Reviews & Metrics for Software Improvements

About this course: This course covers techniques for monitoring your projects in order to align client needs, project plans, and software production. It focuses on metrics and reviews to track and improve project progress and software quality. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: - Apply techniques to measure and visualize project progress - Integrate Agile review practices to increase project visibility - Reflect on lessons learned in software projects through retrospective exercises - Improve project and process quality through ongoing measurement

Created by:  University of Alberta

• Taught by:  Kenny Wong, Associate Professor

  Computing Science, Faculty of Science

Basic Info Course 5 of 6 in the Software Product Management Specialization Commitment 4 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.6 stars Average User Rating 4.6See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Module 1: Right Product



Welcome to the first module! This module is all about creating the “right product”. You will examine various ways of ensuring that you are creating the right product for both your client and your users. You will learn how to conduct a sprint review meeting and why they are an important step for delivering the right product. Then you will look at user studies. You will learn about several techniques for determining the needs of your users. The module concludes by examining how some of the big companies in the industry ensure that they are delivering the right product to their users.


7 videos, 6 readings expand

1. Video: Specialization Preview
2. Reading: Meet your presenters: Morgan Patzelt
3. Reading: Meet your presenters: Bradley Poulette
4. Video: Introduction to Reviews & Metrics for Software Improvements
5. Reading: Course Resources: Reviews & Metrics for Software Improvements
6. Reading: Course Map: Reviews and Metrics for Software Improvements
7. Video: 5.1.1: Introduction to Monitoring
8. Video: 5.1.2: Sprint Review Meeting
9. Video: 5.1.3: User Studies
10. Reading: Discussion: Other Methods of Usability Testing
11. Video: 5.1.4: Industry Examples
12. Video: 5.1.4A: Industry Examples - Interview
13. Reading: Module 1: Supplemental Resources

Graded: Module 1: Assessment (Graded)

WEEK 2


Module 2: Done Right



Welcome to the second module! Now that you’ve learned about how to make sure you’re creating the “right product”, it’s time to explore how to ensure that product is “done right”. Here, you’ll start with review techniques, some issues surrounding project monitoring in general, and the Goal Quality Metric framework. Then, you’ll move on to desirable properties of metrics and dive into some key metrics for ensuring that you’re on track. You’ll finish off the module with defect analysis, leading you into getting your product “managed right” in the next module.


7 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: 5.2.1: Review Techniques
2. Video: 5.2.1A: Review Techniques
3. Video: 5.2.2: Monitoring Issues
4. Video: 5.2.3: Goal, Question, Metric (GQM)
5. Video: 5.2.4: Desirable Properties of Metrics
6. Video: 5.2.5: Other Metrics
7. Video: 5.2.6: Defect Analysis
8. Reading: Module 2: Supplemental Resources

Graded: Module 2: Assessment (Graded)

WEEK 3


Module 3: Managed Right



This third module examines the concept of managing your project right. You will learn some important and popular project management techniques. The module starts off by introducing you to the Daily Scrum meeting. You will learn ways to implement daily scrums with the teams that you work with as well as techniques to improve the meetings if they are not working well. Then we will cover the concept of Velocity in more detail which will prepare you for learning about burndown charts. This module covers both Release Burndowns, as well as Iteration Burndowns. We show you how to create, read, and use these useful tracking tools with the teams you work with. Together, these lessons will teach you how to ensure your projects are “managed right”.


6 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: 5.3.1: Daily Scrum
2. Video: 5.3.1A: Daily Scrum - Challenges
3. Reading: Discussion: Daily Scrum
4. Video: 5.3.2: Velocity
5. Video: 5.3.3: Release Burndown Chart
6. Video: 5.3.3A: Release Burndown Chart - Changing Requirements
7. Reading: Reading: Release Burndown How-To Guide
8. Video: 5.3.4: Iteration Burndown Chart
9. Reading: Module 3: Supplemental Resources

Graded: Module 3: Assessment (Graded)

WEEK 4


Module 4: Project Retrospectives



Welcome to the final module of the course! The previous module was focused on ensuring your project was managed right by exploring techniques in project planning. This module will focus on an often-neglected, but very valuable tool: Retrospectives. You’ll explore what retrospectives are and some issues surrounding them. Then, you’ll learn about how a retrospective looks, along with some recommended retrospective exercises. Finally, you’ll round the module off with a summary of the course!


8 videos, 2 readings expand

1. Video: 5.4.1: Retrospectives
2. Video: 5.4.2: Retrospectives Issues
3. Video: 5.4.3: Sprint Retrospective
4. Video: 5.4.4: Project Retrospective Exercises
5. Video: 5.4.4A: Project Retrospective Exercises - Readying
6. Video: 5.4.4B: Project Retrospective Exercises - Past
7. Video: 5.4.4C: Project Retrospective Exercises - Future
8. Reading: Module 4: Supplemental Resources
9. Video: 5.4.5: Course Summary
10. Reading: Acknowledgements

Graded: Module 4: Assessment (Graded)
Graded: Course Assessment (Graded)