Course Taxonomy: Technology Platforms

Deploying and Automating Infrastructure at Scale

Posted on October 27, 2020 by -

Part 1 – Infrastructure Platform: AWS Cloud

  1. Installing and using the AWS CLI (Command Line Interface)
  2. AWS Networking
  3. VPC’s (Virtual Private Clouds)
  4. Subnets
  5. Internet Gateways
  6. Route Tables
  7. Route Table Associations
  8. Creating AWS Networking Components
  9. Launching VMs in AWS Cloud

Part 2 – Git: Source Control Management: GitHub

  1. This course doesn’t teach the basics of git. Git experience is assumed (see the ‘DevOps Pipeline’ course if your team needs basic git knowledge)

Part 3 – Infrastructure Deployment: Terraform

  1. Intro to Terraform
  2. Creating cloud buckets for storage
  3. Separating code: Multiple Terraform configuration files
  4. Storing state remotely
  5. Git branching
  6. Displaying resource outputs
  7. Creating cloud networking components with Terraform
  8. Configuring cloud Security groups
  9. Using SSH Public/Private Keys with Terraform
  10. Launching and Destroying cloud VM instances with Terraform
  11. Creating reusable code with modules
  12. Using Terraform variables

Part 4 – Configuration Management: Terraform with Ansible

  1. Ansible Provisioners in Terraform
  2. Integrating Terraform-managed instances with Ansible Control Nodes
  3. Launching multi-tiered architectures (web servers and load balancers) with Terraform and Ansible

Part 5 – Notifications: Slack

  1. Integrating CI/CD with Slack
  2. Using Slack for CI/CD approvals and notifications

Part 6 – Containerization: Docker

  1. Purpose and use case for Docker
  2. Docker Hub
  3. Basic Docker commands
  4. Docker Networking
  5. Launching and debugging NGINX containers
  6. Mounting Volumes to containers
  7. Docker mount points: Multiple containers, one shared code location
  8. Launching Docker hosts and Docker containers automatically
  9. Port mapping with containers
  10. Launching multi-tiered architectures (web servers and load balancers): an automated approach
  11. Customizing containers with Docker Hub and Dockerfiles
  12. Reducing infrastructure bloat: Buster-Slim Docker containers

Part 7 – Managed OS: Linux Only

  1. Management of Linux Servers only

Part 8 – Container Management: Kubernetes (Optional)

  1. Kubernetes (K8S) overview and use case
  2. K8S architecture
  3. Installation and configuration
  4. Master and node server components
  5. Creating K8S load-balanced clusters
  6. Deploying Apps with K8S
  7. Scaling Apps
  8. K8S monitoring and App repair
  9. Updating Apps with K8S

Building Microsoft Power BI Dashboards

Posted on October 23, 2020 by -

Part 1: What is BI?

We’ll start out by covering business intelligence basics to lay the groundwork for an intelligent approach to reporting and visualizing data.

  • Business Intelligence Overview
  • Common Challenges
  • Benefits of Power BI

Part 2: Getting started with Power BI

Power BI is an extensive toolbox for working with and analyzing data. We’ll cover the fundamentals of the service, how Power BI’s features are organized, and immediately orient towards dashboards and visualization.

  • Overview & Pricing/Licensing
  • Components of Power BI
  • Building Blocks of Power BI
  • Quick Tour of Power BI Service

Part 3: Building simple reports

Reports are the first step in graphically communicating information related to your data. In this section of the class, you’ll learn to use and navigate the types of datasets you encounter every day, and how to use them to begin shaping meaningful communication.

  • Importing excel data
  • Using preexisting datasets
  • Creating visualizations
  • Using slicers

Part 4: Dashboards

In this section, we’ll cover how to create and use dashboards for common needs. By the end of this section, you’ll understand what’s realistic to expect from your PowerBI dashboards and how to set them up, share them, and produce valuable insights with your team quickly.

  • Dashboard expectations vs. features
  • Using KPI
  • Create and Configure a Dashboard
  • Shared Dashboards with your Organization
  • Pinning visuals

Part 5: Exploring data

In this final section of class, we’ll get a bit more granular about navigating, analyzing and communicating about your data. By the time we conclude, you’ll be ready to start applying what you’ve learned in your own real-world situations. 

