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 sessions. The key themes will include:
- The Agile Methodology
- Agile approaches including Scrum, LeSS, Extreme Programming, Kanban and Lean Software Development
- Agile Requirements and User Story Mapping
- Consultancy skills
The module will include a project completed in teams. The project brings together all of these technologies and techniques to develop and conduct an 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
- Scrum
- Extreme Programming
- Kanban
- Lean Software Development
- Scaled Agile
- Agile Requirements and User Story Mapping
- Digital consultancy practices
- A practical simulation of the above topics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Critically analyse core concepts, principles, and values underpinning agile project management within complex organisational contexts.
- Critique the suitability and effectiveness of current agile methodologies and their practical application in diverse and complex project environments
- Integrate digital consultancy practices with agile principles to address complex business challenges.
- Collaboratively interpret business requirements, design solutions, and implement projects using agile values and principles.
- Systematically evaluate personal and team-based agile project experiences, critiquing performance and process effectiveness develop original, evidence-based recommendations for improvement, demonstrating professional self-direction.
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, kanban, scrum, extreme programming
Transferable skills
Critical thinking, Problem solving, Self-awareness, Communication, Teamwork and working effectively with others, Information literacy (research skills), Digital literacy, Professionalism, Organisational awareness
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 8 sessions of 1 hour (5%) |
| Seminars | 22 sessions of 1 hour (15%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 30 sessions of 1 hour (20%) |
| Private study | 30 hours (20%) |
| Assessment | 60 hours (40%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Private study will include preparing for lectures and seminars, reviewing lecture notes, and engaging with required readings and multimedia resources. Independent learning will be provided on Moodle, where students will find suggested readings, multimedia, and activities to enhance their understanding of the topic.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A4
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Individual Agile Retrospective | 50% | 30 hours | Yes (extension) |
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Students will conduct structured individual agile retrospectives throughout the consultancy project lifecycle. These retrospectives will be documented in a portfolio (which may include written summaries and, where appropriate, recordings). This project is the same one whose process is documented in the Group Agile Project Management publication and whose outcomes are presented in the Group Consultancy Project presentation. This portfolio requires students not only to systematically evaluate personal and team-based project experiences but also to demonstrate their understanding by applying core agile concepts and principles within their analysis and critically evaluating the suitability and effectiveness of the methodologies employed in the project context. |
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Reassessment component |
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| Agile Case Study | Yes (extension) | ||
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A written report analysing a provided case study of an agile project, evaluating team dynamics, methodologies, and identifying improvement opportunities with critical evaluation of process effectiveness. |
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Assessment component |
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| Group Agile Project Management | 30% | 18 hours | No |
|
In collaborative teams, students will use agile methodologies, tools and techniques to manage their project. This online publication focuses specifically on documenting the agile process, management tools, and key artefacts used throughout the project lifecycle. Online tools such as Jira, Trello and Miro could be used by students. It represents the process documentation for the same consultancy project whose outcomes will be presented separately in the Group Consultancy Project. Peer Marking Process will be adopted in this assessment. |
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Reassessment component |
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| Individual Assessment | Yes (extension) | ||
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An individual agile project plan with supporting artifacts, plus participation in a facilitated collaborative planning session with stakeholders. The submission must demonstrate the student's ability to collaboratively interpret requirements and adapt their approach based on interactive feedback. |
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Assessment component |
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| Group Consultancy Project | 20% | 12 hours | No |
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In collaborative teams, students will deliver a comprehensive presentation showcasing the outcomes of their consultancy project. This presentation focuses on communicating the project's findings and recommendations developed to stakeholders, representing the deliverable output of the consultancy project (the process for which is documented in the Agile Project Management assessment). Peer Marking Process will be adopted in this assessment. |
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Reassessment component |
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| Consultancy Project Presentation | Yes (extension) | ||
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An individual consultancy proposal recorded presentation addressing a specified business challenge. |
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Feedback on assessment
Verbal and written feedback will be provided for the Group Consultancy Project.
Written feedback will be provided for Individual Agile Retrospective and Group Agile Project Management assignments.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 1 of TWMS-H1S4 Postgraduate Taught e-Business Management (Full-time)