WM9B3-15 Agile Project Management & Consultancy
Introductory description
Modern solution development, particularly for eCommerce applications, depends significantly on the practices of agile development and DevOps. Additionally, the success of such projects is dependent on successfully capturing, and delivering upon, the needs of the customer/end-users. In other words, such projects require developers and analysts to utilise consultancy skills such as requirements elicitation and soft systems thinking. As such, the module covers an important need in the overall eBusiness Management curricula, and the eCommerce & Digital Analytics specialism in particular, for students on a more technical pathway to gain experience in these key new technologies and approaches that are in high demand among employers.
Module aims
This module aims to explore the changes in modern software projects through a mixture of lectures, seminars, case studies, and hands-on lab sessions. The key themes will include:
- The Agile Methodology
- Agile approaches including Scrum, Extreme Programming, Kanban and Lean Software Development
- Agile Requirements and User Story Mapping
- DevOps
- Consultancy Approaches
The module will include a hands-on, capstone project completed in teams. The project brings together all of these technologies and techniques to develop and conduct a agile project.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
- The Agile Methodology
- Agile approaches including Scrum, Extreme Programming, Kanban and Lean Software Development
- Agile Requirements and User Story Mapping
- DevOps
- Consultancy for eCommerce and Digital Analytics
- A practical simulation of the above topics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of digital consultancy and project management concepts
- Critically evaluate agile methodologies and their practical application in real-world scenarios, assessing their impact on project success.
- Demonstrate a sound conceptual understanding of the forefront of digital consultancy practice and their application in real-world scenarios
- Collaboratively analyse digital business requirements, present solutions, and embody agile values and principles in project implementation.
Indicative reading list
Manifesto for Agile Software Development https://agilemanifesto.org/
Anderson, D. J. (2010). Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business. Blue Hole Press.
Cohn, M. (2009). Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Kim, G., Behr, K. and Spafford, G. (2013). The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win. IT Revolution Press.
Patton, J., 2014. User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product. 1st ed. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media.
Poppendieck, M. and Poppendieck, T. (2013). The Lean Mindset: Ask the Right Questions. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Rigby, D., Elk, S. & Berez, S., 2020. Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos. Illustrated ed. s.l.:Harvard Business Review Press.
Shore, J. and Warden, S. (2022). The Art of Agile Development: Pragmatic Guide to Agile Software Development. O'Reilly Media.
Sutherland, J. (2014). Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time. Crown Business.
Weiss, A. 2019, Getting started in consulting, Fourth edn, Wiley & Sons, Inc, Hoboken, New Jersey.
Whitty, S. (2021). The Art of Scaling Agile: A Lean Framework for Developing Business Agility and Sustainable Growth. Routledge.
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Interdisciplinary
A mixture of technology/computing topics and business topics
International
Topics are of high international demand
Subject specific skills
agile, project management consultancy, soft systems
Transferable skills
Presentation skills, consultancy skills, research, teamwork, critical thinking
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%) |
| Seminars | 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 60 sessions of 1 hour (40%) |
| Assessment | 60 hours (40%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A3
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Assessment Agile Retrospective | 40% | 24 hours |
|
In groups, students are required to conduct and record an agile retrospective reflecting upon the recently concluded consultancy project. |
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| Group Assessment Agile Project Management | 40% | 24 hours |
|
In collaborative teams, students will utilise tools such as kanban boards, wikis, and other agile project management tools and technique to manage their project. Peer Marking Process will be adopted in this assessment. |
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| Group Assessment Consultancy Project | 20% | 12 hours |
|
Delivery of a comprehensive presentation showcasing the outcomes of a collaborative consultancy project. Peer Marking Process will be adopted in this assessment. |
||
Feedback on assessment
Verbal and written feedback will be provided for the the Group Consultancy Project. Written feedback will be provided for Agile Retrospective and Agile Project Management assignments.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 1 of TWMS-H1S4 Postgraduate Taught e-Business Management (Full-time)