The Agile Samurai Bootcamp (Udemy.com)
Everything you need to setup, execute, and successfully deliver your own Agile project.
Created by: Jonathan Rasmusson
Last updated July 2023
Our take
Based on the ratings of 26,881 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in July 2023. No course pays to be reviewed.
The course is a three-hour introduction to Agile software delivery, split into 34 short lectures across 11 sections. It walks through the Agile mindset, team roles, user stories, estimation, planning, iterations, communication plans and visual workspaces. A short block near the end covers unit testing, refactoring, test-driven development and continuous integration. There are no quizzes or coding exercises, so it is a watch-and-think course. It was published in 2014 and has about 71,200 students.
Reviewers mostly praise the clarity. One, new to Agile and from a non-IT background, says Jonathan Rasmusson broke the basics down so they finally made sense, and another calls it a good high-level course that still gives enough to start an Agile project. Of 26,881 ratings, most are fours and fives, with 3,188 threes. The complaints are consistent: slides are thin or hard to find, the delivery is slow and a bit monotonous with no face on screen, the content is very basic, and one reviewer wanted a practical example running through every concept.
The last update was in July 2023, and a recent reviewer called the course outdated, though the core ideas on stories and planning age slowly. At this length it is a low-effort way to learn the vocabulary and rhythm of Agile before a team starts a project. Anyone who needs deep Scrum practice or hands-on exercises will want something else afterward. Recommended for newcomers who want the big picture in an afternoon, but one reviewer said she still did not feel confident starting a project.
Pros
- Short lectures in 11 sections make the 3.1 hours easy to take in small bites
- A non-IT reviewer says it finally made stories, estimation and planning make sense
- Goes beyond planning to cover team roles, communication plans and engineering practices
- Gives a sensible starter scope: stories, estimation, iterations and TDD in one sitting
Cons
- No quizzes, coding exercises or running project, so there is little practice
- Slides are thin and hard to find, and the delivery over black screens is dry
- Last updated July 2023, and one recent reviewer calls it outdated
This is a good high-level course. Yet, it provides enough information to get started on an Agile project.
Suits true beginners, including non-developers. The only requirement listed is pen and paper.
What you will learn
- A thorough understanding of how Agile works, how it's different from traditional Waterfall, and the mindset necessary to transformation your organization and team
- A deep, thorough, understanding of how Agile User stories, Estimation and Planning work
- How to form effective Agile teams, and what to look for in quality players
- Complete description of roles typically seen on Agile projects including the Agile Customer, Business Analyst, Programmer, Tester, UX Designer, and Project Manager
- In depth discussion on topics not typically covered in other Agile course like Agile Teams, How to Create Visual Works Spaces, Communication Plans, and the mechanics behind the Agile Iteration
- The rhythm and ritual necessary for delivering something of value every week
- Covers important concepts not covered in Scrum training like production readiness, and software engineering
- A primer on essential software engineering practices like automated Unit Testing, Refactoring, Test-Driven Design, and Continuous Integration
- Techniques and methods to ensure your project works within it's means, while delivering phenomenal value to your customer (The Way of the Spartan Warrior)
Course content
11 sections · 34 lectures · 3.1 hours of video 3 articles
- 1Agile In a Nutshell 2 free previews6 lectures · 46 min
- 2User Stories 1 free preview3 lectures · 22 min
- 3Estimation1 lecture · 13 min
- 4Planning 1 free preview7 lectures · 25 min
- 5Iteration Mechanics 1 free preview3 lectures · 13 min
- 6Communication Plans3 lectures · 15 min
- 7The Visual Workspace1 lecture · 5 min
- 8Software Engineering 1 free preview4 lectures · 35 min
- 9Final Words1 lecture · 4 min
- 10FAQ3 lectures · 7 min
- 11Cheat sheets2 lectures · 2 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Beginners
- Assumes no prior knowledge of Agile of software development
What you need before you start
- Pen, paper, and fierce desire to learn
How it compares
Against the other 133 rated Udemy courses in Agile & Scrum on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 19% of them
- Reviews26,881#7 of 134 by number of reviews
- Length3.1 hoursshorter than 57% of them
- Last updatedJuly 2023earlier than 80% of them
Course Description
Get ready to kick some software project butt.
Enter the world of the Agile Samurai, where the most dire of software projects are dispatched with ease and grace. By learning the ways of the Agile Samurai you will discover:
What Agile is, how it works, and the mindset necessary for working iteratively
Common myths and pitfalls and how to choose the right Agile method for you
How to build a good Agile team
How from traditional waterfall roles (like developer, analyst, tester, and project manager) change on Agile project
How to create a plan you and your customer can believe in
How to gather requirements in a fraction of the time using Agile User Stories
How to deliver something of value every week
What to do when the schedule is wrong, and how to look like a pro correcting it, and
The four essential Agile Engineering practices and why they are so important for Agility.
