Atlanta Certified LeSS Practitioner Course

  James  5 mins read.

Feb 21-23=>Feb 18-20: Get Tickets

Scheduling Update

Everyone who is currently signed up for the Atlanta Certified LeSS Practitioner course would prefer to have it over the long weekend instead (February 18-20). The same Hyatt Place Atlanta/Buckhead training venue has been confirmed for the new dates.

What this means for you:

  • No need to take off work
  • No loss of billable hours
  • Fly-in Friday evening
  • Fly-home Tuesday morning before anyone notices you were gone
  • Spend the weekend in the pleasant Buckhead Atlanta area
  • Spend Monday night at one of four on-airport hotels a short tram ride away from the security checkpoint
  • Non-stop flights to almost everywhere in the United States
  • Meet friendly Atlanta-based classmates who are also interested in LeSS

James Carpenter
Certified LeSS Trainer
Agile Carpentry
james@agilecarpentry.com

Course Agenda

The morning of the first of three days will be used to establish the overall context of the system modeling activities which follow. This will be done through a small amount of lecture, combined with both small and large group discussions.

Once the stage is set, we will transition to thoughtful analysis of the impact of different organizational design decisions on adaptability and value delivery using system modeling. Following each incremental framework-agnostic advance in our understanding, we will map concrete aspects of LeSS into our increasingly enlightened understanding of organizational system dynamics. The system modeling brings deeper insight, while mapping this insight into LeSS facilitates better retention along with an understanding of how to act on what is being learned.

We will continue to incrementally advance our depth of understanding using system modeling for the majority of the three days. Towards the end of the third day time will be spent: coalescing the whole of our enhanced understanding; providing guidance on how to move forward; and orienting participants on how to navigate a wealth of additional information.

DAY 1: Setting the Stage

The first of three days will be used to establish the overall context of the system modeling activities which follow. This will be done with a small amount of lecture, but primarily via small and large group discussions and exercises. We’ll follow this thread through the entire 3-day event.

  • Introduction
  • Avoiding Taylorism
  • Estimates, not Commitments
  • People are Valuable
  • System Optimization, not Local Optimization
  • Discovering Value
  • Implications of multiple Product Backlogs

DAY 2: Seeing Simplicity through Systems Modeling

On the second day, we will take what we learned about Systems Modeling on Day 1 and use those tools to understand:

  • Benefits of Cross-Functional Teams
  • Product Breadth Considerations
  • Private Code Impedes Technical Excellence
  • Managing Cognitive Fullness
  • Requirement Area Sizing Considerations

DAY 3: Modeling decisions through Systems Modeling & LeSS

As we continue to advance our depth of understanding using system modeling, the third day will be spent coalescing the whole of our enhanced understanding, providing guidance on how to move forward, and orienting participants on how to navigate a wealth of additional information.

  • Product Breadth and Adaptability
  • Avoiding Middlemen
  • LeSS Complete Picture
  • Structure Drives Culture
  • Adoption in your organization
  • Extended Q&A

After course completion

Each participant will be a Certified LeSS Practitioner and will get an account on less.works. Here one can find additional information about LeSS, share course information, and stay in contact with the other course participants.

All participants get access to the book: Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS

Air-Force Specifics

This course is listed in the Air Force’s Education and Training Management System (ETMS). More details are available here.

Participant Testimonials

LeSS Adopters

LeSS Logo Sheet by Sector

Training Venue Details

UPDATE: I have confirmed event space at the original venue with the new dates. The training will be conducted at the Hyatt Place Atlanta/Bucket from February 18 to February 20 (President’s Day Weekend).

Hyatt Place Atlanta/Buckhead
3242 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30305

Great advantages of the venue include:

  • Proximity to an area where many potential attendees live
  • Walkability to a number of table service restaurants
  • More restaurants within a 4 minute drive
  • The freedom to choose where we go as a group for lunch

Lunch is included in the price of the course. The difference is we get to enjoy a social group outing and mental break from routine, instead of being trapped in the same box all day. With a smaller training cohort this is often a much better experience for everyone. I will work to pre-arrange things so we don’t lose much time.

The event space is yet another air-conditioned room with banquette chairs and projector; no different than we would find at many more expensive venues. We will have access to the same breakfast bar available to hotel guests each morning. Fruit, snacks, and drinks throughout the day once the breakfast bar closes will likely be whatever I throw into an ice chest each morning. There are several nearby grocery stores, including a Whole Foods.

A couple promising restaurants within a short walk include:

A couple restaurants a short drive away include:

I expect to do a bit more restaurant sleuthing once on the ground, and welcome any guidance.

Course Tour Poster

Please consider placing this course tour poster in your office kitchen or in a similar high-traffic location to encourage others to join.

Consider Staying On-Airport The Last Night

The training venue will be on the northern side of Atlanta, likely in the Buckhead area. This is about 30 minutes away from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).

If you have an early outbound flight, you may want to consider spending the last night at one of the on-airport hotels. These are connected to the aiport terminal by the airport’s SkyTrain. This is the same SkyTrain you will have taken to get to the airport rental car center when you flew in.

Tickets

Feb 21-23=>Feb 18-20: Get Tickets