  • Use Quick Insights
  • Display Visuals and Tiles Full-Screen
  • Edit Tile Details
  • Get More Space on Your Dashboard
  • Ask Questions of your Data with Natural Language
  • Advanced Navigation

Implementing Azure DevOps Pipelines

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Course Introduction

  1. Azure Repos-Chef-Azure Pipelines: A DevOps Pipeline
  2. Course Purpose
  3. Agenda
  4. Introductions
  5. Lab Environments

Part 2: Technology Overview

  1. Git – Source Control Management
  2. Chef – Configuration Management
  3. Azure Pipelines – Continuous Integration
  4. An End-To-End CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) Pipeline

Part 3: Git/Azure Repos – Source Control Management

  1. Git purpose and Workflow
  2. Git configuration
  3. Getting help with git
  4. Basic git commands
  5. Remote, status, add, commit, push, log, diff
  6. Creating and checking out branches
  7. Creating a repository in Azure Repo
  8. Accessing a private repository with SSH keys
  9. Pull requests
  10. Merging and deleting branches

Part 4: Chef – Configuration Management

  1. Chef purpose and use cases
  2. Chef basics: Resources, recipes, and cookbooks
  3. Chef policy files
  4. Integration testing with Inspec and Test kitchen
  5. Chef variables: Attributes and Ohai
  6. Dynamic file creation with templates
  7. Using Chef Supermarket and community cookbooks
  8. Wrapper cookbooks
  9. Automating infrastructure with Chef Search
  10. Centralized management with Chef Infra Server
  11. Automating Chef convergence
  12. Managing nodes with policy groups

Part 5: Azure Pipelines

  1. CI/CD = Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment
  2. Purpose
  3. Projects
  4. Jobs
  5. YAML scripting – CI/CD as Code
  6. Managing credentials and secret files
  7. Integrating with Source Control Management: Azure Repos
  8. Triggers: Scheduled Polling and Webhooks
  9. Automated cookbook linting: Foodcritic and Cookstyle
  10. Automated cookbook testing with Test Kitchen
  11. Azure Pipelines Integration with Chef Server
  12. Creating Separate Build and Release Pipelines
  13. Continuous Deployment of Chef cookbooks with Azure Pipelines

Implementing a CI/CD Pipeline

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Technology Overview

  1. Git – Source Control Management
  2. Ansible – Configuration Management
  3. Jenkins – Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment

Part 2: Git – Source Control Management

  1. Purpose overview and use cases
  2. Git workflow
  3. Configuring git on your local machine
  4. Getting help with Git
  5. Local vs. Global vs. System configurations
  6. Basic Git Commands
  7. Creating local git repositories
  8. Branching and merging
  9. Using remote repositories
  10. Pushing code to Github using public and private SSH keys

Part 3: Ansible – Configuration Management

  1. Ansible purpose and use cases
  2. Architecture and call flow
  3. Ansible installation, configuration, and validation
  4. Control nodes and managed nodes
  5. Ansible managed hosts
  6. Host inventory; hosts and groups
  7. Repeatable code: Playbooks
  8. Introduction to YAML
  9. Modularizing code: Roles
  10. Ansible variables
  11. Dynamic configuration with facts
  12. Finding errors: Ansible unit testing
  13. Ensuring code quality: Ansible integration testing

Part 4: Jenkins – Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment

  1. CI/CD overview, use cases and history
  2. Plugin architecture
  3. Initializing a Jenkins server
  4. Projects and jobs
  5. Freestyle jobs
  6. CI/CD as Code: Pipeline projects
  7. Declarative vs. scripted pipelines
  8. Jenkins Environment variables and parameters
  9. Distributed architecture: Master and agent nodes
  10. Views and Folders
  11. Managing credentials and secrets
  12. Integrating with git Source Control Management
  13. Triggers: Webhooks and Polling
  14. Notifications: Instant messaging and SMTP Email
  15. Approval inputs
  16. Testing Ansible playbooks in Jenkins
  17. Multibranch Pipelines: Reading entire repositories
  18. Conditional Logic
  19. Deploying Ansible playbooks with Jenkins: An automated end-to-end deployment pipeline

Jenkins User Boot Camp (Java/Python)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Source Control Management with Git

  1. Purpose and overview of Git
  2. Use cases for Git
  3. Git flow
  4. Git providers
  5. Git configuration
  6. Finding help on Git
  7. Creating Local Git Repositories
  8. Basic Commands: add, commit, status, log
  9. Comparing commits: git diff
  10. Using a Repository: git push
  11. Branches: creating, merging and deleting
  12. Resolving merge conflicts
  13. Managing Pull Requests
  14. Using SSH keys with git platform private repositories

Part 2: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment with Jenkins

  1. Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Jenkins
  2. CI/CD = Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment
  3. Jenkins use case, purpose & history
  4. Architecture
  5. Using Plugins
  6. Initializing a Jenkins Master
  7. Projects / jobs
  8. Freestyle UI jobs
  9. CI/CD as Code: Pipeline Projects
  10. Declarative versus Scripted pipelines
  11. Views and folders
  12. Managing credentials and secrets
  13. Distributing workloads – Master and Agent nodes
  14. Integrating with Git: Source Control Management
  15. Triggers: Scheduled Polling and Webhooks
  16. Notifications: Instant Messaging Integration
  17. Requiring human input and approval
  18. Automated code linting and testing
  19. Jenkins Integration with managed nodes
  20. Continuous deployment through Jenkins

Part 3: Code Deployment and Release Management

  1. Java
    1. Building an artifact
    2. Storing Artifacts locally
  2. Python
    1. Building an artifact
    2. Storing Artifacts locally

Part 4: Notifications with Slack

  1. Integration setup
  2. Using Slack for CI/CD notifications

Part 5: Linux Management

Splunk Boot Camp

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

*All lab exercises are run in a Linux environment. A Windows environment can be provided upon request. 

