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Agile Estimating and Planning

On-Demand Video

Create estimates that are quick, accurate and reliable

Agile Estimating and Planning is the online video course that shows you how to create meaningful estimates even for complex, long-term projects. More than 2,500 students have enjoyed this no-nonsense course that simplifies even the most uncertain planning situations.

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Quantity Discount Price
10-24 10% OFF $179/license
25-49 15% OFF $169
50-99 20% OFF $159
100-249 25% OFF $149
250-499 30% OFF $139
500+ 40% OFF $119

Got a Question?

If I don’t distribute all my codes, can I get a refund on the unused ones?

There’s no refund on unused codes, but remember that all licenses come with lifetime access and can be used at a later date.

How many licenses do I need?

Each license is valid for one person, and each user can use and reference the materials as often as they need. Licenses are not transferable. So after one person finishes the course, that license cannot be reassigned to someone else.

Can I pay with a purchase order or check?

Yes, you can if you are buying ten or more licenses. To arrange payment by check or purchase order, email Laura or call her at 720-890-6110.

Can I add additional licenses and still get the same price?

Discounts are based on the number of licenses purchased at the same time. Keep in mind that the codes you’ll receive on purchase do not expire. So to maximize savings, plan ahead for the needed quantity and then buy them at once.

About this Course

Agile Estimating and Planning shows you how to create estimates that give development teams the independence to get the job done while meeting stakeholder expectations. Deadlines don’t have to kill morale, and long-term planning doesn’t have to lock you into an unrealistic commitment. 

This course shows you how to build a safe environment so teams aren't tempted to produce false estimates. You'll see how to build transparency around progress so that the relationship between stakeholders and team members is more productive and respectful. And you'll be able to build a step-by-step estimating process that is objective, and works even when you have a range of skills and experience within the team. 

After this course you'll accelerate planning meetings while improving the quality of discussion around estimates. 

What You Get When You Join

  • Lifetime, instant access to over 3 hours of content
  • 6 modules of content, including 44 professionally-recorded videos
  • Quizzes to test your knowledge
  • A Cerfiticate of Completion and web badges you can display on your social media profiles
  • 30-day money back guarantee.
  • All lessons delivered by Mike Cohn
  • 4 Scrum Alliance SEUs and 4 PMI PDUs.

Watch This Video to Find Out More

 

Why Train with Mountain Goat Software?

Mountain Goat Software has trained more than 9,000 agile professionals in Live Online certified classes and over 25,000 agile professionals in person certified classes, trained 100s of teams in private training, and issued more than 12,000 licenses for on-demand video training.

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We go beyond theory to provide real-world advice. Our trainers share up-to-date guidance about what is and isn’t working, and our video courses include techniques you can apply immediately.

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You get the best learning experience. You get access to unique interactive software for all our live, online classes, and all our courses are delivered in succinct lessons that are designed to make the learning stick.

Mike Cohn

These are the only courses designed by Mike Cohn, co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and author of Succeeding with Agile, User Stories Applied, and Agile Estimating and Planning.

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You can expect the best customer service. Whether you have questions, or need help, our exceptional team is there to support you, and treat you like a member of the Mountain Goat family!

Plus...

Agile Mentors
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This course includes 12 months of access to the Agile Mentors Community.

The Agile Mentors Community is a place for agile practitioners around the world to collaborate in a safe, experiential learning space. In this private community, you will find lively discussions on a variety of agile topics such as agile leadership, user stories and the product backlog, transitioning to agile, and more.

Learn more about Agile Mentors

What People Are Saying

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It can’t get any better than this Estimating is one of the toughest things that we face in Agile Projects. No body explains it better than the man himself. The logical sequence in which the content is presented, gives a better understanding about estimating. The reasons to use Story Points over other units is explained crystal clearly. A correct mix of Mike in person speaking to you and animated concepts helps you to focus on learning rather than just listening. Even after completing the course, I had the visual of Mike explaining the concept for few days afterwards. A highly recommended course for any agilist.
Raju K.

PDUs, SEUs, & Certification

Certificate
4 PDUs

This course earns you {coursetype_pdus} PDU within the PMI.

4 SEUs

This course earns you 4 SEUs towards your CSP designation within the Scrum Alliance.

About the Instructor

Mike Cohn

Mike Cohn

Mike is CEO of Mountain Goat Software, and one of the industry’s most well-respected Certified Scrum Trainers. He is the author of User Stories Applied for Agile Software Development, Agile Estimating and Planning, and Succeeding with Agile. He is a co-founder and former board member of the Scrum Alliance, and a co-founder of the non-profit Agile Alliance, home of the Agile Manifesto.

With 20+ years of agile training experience, Mike has honed a talent for explaining agile concepts with clear illustrations and real-life examples. Participants enjoy his passion for teaching the agile methodologies in a relatable and digestible way. 

Scrum Certifications include: CSM, CST, CSPO, A-CSM, CSP-SM, CSP-PO

People

Who Should Take This Course?

This is a Beginner level course.

This is a core course for the following roles:

  • Coach
  • ScrumMaster

This is a recommended course for the following roles:

  • Coach
  • Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Team Lead
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Be included in our Agile Professional Directory

On successful completion of the course, you’ll earn a credential to show that you have been trained by Mountain Goat Software.

From there you can set up your exclusive profile in our Agile Professional Directory where you can let people know about your new skills.

This is only available when you choose Mountain Goat Software as your training company.

