Milwaukee Certified LeSS Practitioner Course Summer 2023

  James  6 mins read.

August 28-30: Get Tickets

Video Introduction To Course

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

U.S. Air-Force Specifics

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

Participant Testimonials

LeSS Adopters

LeSS Logo Sheet by Sector

Travel Logistics

The Milwaukee training venue is in a walkable neighborhood less than a 5 minute Uber ride from the downtown and Third Ward hotels. If you fly in or arrive by train you won’t need to bother with a rental car.

If you live in the Midwest you may find taking the train or driving to be a nice low-stress option.

Your options for traveling by plane include both the Milwaukee Mitchell airport as well as the Chicago O’Hare airport.

See the following pages for additional travel details:

Training Venue Details

The expected training venue is an upscale event room on the Upper East Side of Milwaukee, overlooking Lake Michigan. This is in a more residential urban neighborhood. There are lots of walkable restaurants, grocery stores, and an amazing park system; but no hotels. There is all-day paid parking available nearby.

Training Venue Address

Park Lafayette Towers
1918 East Lafayette Place
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Parking

Kenilworth Parking Lot
2139 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Notes:

  • Surface lot
  • ~$12/day
  • Immediately across from the intersection of N. Prospect Avenue and E. Woodstock Place.
  • Prospect Avenue is a one-way street which travels in a North-Easterly direction.

Public Parking Garage
2170 N Farwell Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Notes:

  • Covered parking.
  • ~$12/day
  • Along Farwell Avenue just south of E. Kenilworth Place.
  • There is a pedistrian passageway from this garage which makes it almost as close as the Kenilworth surface lot.

Street Parking between N. Prospect Avenue and E. Kane Place along N. Summit Avenue
Notes:

  • You are super lucky if you find a spot here.
  • There is very little free all-day street parking in this neighorhood. This is one of the very few exceptions.
  • This is by far the closest all-day public parking available near the training venue.
  • WARNING: Parking in this neighborhood is very strictly enforced. If you park in a limited duration parking space your vehicle will be ticketed if not towed.

Custom Neighborhood Map

You can turn on/off each of the following layers in the above custom neighborhood map:

  • Major Landmarks: Training Venue, All-Day Parking, Coffee Shops, Lunch Venues
  • Walking from Surface Parking: Walking route from the Kenilworth Parking Lot to the training venue.
  • Walking from Covered Parking: Walking route from the Public Parking Garage to the training venue.
  • Photos: Walking from Parking: Multiple photos taken along the walking routes from parking. This includes photos of the various parking rate signs and parking kiosks.

Meal Information

Breakfast, lunch, snack breaks, coffee, and the like are all included.

For lunch we will most likely walk as a group to one of the table service restaurants shown in the custom map above. For the sake of variety, I am expecting to pre-arrange lunch at a different restaurant each day. By communicating your menu selections a little in advance, the restaurants will be ready for us when we arrive.

This approach to lunch will provide us with a mid-day change of scenery, let us stretch our legs a little, and hopefully provide more opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

The three best walkable restaurant options with table service available to us are:

A forth potential choice is Stone Bowl Grill. Stone Bowl is a bit more of a dive than the other three places, but the food and service are good.

Please let me know of any food restrictions so I can make appropriate accomodations.

Your Input Matters

This will be a small class with no more than fifteen participants. This should result in a better learning experience for everyone. It also provides us with a bit more flexiblity than is practical with a larger group.

Please email me with any questions you may have. Similarly, feel free to provide any constructive guidance you think appropriate.

Tickets

August 28-30: Get Tickets