Certified LeSS Practitioner Tokyo, August 4-6, 2025
- Video Introduction
- Course Agenda
- DAY 1: Setting the Stage
- DAY 2: Seeing Simplicity through Systems Modeling
- DAY 3: Modeling decisions through Systems Modeling & LeSS
- After course completion
- Participant Testimonials
- LeSS Adopters
- About Me
- About Mickie Grace (the interpreter)
- Course Translation Effort
- Training Venue Details
- Meals
- Early Registration Refund
- Tickets
Video Introduction
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
Participant Testimonials
LeSS Adopters
About Me
I, James Carpenter, am a Certified LeSS Trainer based in the United States, one of 28 LeSS trainers globally. I spent the first decade and a half of my career as a hands-on software engineer and manager before transitioning into consulting work. I have helped lead two separate LeSS-like transformations.
I have discovered that LeSS resonates with my own understanding of what actually works more than any other approach I am aware of. By the time I became aware of LeSS, I was already helping companies do much of what LeSS suggests.
I am grateful for the tremendous amount of one-on-one mentorship provided by Craig Larman and Viktor Grgic when I was working through my case study. I am also grateful for the continued support and mentorship I continually receive from Bas Vodde, and the LeSS trainer community in general.
My LeSS case study at a Large Server Hardware Company is available in a variety of languages, including Japanese and English.
You can also learn a little more about me by reviewing content on my Agile Carpentry website and LinkedIn profile.
About Mickie Grace (the interpreter)
Mickie Grace is a veteran interpreter with over 30 years of experience as a conference interpreter. She is a freelance simultaneous and consecutive interpreter specializing in the fields of ICT, space development, life sciences, and more. She has also worked on NASA’s ASTER Earth Observation program from 1990 to the present day, and is highly regarded and trusted in the industry. You can also find out more about her on her LinkedIn profile.
I chose Mickie Grace as the interpreter for this workshop based on recommendations from people I trust and my own interactions with her, and I have no doubt that she will be an extremely reliable resource.
Course Translation Effort
I have been working to translate and typeset the entirety of my written course content into Japanese using a combination of human-translated content for the more important text, and machine translation for the less critical text. Just in case I make a few translation mistakes, I will likely provide both Japanese and English versions of the printed materials.
I don’t currently understand Japanese, but my professional interpreter Mickie Grace does.
Training Venue Details
To be determined. Two of the most promising venues are the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba.
The location of the Sheraton Grande is exceptionally convenient for anyone traveling from outside Tokyo who might want to spend a few days visiting Tokyo Disney before or after the course. The downside is the Tokyo Disney area hotels require a transfer to the Disney Resort Line from Maihama Station, making access from the city center somewhat more time consuming.
In contrast, the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba is directly connected to a Yurikamome Line station, providing relatively smooth access from central Tokyo areas such as Shimbashi or Toyosu. So no Disney, but somewhat better logistics.
These hotels are far enough away from the city center to be cost effective at lower participant thresholds. This is critical for a course design which requires far more event space per participant than is typical and is being hosted in one of the more expensive cities in the world.
Meals
Lunches are included in the price of the course.
Early Registration Refund
The learning outcomes made possible by a system modeling-based Certified LeSS Practitioner course are fantastic. These wonderful learning outcomes are accompanied by the economic challenge of providing the large amount of event space per person required for such a floor space-greedy course design in a city as expensive as Tokyo.
I am grateful to have Mickie Grace as our interpreter. I believe the benefit of conducting the course in Japanese instead of English justifies the additional cost required to do so.
Due to these costs I am charging a little more than I otherwise would. To counter that, I am also providing a progressively larger refund based on the final class size, and how fast each individual signs up. The more quickly you sign-up and the more people attending, the greater your refund will be.
More details of the refund strategy can be found on the ticket page.