An Amplio Learning Journey

Amplio Development Masterclass

About this learning journey

This workshop can be offered at any time as a private workshop. 

The Amplio Development Masterclass is an introductory to mid-level workshop that educates participants on how to lead teams to create value for their stakeholders. Its scope ranges from single teams to groups of teams of up to 90 people. It is an alternative to advanced team workshops, Scrum-based scaling approaches, and Essential SAFe.

The workshop takes participants through a series of problem-solving methods. This teaches them how to identify challenges their teams are likely to face and how to solve them. By using the latest learning methods, Amplio Development creates a foundation for participants to continue extending their abilities to work with teams after the workshop. It uses over a dozen virtual collaboration whiteboards (Miro) to do this. These are all provided to the participants to use in their work during and after the workshop.

While most workshops are one-and-done, this program provides learning over time, time to get questions asked and answered, and a considerable number of virtual collaboration tools along with coaching on how to convey the concepts learned. 

This workshop is equivalent to a 3-day workshop but is taught in 36 lessons over 4 months and is part of a year-long learning journey.

This class can be provided as a private workshop at anytime. The public version rotates every four months. While the next “start” is the week of September 18, people can join at any time since all sessions are recorded. If you join before the next class starts you get to watch videos from the last presentation and you still get access to the learning journey for 12 months from the start of the next offering. 

Continue for 8 months in the learning journey

For 8 months after the curriculum part you can participate in a self-study program of 30 lessons, one a week. Each lesson is designed to take you deeper than the 4 months, instructor-led program above. You also have access to the 4-month program throughout this period. 

Certification is now available for those on this journey by helping refine the materials in the workshop part of it. You demonstrate knowledge by doing. A $295 fee applies.  

Turn this into the equivalent of 3-4 workshops.

Days worth of supplemental material is made available to participants. Since you also have access to thought leaders 2-3 times a week for a year you create a study program that provides you the equivalent of an advanced Scrum workshop, a multi-team workshop (e.g., Scrum@Scale), and even a coaching workshop.

 

Prerequisite

None

Duration

Self-paced:

36 lessons over 4 months requiring 1-2 hours a week.

Live remote:

8 weeks 3 hours one day a week of live, remote, instruction. 

Participants allowed to mix and match tracks.

Participants are automatically enrolled in the learning journey for 12 months where they can get coaching and guidance over that period.

Participants can accelerate the workshop to take just a matter of days by watching the recordings.

Cost

$1195. Discounts available for multiple enrollments. American veterans and spouses of veterans get a 50% discount. 

Format

Virtual (Zoom)

Audience

  • Scrum Masters who want to become Agile coaches.
  • Those new to Agile and want to learn the essence of Agile implemented from a foundation of Flow, Lean, and the Theory of Constraints.
  • Anyone who feels there is a better way to do Agile than what appears to be the common way of doing it.
  • Anyone who is considering taking an advanced Scrum workshop including Scrum@Scale and Nexus as this workshop includes the equivalent of them.

Details

Main content of workshop. This takes you from beginning Agile through multi-team Agile working on one product line (you can think of this as a Lean-based Scrum@Scale or Nexus).

  • 24 hours done 2 hours a week over a 16 week period with periodic breaks.
  • 21 hours done 3.5 hours a week over a 5 week span (duplicate of above, just compressed in time)

Value Coach session total 30 half hour sessions following each of the above. This track is designed to take Scrum Masters into being Agile coaches.

Enrolled in the following at no cost:

  • 33 Dr. Is In Sessions over a year where you can ask questions about your challenges or deeper learning.

In addition, you can retake the main workshop as desired. 

Learning objectives

Delivered content and live sessions is equivalent to a three day workshop spread out over 4 months. Private workshops can be done by scheduling 24 hours over any number of days.

The workshop has the following modules

  1. A basic Agile team approach that uses flow or timeboxing as appropriate
    • Tailorable to the team to create a fit-for-purpose framework
    • Driven by modern product management methods
    • Focuses on increasing value while eliminating waste via quick feedback
  2. Introducing the Agile GPS
    • First principles
    • Factors for effective value streams
    • How to continuously improve your methods enabling consistency of objectives while having fit-for-purpose approaches.
  3. Introduction to BLAST – an approach comparable to Scrum@Scale and Nexus based on Flow, Lean, and the Theory of Constraints
  4. Transitioning to Agile and how to be an effective value coach.

Amplio virtual collaboration boards

Virtual collaboration boards on Miro are more important than ever. While most people use them as virtual whiteboards, their potential impact is great. Appropriate virtual collaboration boards are used throughout the masterclass and are provided to participants to use in their workplace. How to be a value coach and virtual collaboration boards are integrated throughout the workshop. Here are 4 virtual collaboration board examples:

The challenges

The challenges board​ is a useful way to identify challenges at all levels (teams to organizations) and track the status of resolving them. 