By the end of this course you’ll have everything you need to successfully set up, execute, and deliver your own Agile project.
Course Outline
Agile In a Nutshell
What Agile is, how it works, and how to choose the right Agile method for you.
Agile Teams
What makes the Agile team tick. Characteristics of good Agile teams. And how to find quality players.
User Stories
In this session we break down what user stories are, how they work, what effective user stories look like for your project, and how to host great story gathering work shops.
Estimation
By learning how to estimate the Agile way, you’ll stop trying to get something your up-front estimates can’t give (precision and accuracy) and instead focus on what really matters—building a plan you and your customer can believe in.
Planning
In this session, you’re going to learn how to create plans you can believe in and follow through on commitments you and your team make.
Iteration Mechanics
This session shows teams how to set the iterations up for success, breaks down what actually occurs during an iteration, and how to setup an agile communication plan for you and your team.
Visible Workspaces
By learning how to create a visual workspace, you and the team will never be at a loss for what to do next or where you can add the greatest value.
Engineering
Agile doesn’t work on planning alone. That would be wishful thinking. Only by apply these core software engineering practices can you reduce the time it takes to test, ensure you always have a good design, and confidently make necessary changes with speed.
Unit Testing - Automated tests proving your software works
Refactoring - Paying down technical debt, while continuously improving your design
Test-Driven Development - Write the tests first to help improve your design
Continuous Integration - Maintaining a culture of production readiness, and deploying at a moments notice
Intended Audience
This is an introductory level course on Agile software delivery.
Course Requirements
No previous experience with Agile expected or necessary.
Instructional Level
All Levels
Update NEW FAQ Section April 2017
New FAQ section added answering most commonly asked questions
New templates section added containing downloadable examples of burn down charts
Update NEW Cheat Sheet Section August 2018
New section summarizing key concepts in downloadable pdf
Testimonials
One of the best introduction on Agile concepts. Not only for beginners but also the experienced agile practitioners will benefit from this course.
Instructor Details
- 4.4 Rating
26,881 Reviews
Jonathan Rasmusson
Jonathan is an experienced software engineer who has helped some of the world’s most innovative companies ship software.
As a Software Engineer at Apple, Jonathan helps developers around the world learn how to build compelling apps on Apple platforms.
While working for Spotify in Stockholm Sweden, Jonathan was a part of the team responsible for bringing Spotify to the Sony Playstation as well as car with BMW, Ford, and Telsa.
While at Microsoft, Jonathan worked with the Progressive Architecture Team to develop a Microsoft Smart Client Architecture Guide and Application Block.
And while working as a consultant at ThoughtWorks, Jonathan helped companies in the energy (British Petroleum), finance (AMP Capital), and automotive (Toyota) industries all take their first tentative steps into Agile software delivery.
Jonathan is the author of three top selling books: The Agile Samurai, The Way of the Web Tester, And Competing With Unicorns.
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Reviews
By James Kelly on 9/15/2023
I don't understand why the videos cannot be screen captured to assist students in taking their own notes. Several guests said the slides are available, but I don't see them anywhere. This is a relatively new concept in industry which still sees resistance to roll-out at the work place, so individual notes and plans are imperative.
By Manoela Vieira on 11/21/2020
Great start
By Tom Nieuwenhuizen on 11/14/2020
Outstanding good course!!! Very applicable. Engaging from beginning to end!
By Obilisetty Leela Samba Sivarao on 11/7/2020
it's great experience
By Tammy Sharpe on 11/7/2020
Very pragmatic, real-world overview.
By Jacob Coldwell on 11/7/2020
Good introduction. Not a lot of places to practice implementing.
By Mathews Joseph on 11/1/2020
Superb!
By Matthew Larner on 10/20/2020
this is a good match for me. i am a fan of the book and this training course is going to be an excellent companion to the book. :)
By Chandan Akella on 10/4/2020
well explained and mood was rightly set.
By Muhammad on 9/27/2020
Good reinforcement of my Agile concepts
By Jacob Jackson on 9/26/2020
Very nice high-level overview. Feels like a detailed conversation. Nice to follow along with and very helpful with all the concepts involved.
By Christian Mueller-Wasmuth on 9/24/2020
Good moderator, easy to listen.
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 88 / 100












