Technology and People: The Foundations of Modern IT 1000-2M25TIL
The course presents specific features of working in agile projects, with particular emphasis on soft skills such as the ability to collaborate, self-organization, and communication. Students will learn the differences between the waterfall and agile approaches, as well as the Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe methodologies by participating in a PI Planning simulation. The classes will cover team building, the impact of personality on collaboration, and motivation. The instructors will share their experience in translating business needs into technical requirements, shift-left testing, and creating customer-centric products. The program will also include problem-solving tools and, if time permits, the "Playing Lean" simulation game focused on startup development.
Each class will consist of a theoretical (lecture) and a practical (exercise) part.
1. A refresher on project management knowledge. The impact of mindset on initiatives, including the differences between the waterfall and agile approaches and their implementations.
2. Discussion of roles, ceremonies, and deliverables in initiatives based on Scrum and Kanban.
3. Scallable Agile using the SAFe methodology (introduction and PI Planning simulation).
4. The BizDevOps methodology.
5. Customer Centricity – how to come up with a good product that meets customer needs.
6. From vision to code – how to translate business needs into technical requirements.
7. Agile approach to testing ("shift left testing") in a modern team.
8. Personality types and their impact on team collaboration.
9. Building an effective team.
10. Communication and motivation within a team.
11. The role of psychoeducation in team building.
12. Cross-cultural and intergenerational differences – how to build understanding across boundaries.
13. Creative Problem Solving – a toolkit (e.g., Liberating Structures, Problem Solving Workshop, 5 Whys, Toyota A3).
14. Tech Leader – competencies of the future.
15. Playing Lean – a simulation game about creating and developing a startup.
Type of course
Requirements
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The intended learning outcomes are divided into three groups: knowledge, skills, and social competences (a full list of outcomes can be found in the second attachment).
Knowledge
* Knows and understands the principles of agile project management methodologies.
Skills
* Is able to acquire information from literature, knowledge bases, the Internet, and other reliable sources, integrate it, interpret it, draw conclusions, and formulate opinions.
* Is able to independently plan and carry out lifelong learning.
* Is able to assess, at a basic level, the usefulness of standard IT methods and tools, and to select and apply appropriate methods and tools to typical IT tasks.
* Is able to plan and organize work individually and in a team, including interdisciplinary teams; manage time; make commitments and meet deadlines.
Social Competences
* The student is ready to critically evaluate their own knowledge and the content they receive.
* The student is ready to work with intellectual honesty in their own actions and those of others; to follow the principles of professional ethics, require the same from others, and respect the achievements and traditions of the IT profession.
* The student is ready to recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems, to seek information in the literature, and to consult experts.
Assessment criteria
Exam, activity during blackboard classes
Bibliography
1. https://agilemanifesto.org/
2. https://framework.scaledagile.com/
3. „Scrum”, J. Sutherland
4. „Scrum i nie tylko”, K. Kaczor
5. „Pięć dysfunkcji pracy zespołowej”, P. Lencioni
6. „Zaczynaj od dlaczego”, S. Sinek
7. “The real differences between generations”, Jean Twenge
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: