Do I need to have experience with GitHub or ZenHub?

No. There is no need for you to have experience with GitHub or ZenHub prior to taking this course. The course material will guide you through using the tools, with step-by-step instructions as well as an explanation of how the tool is useful for Agile.

Are the tools, like GitHub and ZenHub, available at no charge?

Yes. Both tools are available at no cost. By signing up for a 14-day free trial for ZenHub, you will be able to use the tool for the course and the tool will still be available to you for educational purposes or open-source projects after 14 days.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum

Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: John Rofrano

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,747 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,747 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Adopt the 5 practices of Agile, a subset of DevOps: small batches, minimum viable product, pair programming, behavior- and test-driven development.
Write good user stories, estimate and assign story points and track stories using a kanban board. Incorporate Scrum artifacts, events, and benefits.
Create and refine a product backlog using the sprint planning process. Produce potentially shippable product increments with every iteration.
Create burndown charts to forecast the ability to meet a sprint goal. Use metrics to enhance performance, productivity, and client satisfaction.

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

13 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

Get started with using Agile Development and Scrum with this self-paced introductory course! After successfully completing this course, you will be able to embrace the Agile concepts of adaptive planning, iterative development, and continuous improvement - resulting in early deliveries and value to customers.

You will look at Scrum as a framework and learn how to apply it alongside Agile. You will also become familiar with related methodologies like Waterfall, Extreme Programming (XP), and Kanban. Apply Agile practices derived from lean manufacturing concepts, like test-driven development. Learn how a scrum team functions. Also learn about the importance of Agile iterative planning and enable yourself to write good user stories and track your team’s progress using a kanban board. Create and refine a product backlog collaboratively with the team and the customer, in a flexible and blameless culture. You'll also learn how to use burndown charts, achieve sprint goals, and conduct the sprint review and retrospective. This approach will lead you to higher levels of efficiency, with the ability to plan and execute sprints with your development team, measuring success with actionable metrics. This course is about more than facts and processes. It is about working collaboratively on a self-organizing team, coached by a scrum master, and building what is needed, rather than simply following a plan. Developed and taught by an experienced Agile practitioner, the course includes hands-on practice through realistic scenario-based labs using GitHub and ZenHub. The course will benefit anyone who wants to get started with working the Agile way or transform the organizational culture to adopt and realize the benefits of Scrum. This includes Project Managers, Product Managers, and Executives. It is particularly suitable for IT practitioners such as software developers, development managers, and IT Scrum Masters.

In this module, you will be introduced to the philosophy and characteristics of Agile. You will learn about other methodologies including Waterfall, Extreme Programming (XP) and Kanban, and how they relate to Agile. You’ll explore the five practices of working Agile. Next, you’ll get an overview of Scrum as a framework for applying Agile principles to project management. You’ll learn how Scrum benefits the project management process by advocating defined roles, events, and artifacts. You’ll learn how companies can organize for success using Agile, and how team alignment and autonomy contribute to building better systems. You’ll also learn how to recognize and avoid Agile anti-patterns and measure Scrum team health.

What's included

9 videos4 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt

9 videosTotal 59 minutes

Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum3 minutes
Agile Principles5 minutes
Methodologies Overview9 minutes
Working Agile12 minutes
Scrum Overview5 minutes
The 3 Roles of Scrum9 minutes
Artifacts, Events, and Benefits6 minutes
Organizational impact of Agile6 minutes
Mistaking Iterative Development for Agile 3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 16 minutes

Course Overview10 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 54 minutes

Practice Quiz 12 minutes
Practice Quiz12 minutes
Practice Quiz10 minutes
Module 1 Graded Quiz20 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 5 minutes

Introduce yourself5 minutes

In this module, you will learn more details about Agile iterative planning. You will also learn how to create good user stories, estimate and assign story points, build and refine a product backlog, and build a sprint plan. For managing the Agile Plan and user stories, you can use the GitHub Projects Kanban or if you have an official email account, you can create a trial account on ZenHub and set up a Kanban board.

What's included

9 videos3 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt9 plugins

9 videosTotal 71 minutes

Destination Unknown3 minutes
Agile Roles and the Need for Training 5 minutes
Kanban and Agile Planning Tools 8 minutes
Creating Good User Stories10 minutes
Effectively using Story Points6 minutes
Building the Product Backlog7 minutes
Backlog Refinement: Getting Started10 minutes
Backlog Refinement Finishing Up11 minutes
Sprint Planning11 minutes

3 readingsTotal 6 minutes

Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 50 minutes

Practice Quiz10 minutes
Practice Quiz10 minutes
Practice Quiz 10 minutes
Module 2 Graded Quiz20 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 5 minutes

