About this course: In this six-week capstone course, you will gain practical management experience in a safe, simulated software production setting. You will apply Agile practices and techniques to conquer industry-inspired challenges. Interacting with a realistic client, you will discern what they want and express what they truly need in software requirements to drive software production. Upon completing the capstone, you will be prepared to advance your career as a confident software product management professional.
Created by: University of Alberta
Taught by: Kenny Wong, Associate Professor
Computing Science, Faculty of Science
| Basic Info | Course 6 of 6 in the Software Product Management Specialization |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Capstone Project - Week 1
Welcome to the first week of the capstone. This week, you will be primarily focusing on eliciting requirements. You will get to meet your client as well as collaborate with an expert advisor. You will also meet the development team that you will be working with. They will help you to clarify and elaborate on the information elicited from the client and expert. You will finish off the week by creating a Requirements Document.
6 videos, 12 readings
- Video: Capstone Preview
- Reading: Course Map: Software Product Management Capstone
- Video: 0.1 Introduction
- Reading: 0.2 Tutorial: Capstone Introduction
- Reading: 0.3 Software Product Management Capstone Community Guidelines
- Video: 0.4 Plagiarism
- Reading: 0.6 Discussion Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Reading: 0.7 Capstone Assignments Time Estimates
- Reading: 0.8 Resource: Software Product Manager Job Posting
- Reading: 1.1 Email: Greetings from Inukshuk Books
- Reading: 1.2 Tutorial: Decision Tree
- Reading: 1.3 Decision Tree: Meeting the Client
- Reading: 1.4 Decision Tree: Expert Advisor Meeting
- Reading: 1.5 Email: TedTalk Video
- Video: 1.6 Video Simulation: Development Team Introduction (Monday)
- Video: 1.7 Video Simulation: Development Team Meeting (Monday)
- Video: 1.8 Tutorial: Google Docs Tutorial (Video Tutorial)
- Reading: 1.9 Tutorial: Google Docs Tutorial (Written Tutorial)
Graded: 0.5 Plagiarism Quiz
Graded: 1.10 Assignment: Requirements Document (Graded)
WEEK 2
Capstone Project - Week 2
Now that the requirements are elicited, it’s now time to start refining those user stories! This week, you will conduct Requirements Technical Reviews on your peers Requirements Documents. You will also discuss risks with the development team and generate a risk plan.
1 video, 1 reading
- Video: 2.3 Video Simulation: Risk Discussion (Wednesday)
- Reading: 2.5 Email: Removing Android
Graded: 2.1 Assignment: Requirements Technical Review - Part 1 (Graded)
Graded: 2.2 Assignment: Requirements Technical Review - Part 2 (Graded)
Graded: 2.4 Assignment: Risk Plan (Graded)
WEEK 3
Capstone Project - Week 3
There’s a lot of work to be done this week to prepare for the first sprint. User stories need to be prioritized and assessed for risks, release and iteration plans need to be created, and design needs to begin. You will work with your team to get everything ready so that Sprint 1 can start promptly next week!
1 video, 8 readings
- Reading: 3.1 Resource: Project Requirements/User Stories
- Reading: 3.2 Email: Size Estimates and Dependencies
- Reading: 3.3 Tutorial: Prioritization Template
- Reading: 3.4 Decision Tree: Prioritization Meeting
- Reading: 3.5 Email: Risk Assessment
- Reading: 3.7 Exercise: Week 3 Release Planning
- Reading: 3.9 Resource: Week 3 Project Release Plan (Proposed Solution)
- Video: 3.10 Video Simulation: Task Breakdown Meeting
- Reading: 3.11 Email: Task Breakdown
Graded: 3.6 Assessment: Prioritization (Graded)
Graded: 3.8 Assignment: Week 3 Release Plan (Graded)
Graded: 3.12 Assignment: Iteration Plan for Sprint 1 (Graded)
Graded: 3.13 Assignment: Product Wireframe (Graded)
WEEK 4
Capstone Project - Week 4
This is your first development sprint! You will have stand-up meetings with the development team. Your team will also demo the product to the client and expert at the end of the week. There will be issues that need solving, plans to make for the next sprint, and monitoring that will need to be done!
