Building a Scrum Toolbox

Scrum, when applied effectively, can result in significant benefits to your projects and to your organization's overall success. In this course, you'll learn about the benefits of effective Scrum, including best practices for optimizing Scrum. You'll also discover benefits of Scrum tools and how they can help you achieve your goals. Finally, this course covers some features to look for in Scrum tools, considerations when selecting your tools, and the questions to ask so you can pick the right tools for your needs. After completing this course, you'll be able to identify key selection criteria for choosing the right Scrum tools.

There's no shortage of innovative Scrum tools from which to choose but some of the most useful ones are the traditional tools commonly used by Scrum practitioners. In this course, you will explore the established tools that Scrum practitioners have come to rely on. First, you will investigate the key characteristics and elements of the product backlog, learning how to build a product backlog with those essential elements. Next, you will examine the purpose and significant elements of the sprint backlog, in order to create one. Then, you will discover user stories and practice writing an effective user story. Finally, you will focus on basic scrum tools like diaries, checklists, and sticky notes that should be in every Scrum master's toolbox. When you've completed this course, you will be able to recognize the characteristics of and implement the best practices of traditional Scrum tools.

Some of the most effective Scrum tools are those that help you keep organized, enable you to track progress, and simplify visual representation of your project. In this course, you'll learn about effective Scrum chart tools including the release burndown chart and velocity charts. Next, you'll learn about Scrum task boards and how they can help you. Finally, you'll learn about the key elements of Scrum task boards and how to create one. After completion of this course, you'll be able to recognize key characteristics and best practices of using Scrum charts and task boards.

Jira is one of the most popular software-based tools for Scrum available. This bug-tracking and project management tool can help organizations successfully manage their Scrum initiative and teams, organize project tasks, and capture and record software bugs. Through this course, learn how to use Jira for Scrum. Examine the key features and benefits that Jira has to offer, as well as its potential limitations. Next, discover how to start a Scrum project using Jira, including creating user stories and sprints. Finally, learn how to carry out a Scrum project using Jira to add estimates, manage sprints, and view charts and reports. After course completion, you'll be able to use Jira for Scrum projects.

GitHub is a popular application that can be used for managing your Scrum projects. In this course, you will learn about the benefits of using GitHub for Scrum projects and how to get your project set up. You will also explore how to perform some common tracking activities in GitHub, including tracking sprints and estimates. Finally, you'll learn how to create workflows, backlogs, and labels in GitHub. Upon completion, you'll have an understanding of how to use GitHub for Scrum.

Wrike is a well-recognized project management software offering. It is designed to boost an organization's Agile process and can be easily adapted by organizations for their Scrum initiatives. In this course, discover the key benefits of using Wrike for Scrum and how to build a Scrum workflow, set up folders, and create request forms in Wrike. Next, learn how to create Wrike dashboards, add custom statuses, and create Kanban boards. Finally, explore the benefits of using the sprint retrospective template in Wrike, including improving team efficiency, quality, and effectiveness. After course completion, you'll be able to effectively use Wrike for your organization's Scrum projects.

In addition to Jira, GitHub, and Wrike, there are several other common Scrum software tools that can be helpful in ensuring Scrum success. In this course, discover some of the most common and most powerful Scrum software tools. Explore how tools like Monday.com, ClickUp, and Smartsheet seamlessly integrate with Google Drive, Slack, or GitHub. Then, focus on increased productivity and easy remote team collaboration with Zoho Sprints and customized solutions with Targetprocess. Next, examine Asana and Scrumwise for backlog management along with QuickScrum's and Trello's emphasis on security. Finally, concentrate on the cost effectiveness and user friendliness of VivifyScrum and Yodiz. After completing this course, you will be able to compare common scrum software tools.

The first value listed in the Agile Manifesto is "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools", and this applies equally when talking about Scrum tools. While software-based tools are significantly effective, you won't have Scrum success without effectively using soft skills-based tools as well. In this course, you will explore key soft skills tools including leadership style and teaching and coaching skills. You will examine the benefits and best practices of communication and facilitation. Then you will investigate the value of effective problem-solving and best practices of conflict resolution in Scrum. Finally, you will focus on the benefits of and steps in impact mapping, before creating your own impact map. After completing this course, you will be able to recognize key soft skills that contribute to effective Scrum initiatives.

Final Exam: Building a Scrum Toolbox will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Building a Scrum Toolbox journey.