When you join you can:

  • Stand out in the agile industry
  • Showcase your Mountain Goat Software training
  • Be found by people searching for certified individuals
  • Let people know when you are available for new opportunities
  • Build connections based on your specific skill-sets
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Course Outline

Module 1: The Problem and Our Goal

Why is it so difficult to create estimates that have value for the business and developers? In this first module, you’ll discover:

  • The statistical theory behind why we underestimate how long tasks will take.
  • Why you can’t fight the Student-Syndrome that causes delays, but you can use systems to minimize its impact.
  • That it’s criminal to produce inaccurate estimates and how trying to be more precise is often the underlying cause.
  • How to build a flexible plan that can change as you go along, without changing the original estimate.
Module 2: Iteration Planning

Which product backlog items should you bring into an interation? Ones that meet the priorities of the Product Owner, and are achievable by the team. These lessons show you:

  • How to run an effective iteration planning meeting. Find out who should attend and the four steps you need to communicate and manage expectations.
  • The differences between velocity-driven and commitment-driven planning and when to use each one.
  • When velocity-driven planning can speed-up planning meetings but at a significant cost.
  • How to calculate how much work should be brought into an iteration so that the team doesn’t bring in too much or too little, and can handle uncertainty.
Module 3: Story Points and Ideal Days

This covers the key problem for estimating - how do we estimate real-world work without having all the details to hand? It comes down to being able to use story point or ideal days properly. In this module, you’ll learn:

  • Why estimating size and deriving duration is the key philosophy behind accurate estimates.
  • How to choose between using story points and ideal days for planning with your team.
  • Why you need to make sure you’re answering the right question when talking to management about ideal time.
  • How story point estimates can be used even if you don’t know all the information, and when you should defer estimating till you have the information you need.
  • Whether you should use story points to estimate in terms of the time or complexity of a task.
Module 4: Estimating The Product Backlog

This module walks you through the practicalities of estimating items on the product backlog so you know:

  • Why gut instinct isn’t a bad thing, and how triangulation can help estimates improve over time.
  • When to break down larger product backlog items and estimate smaller pieces, but avoid estimation inflation by breaking them down too much.
  • How to choose the right sequence of estimating numbers for your team.
  • How Planning Poker is a simple, fun game that strips out subjectivity, shines a light on hidden risks, and prevents personal bias from skewing the estimation.
Module 5: Release Planning

To be valuable, estimates have to work on long-term projects. Stakeholders want to know what will be delivered and in how many iterations. This module provides statistical techniques for improving stakeholder conversations and protecting the team against unrealistic expectations. After this module you can:

  • Use historic velocity to make accurate future estimates, using a statistical technique that prevents outlying data affect accuracy.
  • Make forecasts even when there is no historical velocity because the team is new, or new to agile.
  • Predict velocity when team size changes, and gather data to communicate the future of this change to management.
  • Communicate what’s possible when stakeholders request estimates for fixed dates, scope and cost (and in a way that makes them listen).
Module 6: Topics for Multi-Team Projects

You may need to create estimates when there are interactions and dependencies between multiple teams. To make this easier, this module shows you:

  • How to get consensus between teams about the common value of a unit of estimation.
  • Why you should create a common baseline, but avoid comparing team velocities.
  • How to facilitate a successful iteration planning with multiple teams.
  • Identify upcoming dependencies that may affect progress by considering 3 upcoming iterations at once.

How does the content in this course compare to our other offerings? View a detailed comparison.

Got a Question?

General What payment methods do you accept?

You can register on our site and pay with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express card. For a group of 10 or more, contact Laura Cohn if you wish to be invoiced.

General How do I pay for a course for someone else?

During the checkout process, use your own payment details, your name and your email address to make the purchase. On completion of the purchase, you can then assign the course to your chosen recipient.

General Are your courses only for software developers?

Not necessarily. Each course has attendees from a variety of backgrounds, including from non-software fields. Mike’s passion is product development of all sorts, so many examples are software related, but no software development experience is required.

On-Demand Video How is the course delivered?

Video courses are delivered through streaming videos plus course materials. Once you join you will receive an email with full login and registration instructions. You will be automatically enrolled in the course and able to access the course immediately.

On-Demand Video Can I share the videos with my team or my group?

Each license is for one person. You cannot share the videos, audio files, worksheets, or transcripts with others. You can, of course, share what you’ve learned with others.

On-Demand Video What if the course isn’t right for me?

If you’re not happy, we’re not happy. We want you to feel confident about enrolling in our on-demand courses, so we offer a full, 30-day money-back guarantee. Just email us within the first 30 days, and we’ll give you a full refund.

On-Demand Video How long will I have access?

You have lifetime access. There are no recurring or subscription fees.

On-Demand Video What browsers are supported? Can I watch on my phone or tablet?

We support browsers that support HTML 5 such as current versions of Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox. The course also works great on modern iOS and Android devices.

On-Demand Video Can we watch as a group?

Yes, in fact we encourage you to do so. However, the course is licensed individually so each person watching needs to own a license. Think of it like a movie theater: If four of you go to a movie together, you each buy a ticket. If you do intend to watch as a group, you may want to take advantage of our group pricing.

On-Demand Video Do I get a certificate?

Upon completion of the course you get a certificate of completion and digital badge that can be displayed on social networks, etc...

On-Demand Video Does the video course have captions?

Yes, it includes English-language captions.