5 videos, 5 readings
- Video: 4.1 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Wednesday)
- Reading: 4.2 Email: Acceptance Tests
- Video: 4.4 Simulation: Office Chat Conversation (Thursday)
- Video: 4.5 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Friday)
- Video: 4.6 Video Simulation: Client Demo and Backlog Refinements (Friday)
- Video: 4.8 Video Simulation: Sprint Retrospective (Friday)
- Reading: 4.9 Resource: Sprint 1 Retrospective - Meeting Minutes
- Reading: 4.10 Exercise: Week 4 Release Planning
- Reading: 4.12 Resource: Week 4 Project Release Plan (Proposed Solution)
- Reading: 4.14 Email: Iteration Plan Explanation
Graded: 4.3 Assignment: Writing Acceptance Criteria and Tests
Graded: 4.7 Assignment: Iteration Burndown Sprint 1 (Graded)
Graded: 4.11 Assignment: Week 4 Release Plan (Graded)
Graded: 4.13 Assignment: Iteration Plan for Sprint 2 (Graded)
WEEK 5
Capstone Project - Week 5
This is Sprint 2 of development. Similar to last week, there will be standups and other meetings. The team will also demo the product at the end of the sprint. You will be expected to monitor the progress of the project and prepare a plan for the third and final sprint--but a surprise twist at the end of the sprint might require you to be agile.
6 videos, 3 readings
- Video: 5.1 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Monday)
- Video: 5.3 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Wednesday)
- Video: 5.4 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Friday)
- Video: 5.5 Video Simulation: Client Demo (Friday)
- Video: 5.6 Video Simulation: Backlog Refinement (Friday)
- Reading: 5.7 Exercise: Week 5 Release Planning
- Reading: 5.9 Resource: Week 5 Project Release Plan (Proposed Solution)
- Video: 5.11 Video Simulation: Sprint Retrospective (Friday)
- Reading: 5.12 Resource: Sprint 2 Retrospective - Meeting Minutes (Friday)
Graded: 5.2 Assignment: Risk Plan Update (Graded)
Graded: 5.8 Assignment: Week 5 Release Plan (Graded)
Graded: 5.10 Assignment: Release Burndown (Graded)
Graded: 5.13 Assignment: Iteration Plan for Sprint 3 (Graded)
WEEK 6
Capstone Project - Week 6
With the trade show quickly approaching, you will need to work with the team to create an impressive working demo by the end of this sprint. With the added pressure, issues may arise. Will the team get the product completed in time?
5 videos, 5 readings
- Video: 6.1 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Wednesday)
- Reading: 6.2 Decision Tree: Loose Cannon
- Video: 6.3 Video Simulation: Standup Meeting (Friday)
- Video: 6.4 Video Simulation: Client Demo (Friday)
- Reading: 6.6 Supplemental Reading: Release Burndown Solution
- Video: 6.7 Video Simulation: Project Retrospective
- Reading: 6.8 Resource: Project Retrospective - Meeting Minutes
- Video: 6.10 Congratulations on completing the Capstone
- Reading: Discussion Forum: Your Specialization Experience
- Reading: Acknowledgements
Graded: 6.5 Assignment: Release Burndown (Graded)
Graded: 6.9 Assignment: Personal Project Retrospective (Graded)
FAQs
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Creators
University of Alberta
UAlberta is considered among the world’s leading public research- and teaching-intensive universities. As one of Canada’s top universities, we’re known for excellence across the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business, engineering and health sciences.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
The last course of specialization should be taken!
Loved the capstone project. So much nice details and situations which you experience in a product managers daily business. Also a nice opportunity to apply the tools and methods you learned in the courses of the specialization.
Super course. Great content. Well delivered. Lots of effort evident in its creation.
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ZH
This SPM course is good with all the necessary theories and a good practice assignment as the final course. It is definitely valuable to have such a course as a beginning or middle level for agile management.