Milwaukee Certified LeSS Practitioner Course

I would like to deliver a public Certified LeSS Practitioner course in Milwaukee in early January.

If you are interested in attending PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY FILLING OUT THIS SURVEY.

I will formally list the course as soon as enough people express interest and I have set a date based on your preferences.

Standard pricing for a public course is $2699, with an early-bird discounted price of $2299. The actual price may vary slightly at lower head counts.

Course Details

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Course Agenda

The morning of the first of three days will be used to establish the overall context of the system modeling activities which follow. This will be done through a small amount of lecture, combined with both small and large group discussions.

Once the stage is set, we will transition to thoughtful analysis of the impact of different organizational design decisions on adaptability and value delivery using system modeling. Following each incremental framework agnostic advance in our understanding, we will map concrete aspects of LeSS into our increasingly enlightened understanding of organizational system dynamics. The system modeling brings deeper insight, while mapping this insight into LeSS facilitates better retention along with an understanding of how to act on what is being learned.

We will continue to incrementally advance our depth of understanding using system modeling for the majority of the three days. Towards the end of the third day time will be spent: coalescing the whole of our enhanced understanding; providing guidance on how to move forward; and orienting participants on how to navigate a wealth of additional information.

DAY 1: Setting the Stage

The first of three days will be used to establish the overall context of the system modeling activities which follow. This will be done with a small amount of lecture, but primarily via small and large group discussions and exercises. We’ll follow this thread through the entire 3-day event.

• Introduction
• Avoiding Taylorism
• Estimates, not Commitments
• People are Valuable
• System Optimization, not Local Optimization
• Discovering Value
• Implications of multiple Product Backlogs

DAY 2: Seeing Simplicity through Systems Modeling

On the second day, we will take what we learned about Systems Modeling on Day 1 and use those tools to understand:

• Benefits of Cross-Functional Teams
• Product Breadth Considerations
• Private Code Impedes Technical Excellence
• Managing Cognitive Fullness
• Requirement Area Sizing Considerations

DAY 3: Modeling decisions through Systems Modeling & LeSS

As we continue to advance our depth of understanding using system modeling, the third day will be spent coalescing the whole of our enhanced understanding, providing guidance on how to move forward, and orienting participants on how to navigate a wealth of additional information.

• Product Breadth and Adaptability
• Avoiding Middlemen
• LeSS Complete Picture
• Structure Drives Culture
• Adoption in your organization
• Extended Q&A

After course completion

Each participant will be a Certified LeSS Practitioner and will get an account on less.works. Here one can find additional information about LeSS, share course information, and stay in contact with the other course participants.

All participants get access to the book: Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS

Travel Logistics

The training venue is in a walkable neighborhood less than a 5 minute Uber ride from the downtown Milwaukee hotels.

If you fly in or arrive by train, you won't need to bother with a rental car. The Hiawatha is a particularly easy travel choice if you are coming from downtown Chicago.

There are a lot of walkable dining and shopping options in the southern end of downtown, as well as the adjacent Third Ward neighborhood which it blends into.

​East Saint Paul Ave & North Broadway is the heart of the Third Ward shopping and restaurant area. The Third Ward shopping area is anchored by the Milwaukee Public Market.

Many of the brew pubs and other table service restaurants are located along the Milwaukee River. These start as far north as Water Street & E Knapp Street, and continue south along Water street deep into the Third Ward as far south as Water Street & East Erie Street. If you prefer, you can access most of this via the pedestrian riverwalk, which is where you will find the Bronze Fonz.

A few well located hotel choices include:

• ​Westin Downtown: ~$240/night
• ​Pfister: ~$190/night
• ​Milwaukee Marriott Downtown: ~$180/night
• ​Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Downtown: ~$120/night
• ​Homewood Suites by Hilton Milwaukee Downtown: ~$115/night

For those of you arriving at the Milwaukee airport, an Uber or taxi will be the easiest way to get to your hotel. The rental car center is on-site at the MKE airport adjacent to baggage pickup.

Flying into Chicago O'Hare airport can be a good option in some cases. You will need to rent a car, or use a car service, to get to Milwaukee. I can provide more details upon request.

Those of you arriving by train, will arrive at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station which is a few blocks away from everything mentioned above. Although you could easily walk to your hotel if traveling light, a short Uber or Taxi ride is probably a better idea with heavy bags, or if arriving late at night.

A roomette on Amtrak can be a nice way to travel if you are not pressed for time, and make sure to avoid any connections other than the very reliable Hiawatha connection between Chicago and Milwaukee. You can find the Amtrak route map here.

The expected training venue is an upscale event room on the Upper East Side of Milwaukee, overlooking Lake Michigan. This is in a more residential urban neighborhood. There are lots of walkable restaurants, grocery stores, and an amazing park system; but no hotels. There is all-day paid parking for anyone driving.

Please email me if you have any questions, logistics or otherwise.

Contact Details

James Carpenter

Certified LeSS Trainer

Agile Carpentry

Email: james@agilecarpentry.com​

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescarpenter1/​

Website: https://agilecarpentry.com​