile Team Performance -

    This 1-day course guides you in the foundations of the Kanban Method® and serves as a fast starting point to an alternative path to Real Agility™. This course is designed for you if you are facilitating teams doing projects, operations, development, support, or research. Achieve the Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) credential with Kanban University® by successfully completing this course.

    - Participate in the FeatureBan simulation for immersive learning
    - Build a real-world Kanban board with guidance from our trainer
    - 8 PDUs | 8 SEUs
    - Team Kanban Practitioner® (TKP) certificate
    - Profile listing on the KU (Kanban University) alumni page
    - Registered Education Provider with KU
    - Taught by Accredited Kanban Trainers only

    EXCLUSIVE: Free "Kanban for Teams" e-book written by BERTEIG consultants!
    INCLUDES: New Training with ChatGPT-4 to leverage AI in your teams

    Please note that to become certified with Kanban University, you must keep your video on throughout the duration of this course.

    Download the recommended reading by "David J. Anderson and Andy Carmichael":
    Essential Kanban Condensed


    [Register using a corporate email address, for corporate loyalty program discounts.]
    Read More

    Location:

    Online

    Date:

    Tue 15-Aug-2023

    Time:

    09:00 AM to 05:00 PM (EST)

    Trainer:
    David Vicentin

    David Vicentin


    Senior Agile/Lean Consultant
    About Trainer
  • Kanban System Design® (KMPI) badge

    Kanban System Design® (KMPI)

    13 to 14 JUN 2023 (2 days) - Starting Tuesday - Online - David Vicentin

    C$1895.00 Register Now

    - Improve Knowledge Work Productivity -

    This 2-day workshop - Kanban System Design (KSD) - also known as 'Kanban for Real Agility®' - provides you with the fundamentals of the Kanban Method® . It is designed specifically for leaders starting their organization on the gentler path towards Real Agility™. This learning event is ideal for you if you are responsible for the delivery of a service. Learn the concepts of flow, pull, classes of service, and learn to deal with interruptions and multi-tasking. Learn the Systems Thinking Approach To Implementing Kanban (STATIK) through a multi-step interactive case study review.

    This KSD course, (formerly known as Kanban Management Professional 1 - KMP I), is the first of two courses towards the Kanban Management Professional (KMP) credential. The KSD is the prerequisite to the Kanban Systems Improvement course (KSI). By completing both this course (KSD) and the KSI, participants can earn their KMP credential with Kanban University®.

    Key Benefits
    - Participate in a Kanban simulation for immersive learning
    - Design your service's Kanban board with guidance from our Kanban experts
    - Start your Kanban adoption and in evolving your system
    - Earn 16 PDUs | 16 SEUs
    - Obtain your Kanban University® KSD certificate
    - Completion of this and the KSI class will earn you the Kanban University® KMP credential
    - Get a profile listing on the Kanban University® alumni page
    - We are a Registered Education Provider with Kanban University® and PMI®
    - Taught by and overseen by Accredited Kanban Trainers (AKT's)

    EXCLUSIVE: Free "Kanban for Managers" e-book written by BERTEIG consultants!

    Download the recommended reading by "David J. Anderson and Andy Carmichael":
    Essential Kanban Condensed

    Please register using a corporate email address, for corporate loyalty program discounts.
    Read More

    Location:

    Online

    Date:

    Tue 13-Jun-2023
    Wed 14-Jun-2023

    Time:

    09:00 AM to 05:00 PM (EST)

    Trainer:
    David Vicentin

    David Vicentin


    Senior Agile/Lean Consultant
    About Trainer

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