ACP-620 Day 1: Project Creation Lab

Owned by Frank Lapa
Last updated: Nov 09, 2023
7 min read

Lab Exercise 1: Creating and Configuring a Basic Scrum Board

(Beginner Level - 6 months experience)

Objective: Set up a new Scrum board for a software development project.

Steps:

  1. Create a New Project:

    • Navigate to “Projects” and click on “Create project”.

    • Select “Scrum software development” as the project template.

    • Name your project and ensure you have the necessary permissions.

  2. Create a Scrum Board:

    • Inside the project, click on “Boards” in the top menu and select “Create Board”.

    • Choose to create a Scrum board for an existing project and select your newly created project.

  3. Adjust Workflow Columns:

    • Click on “Board settings” from the board menu.

    • Under “Columns”, map the default statuses to the columns “To Do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”.

    • Confirm that every status is correctly mapped to one of these columns.

Deliverable: Provide a screenshot of your new board with the columns correctly set up.

Lab Exercise 2: Advanced Filtering and Board Customization

(Intermediate Level - 1 year of experience)

Objective: Create a board that filters issues from multiple projects and adds quick filters for efficiency.

Steps:

  1. Set Up JQL Filter:

    • Go to “Issues” and click on “Search for issues”.

    • Use JQL to create a filter that includes issues from multiple projects: project in (PROJ1, PROJ2) AND issuetype in (Bug, Task).

  2. Create a Board with the Filter:

    • Navigate to “Boards” and select “Create Board”.

    • Choose a Kanban board that uses the filter you’ve created.

  3. Add Quick Filters:

    • In “Board settings”, select “Quick Filters”.

    • Create a quick filter named “My Open Issues” with the JQL: assignee = currentUser() AND statusCategory != Done.

    • Add another quick filter named “Recently Updated” with the JQL: updated >= -1w.

Deliverable: A screenshot of the board with the applied filters and a demonstration of the quick filters in action.

Lab Exercise 3: Board Configuration for Cross-functional Teams

(Intermediate-Advanced Level - 1.5 years of experience)

Objective: Consolidate multiple team workflows into a single Kanban board.

Steps:

  1. Create a New Filter:

    • Define a JQL filter that captures all relevant issues for the teams: project in (PROJ1, PROJ2, PROJ3) AND status in (Open, "In Progress", Done).

  2. Configure the Board:

    • Create a new Kanban board from the main menu using the filter created.

    • In “Board settings”, add columns that represent each team's unique workflow stages.

  3. Verify Workflow Mapping:

    • Ensure that the workflow statuses for each team are correctly reflected in the new columns.

    • Test the board by moving sample issues between columns and confirm that the issue statuses update accordingly.

Deliverable: A screenshot of your cross-functional board with all columns and a note on any workflow changes made to accommodate the teams.

Lab Exercise 4: Implementing Custom Swimlanes and Performance Metrics

(Advanced Level - 2 years of experience)

Objective: Customize swimlanes based on epics and display performance metrics.

Steps:

  1. Custom Swimlanes:

    • In “Board settings”, navigate to “Swimlanes”.

    • Select “Epics” as the basis for swimlanes.

    • Confirm that swimlanes appear on the board divided by epic.

  2. Add Performance Metrics:

    • From the board, click on “Reports”.

    • Set up the “Control Chart” and “Cumulative Flow Diagram” for analyzing cycle time and lead time.

  3. Custom Card Layout:

    • In “Board settings”, go to “Card layout”.

    • Add fields such as “Time Spent” and “Original Estimate” to the cards.

Deliverable: Screenshots of your board with epic-based swimlanes, configured reports, and custom card layout.

 

Lab Exercise 5: Implementing a Multi-Project Scrum Board with XP Workflow

(Expert Level - 3 years of experience)

Require DAY3 session

Objective: Implement and configure a Scrum board that will be utilized across multiple projects following an XP (Extreme Programming) workflow.

Preconditions: You have administrative access across multiple Scrum projects and a comprehensive understanding of XP practices.

Background on XP Workflow: Extreme Programming (XP) is an agile software development framework that aims to produce higher quality software, and higher quality of life for the development team. XP emphasizes frequent "releases" in short development cycles, which improves productivity and introduces checkpoints where new customer requirements can be adopted.

Key XP practices include:

  • User Stories for requirements

  • Continuous Integration and Testing

  • Pair Programming

  • Test-Driven Development (TDD)

  • Refactoring

  • Collective Code Ownership

Steps:

  1. Board Creation:

    • Create a new Scrum board from the “Boards” menu in JIRA, selecting the “Create a Scrum board” option.

    • Choose to create the board to encompass multiple projects.

  2. Workflow Customization for XP:

    • Define the workflow stages to reflect XP practices, such as Backlog, Iteration, Testing, Review, Refactoring, and Release.

    • Update the board's columns to match these XP workflow stages.

  3. Board Filter Configuration:

    • Construct a filter using JQL to include user stories from all relevant projects.

    • Example JQL: project in (PROJ1, PROJ2, PROJ3) AND issuetype = Story AND status != Done.

  4. Field Customization:

    • Include custom fields that are essential in XP, such as Pair, Iteration Number, and Test Status. (those fieds has been add into the wiqu-acp environment)

    • Adjust the card layout to display these fields on the board.

  5. Implementing XP Practices on the Board:

    • Use quick filters to view user stories that are currently in pair programming, waiting for testing, or requiring refactoring.

    • Create swimlanes based on the iteration number or prioritize tasks that are undergoing continuous integration.

  6. Advanced Board Configurations:

    • Set up a Release swimlane for stories that are in the Release stage of the workflow.