Agile requirements and using Minimum Business Increments

Agility is predicated on creating small items of value. This board facilitates identifying stakeholders’ values and writing up what can be quickly created and released. 

Timeboxing or flow

This board helps participants be clear about when each approach is better. 

Do a pre-mortem

Take a little time to avoid some of the problems you will otherwise face. This based on Gary Klein’s pre-mortem

 

View all boards

Click below for more detail on the many collaboration boards available.

The bottom line

Doing Agile without being guided by first principles reflects Kant’s mantra “Experience without theory is blind.”

There is no reason to run teams based on running into impediments that can be avoided. And no reason not to provide guidance when you do hit them.

The Amplio Development Masterclass can be used to train teams or to accelerate someones personal growth to being an effective value coach.

Grounded in the science of learning and integrating coaching

It has been well-established that intensive training over 1-4 days is very ineffective unless the knowledge gained is immediately applied. Over 80% of the information presented is lost in just a few days. It’s why no college teaches this way. People learn best in little chunks and where they can apply it between sessions. Amplio Development is presented as 12 lessons over four months. All the sessions are recorded with open weeks every three lessons to enable participants to catch up. This accommodates the busy professional’s schedule.

Amplio’s approach is based on Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise and Seeing what others don’t: The Remarkable Way We Gain Insights. “Peak” tells us that it’s essential to stretch people’s skills a little on an ongoing basis. Presenting concepts in patterns instead of just practices makes the material more applicable and creates the foundation for continued learning. “Insights” provides methods to enable people to connect the dots of the advanced concepts presented.  These two approaches manifest each week based on a virtual board that participants use to see a problem and learn how to solve it. This not only trains participants in needed skills but these virtual boards can also be used in their workplace.

Great information has little value if it can’t be conveyed in the workplace. Amplio Development, therefore, integrates coaching methods in each lesson.

Special Pricing

 

US veterans or active duty service people get 50% off this learning journey. are between assignments, contact us for possible discounts.

The Amplio Development Masterclass is a different kind of workshop in several ways:

It is grounded in the science of learning and integrates coaching

  • Taught in small increments over time to allow the adoption of what’s learned in the workplace
  • Integrates coaching since participants must be able to convey what’s learned to the people they work with
  • Presents a blend of theory and practice, which not only improves retention but enables participants to go beyond what is presented

It uses virtual collaboration whiteboards to present and learn concepts

  • These boards enable a significant amount of learning
  • They are provided to participants to use after the workshop in their work
  • This enables asynchronous learning in both the workshop and when they are used in the participants’ workplaces

Mental models and practices

  • Based on the theories of Flow, Lean, and the Theory of Constraints
  • Includes several essential practices not taught in the popular frameworks
  • Based on a pattern language enabling it to be simple to start, but richer as needed, and tailorable to the people using it

The workshop is just the beginning

  • Year-long program provides for after-workshop support
  • Tools used to teach participants are made available to them to use in their workplace
  • Q&A sessions enable participants to ask experts for real-time advice as needed

Why you should take this workshop if you are a professional coach.

 

Most “coaching” workshops today are about how to follow a given framework. This workshop enables you to see what the people you are coaching needs based on their situation.  Go beyond being a mere facilitator. Learn how to assist teams in working in better ways.

 

Mental models and practices

Amplio is based on the first principles of Flow, Lean, and the Theory of Constraints. This means that it can be contextualized to any situation. It provides a simple start that adjusts as the teams learn by providing a way to tell which of several optional practices would be an improvement.

It also includes several essential practices that aren’t in popular frameworks.  These enable much better product management and workflow management.

 

The workshop is just the beginning

No workshop will transform a person alone. Even though Amplio facilitates learning in the workplace, more is needed. This is why after the first four-month offering, participants get an opportunity to review it (even if just for the Q&A session) and get enrolled in two sessions of the Value Stream Coach for free (a $790 value).

This gives participants access to senior Agile thought leaders for a year. They also get access to even more Miro boards and free updates.

All participants get a copy of the book on which the workshop is based: Amplio Development: The Path to Effective Lean-Agile Teams.

A follow-up train-the-trainer program is available for both independent consultants and those setting up internal training programs.

The course is a foundation for the consultant who wants to be able to train.

It is also the foundation for internal HR and Agile transition groups that want to grow their internal training organization at a low cost.

Instructor

Al Shalloway

Al Shalloway is the founder and CEO of Success Engineering. Al is a recognized thought leader in the areas of: Lean, SAFe, Kanban, Scrum, design patterns, Acceptance Test-Driven Development, Lean-management, value creation networks, Lean product management and more. He is the creator of the FLEX system that is the heart of the Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant workshop. He has co-written 5 books ranging from Design Patterns to Agile at Scale. He holds Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mathematics from MIT and Emory respectively. He is an international speaker. He is a former contributor to SAFe and SPC trainer.