Agile in Your Workplace5 minutes

9 pluginsTotal 140 minutes

Hands-on Lab: Get Set Up in GitHub20 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Get Set Up in ZenHub20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Create an Issue Template in GitHub10 minutes
Hands-On Lab: Assemble Your Product Backlog Using GitHub15 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Assemble Your Product Backlog using Zenhub15 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Refine Your Product Backlog Using GitHub20 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Refine Your Product Backlog using Zenhub20 minutes
Hands-On-Lab: Build the Sprint Plan from Your Product Backlog Using GitHub10 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Build a Sprint Plan from Your Product Backlog using Zenhub10 minutes

This module describes the daily workflow for executing a sprint plan, including how to determine which story to work on and how to keep the team updated on progress. You will learn what a daily stand-up is and how to run one. You’ll learn how to use burndown charts to forecast the team’s ability to achieve the sprint goal. You’ll learn how to conduct the sprint review and the sprint retrospective. And you’ll find out how to measure success and use actionable metrics to improve the team’s performance.

What's included

8 videos3 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt6 plugins

8 videosTotal 38 minutes

Workflow for Daily Plan Execution5 minutes
The Daily Stand Up5 minutes
Using Burndown Charts4 minutes
The Sprint Review4 minutes
The Sprint Retrospective4 minutes
Using Measurements Effectively5 minutes
Getting Ready for the Next Sprint5 minutes
Agile Anti-Patterns and Health Check6 minutes

3 readingsTotal 6 minutes

Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes
Summary and Highlights2 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 50 minutes

Practice Quiz10 minutes
Practice Quiz10 minutes
Practice Quiz10 minutes
Module 3 Graded Quiz20 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 5 minutes

Agile and Teams5 minutes

6 pluginsTotal 70 minutes

Hands-On-Lab: Move Stories from In Progress to Done Using GitHub10 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Move Stories from In Progress to Done using Zenhub10 minutes
Hands-On-Lab: Setup Burndown Chart for Your Plan Using GitHub10 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: Setup a Burndown Chart for Your Plan using Zenhub10 minutes
Hands-On-Lab: Sprint Closure and Backlog Refinement with GitHub15 minutes
[Optional]Hands-on Lab: End of Sprint Activities using Zenhub15 minutes

What's included

2 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 app item2 plugins

2 readingsTotal 2 minutes

Congrats & Next Steps1 minute
Thanks from the Course Team1 minute

1 assignmentTotal 40 minutes

Final Graded Quiz 40 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Option 2: Peer-Graded Submission and Evaluation60 minutes

1 app itemTotal 60 minutes

Option 1: AI-Graded Submission and Evaluation60 minutes

2 pluginsTotal 30 minutes

About Final Project15 minutes
Final Project Overview and Scenario 15 minutes

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Instructor

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(913 ratings)

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John Rofrano

IBM

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IBM

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Reviewed on Mar 19, 2024

Good introduction to agile development and scrum. With a caveat: ZenHub is changing and to complete the lab project some exploration is necessary, further the free trial actually is 14 days.

Reviewed on Jul 31, 2022

John Rofrano is an excellent instructor and makes the topics of Agile and Scrum very interesting. Thorougly recommned this course even if you have experience working in an Agile way.

Reviewed on Sep 14, 2025

The best instructor I've ever seen, The way you teach is very easy to understand along with the examples you share. Thanks to you Sir Rofrano, I am more drived to become an Agile PM. Wish me luck.

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Frequently asked questions

No. This is an introductory course that assumes no prior knowledge of Agile, Scrum, or DevOps.

To complete the labs, you will need to set up an account for GitHub and set up an account for Zenhub. Both are free and available via a web browser! There is nothing to download or instrall. A guide for signing up for these accounts is included in the course material, with screen shots and simple step-by-step instructions.

Yes. The labs are optional so that managers and executives can complete the course without completing the labs. If you are a practitioner, or are pursuing the DevOps Foundation Specialization or DevOps Professional Certificate, you are strongly encouraged to complete the labs, as well as the optional HONORS module project.

If you opt to not do the labs, you will still be able to receive a certificate of completion for this course, Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum.

This course goes beyond basic project management to introduce foundational technical execution practices derived from DevOps and Lean manufacturing. You will learn to implement Extreme Programming (XP) engineering principles, including working in small batches, building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and practicing pair programming. Crucially, it covers how these foundational steps connect directly to modern software practices like Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD).

You will gain hands-on experience translating customer needs into highly structured, developer-ready requirements. The modules guide you through writing high-quality user stories, defining clear acceptance criteria, and collaboratively estimating complexity using story points. You will then learn the mechanics of the sprint planning process: building, grooming, and prioritizing a product backlog, and managing those tasks dynamically through a sprint lifecycle using GitHub Projects or ZenHub Kanban boards.

Predictability and continuous improvement are essential to self-organizing teams. You will learn how to facilitate core Scrum events, from running daily stand-ups to conducting formal sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives. To measure team velocity and track progress toward a sprint goal, you will learn to generate and analyze burndown charts. This enables you to leverage actionable metrics to forecast development capacity, identify team anti-patterns, and continuously optimize performance.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.