    • Incorporate a definition of "Done" in line with XP’s focus on testing and review to ensure that issues can only be moved to the Done column once they meet these criteria.

  7. Troubleshooting and Optimization:

    • Validate the new board setup by running through a mock iteration cycle and adjusting configurations as necessary.

    • Troubleshoot any issues with the filter queries or workflow status transitions.

Deliverable:

  • A fully functional Scrum board configured for XP workflows with appropriate filters, fields, and controls in place.

Instructions:

  • Familiarize yourself with the XP methodology to ensure the board reflects the framework's practices correctly.

  • Document the process for configuring the board and justify each decision with respect to how it supports XP practices.

  • After configuring the board, run a mock-up session with your team to ensure the board functions as intended and gather feedback for further refinements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lab Exercise 1: Company-Managed Project for a Development Team
(Intermediate Level - 1 year of experience)

Objective: Create a company-managed project customized for a development team that will be using a Scrum framework.

Steps:

Create a New Project:

  • Navigate to “Projects” and select “Create project”.

  • Choose “Company-managed project” and select the “Scrum software development” template.

  • Name your project something relevant, like “Dev Team Scrum Project,” and ensure you have the correct permissions.

Customize Issue Types and Workflows:

  • In the project settings, go to “Issue types” and ensure that standard types like “Story,” “Bug,” and “Epic” are available.

  • Visit “Workflows” and tailor the steps to reflect your team’s process, ensuring that statuses like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done” are present.

Set Up Project Permissions:

  • Configure the permissions scheme so that only team members can create and transition issues.

Deliverable: Screenshots of the newly created project overview, issue types setup, workflow statuses, and permission schemes.

Lab Exercise 2: Agile Dashboard Configuration
(Advanced Intermediate Level - 1.5 years of experience)

Objective: Set up a dashboard for an existing company-managed Scrum project that provides an overview of the current sprint's activity.

Steps:

Select and Configure Gadgets:

  • Go to “Dashboards” and create a new dashboard named “Sprint Overview Dashboard”.

  • Add gadgets such as the “Sprint Health Gadget,” “Burndown Chart,” and “Assigned to Me” to the dashboard.

  • Configure each gadget to display data from the current sprint.

Customize the Dashboard Layout:

  • Arrange the gadgets in a layout that presents the information logically and is easy to understand at a glance.

Share the Dashboard:

  • Share the dashboard with your Scrum team and stakeholders.

Deliverable: A screenshot of the configured dashboard and an explanation of how it will be used to monitor sprint progress.

Lab Exercise 3: Cross-Functional Team Project Setup
(Experienced Level - 2 years of experience)

Objective: Configure a company-managed project to facilitate cross-functional team collaboration within a SAFe environment.

Steps:

Project Creation for Cross-Functional Teams:

  • Create a new company-managed project named “Cross-Functional Team Project”.

  • Ensure that the project includes issue types like “Feature,” “Story,” and “Task” that are commonly used in SAFe.

Customize Workflows for SAFe Compliance:

  • Customize workflows for each issue type to support SAFe practices, such as PI planning and iteration reviews.

Configure Permissions for Collaboration:

  • Set up a permission scheme that allows various roles to interact with issues appropriately according to their responsibilities in the SAFe framework.

Deliverable: Screenshots of the project settings showing the issue type schemes, workflows, and permission schemes tailored for SAFe.

Lab Exercise 4: Advanced Reporting for Project Stakeholders
(Advanced Level - 2.5 years of experience)

Objective: Develop a comprehensive reporting system on a dashboard to provide stakeholders with insights into project status, issue resolution, and team performance.

Steps:

Design the Stakeholder Dashboard:

  • Create a new dashboard named “Stakeholder Insights Dashboard”.

  • Add advanced gadgets like the “Control Chart,” “Cumulative Flow Diagram,” and “Workload Pie Chart” that reflect key performance indicators.

Configure Gadgets for In-Depth Analysis:

  • Set up filters for each gadget to represent specific data points, such as resolution times, team workload, and velocity.

Review Dashboard Configuration with Stakeholders:

  • Review the dashboard configuration with stakeholders to ensure it meets their needs for project oversight and decision-making.

Deliverable: Screenshots of the dashboard and a detailed explanation of how the chosen gadgets and filters provide the necessary insights for stakeholders.

Lab Exercise 5: SAFe Implementation with JIRA
(Mastery Level - 3 years of experience)

Objective: Implement the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) within JIRA by setting up appropriate projects and a dashboard to manage an Agile Release Train (ART).

Steps:

Create Scrum Projects for Agile Teams:

  • Establish three new company-managed projects named “ART - Alpha Squad,” “ART - Beta Squad,” and “ART - Gamma Squad” for each of the two squads in the ART.

Set Up a Planning Project for PMO:

  • Create an additional company-managed project named “ART Planning - PMO” to serve as the hub for PI planning and tracking ART progress.

Develop a SAFe Dashboard:

  • Build a new dashboard named “ART Overview Dashboard”.

  • Include gadgets like the “Roadmap Planner,” “Epic Burndown,” and filters that aggregate data from all the ART projects.

Create a Cross-Epic Kanban Board/Roadmap:

  •  

Configure a Kanban board or Roadmap to visualize and manage cross-epic progress and PI planning across the different Scrum teams within JIRA.

Deliverable: Screenshots of the setup for each Scrum and PMO project, the ART dashboard with the necessary gadgets, and the cross-epic Kanban board/Roadmap. Include a summary describing how each element contributes to the SAFe implementation in JIRA.