Part 1: Introduction to Splunk

  1. What’s Splunk?
  2. Authentication Methods
  3. Access Controls & Users
  4. Products, Licensing, and Costs
  5. Quick Tour Guide: User Interface
  6. Exercise: Lab Environment and Configuration

Part 2: Indexes

  1. Splunk Data
  2. What are Indexes?
  3. What are Indexers?
  4. Exercise: Create Your First Index
  5. Search-Head
  6. Index Clusters
  7. Index Pipeline
  8. Exercise: Upload Data Manually
  9. Events
  10. Fields & Field Extraction
  11. Exercise: Using the Field Extractor Tool
  12. Forwarders
  13. Metrics
  14. Exercise: Using the Forwarder to Send Data
  15. Removing Data

Part 3: Splunk Architecture

  1. Components of Splunk Deployments
  2. Deployment Scenarios

Part 4: Search Processing Language

  1. What is Search Processing Language (SPL)?
  2. Searching Operators
  3. Search Commands
  4. Search Pipeline
  5. Exercise: Search Examples
  6. Subsearches
  7. Commonly Used Search Commands
  8. Exercise: Search Examples II
  9. Drilldowns
  10. Lookups
  11. Exercise: Using Lookups
  12. Optimize Searches
  13. Exercise: Search Examples III

Part 5: Dashboard & Visualizations

  1. Dashboards in Splunk
  2. Creating Dashboards
  3. Visualization Types
  4. Search as Reports
  5. Dashboards
  6. Exercise: Creating a Dashboard
  7. Drilldown
  8. Forms
  9. Exercise: Add Input Forms
  10. Exercise: Drilldown

Part 6: Alerts

  1. Creating Alerts
  2. Scheduling Alerts
  3. Alerts Notifications
  4. Exercise: Creating Alerts

Part 7: Scheduled Reports

  1. Creating Scheduled Reports
  2. Exercise: Create a Scheduled Report

Part 8: Putting All Pieces Together

Exercise: As a final lab, you’ll configure a typical scenario when using Splunk. You'll install and configure an NGINX, then the Splunk forwarder to collect logs in Splunk. The idea is that you can apply everything you've learned within the Bootcamp: creating searches, visualizations, dashboards, etc.

Advanced Kubernetes Boot Camp

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Core Concepts

We’ll go deep into different terms of Kubernetes to understand what it takes to build and run scalable systems in production. There are design patterns that you can implement in Kubernetes to extend an existing application without having to change the source code, like a sidecar pattern.

  1. Kubernetes architecture
  2. Imperative commands and descriptive manifests
  3. Pods, deployments, services, namespaces, DaemonSets
  4. Exercise: Working with Pods
  5. Exercise: Working with ReplicaSet
  6. Exercise: Working with Deployments
  7. Exercise: Working with Services
  8. Multi-containers
  9. Init containers
  10. Exercise: Working with StatefulSet
  11. Working with multiple clusters (kubeconfig)
  12. Kubernetes design patterns

Part 2: Networking in Kubernetes

Understanding how networking works in Kubernetes is important because it will help you to configure networking patterns like service discovery for a microservices architecture. But another concept that is taking more relevance are service meshes. We’ll explore what a service mesh is, and we’ll practice using one of the most popular ones: Istio.

  1. Ingress networking
  2. Exercise: Working with Ingress
  3. Networking policies
  4. Exercise: Working with Networking Policies
  5. What’s a service mesh?
  6. Introduction to Istio
  7. Observability with Istio
  8. Networking security with Istio
  9. Canary releases with Istio
  10. Exercise: Working with Istio

Part 3: Creating Scalable and Fault-Tolerant Applications

Kubernetes has a lot of great features built in by implementing the controller pattern. But in many cases, our applications need to include small configurations to help Kubernetes make better decisions to support reliable applications. We’ll see what changes are needed in the applications, and then we’ll deploy and test a sample application.

  1. Working with configuration
  2. Exercise: Working with ConfigMaps
  3. Working with probes
  4. Exercise: Working with Probes
  5. Configuring requests and limits
  6. Taints and tolerations
  7. Exercise: Working with Taints and Tolerations
  8. Node selectors
  9. Configuring scaling policies
  10. Exercise: Configuring scaling policies

Part 4: Development Workflow in Kubernetes

Kubernetes doesn’t have to change the way developers build applications, but they might want to be involved or test in their local workstations when they’re done with their application changes. We’ll discuss some recommended practices and tools.

  1. Packaging and managing applications with Helm
  2. Exercise: Working with Helm
  3. Continuous delivery in Kubernetes
  4. Exercise: Continuous Delivery with Flux
  5. Logging and monitoring systems
  6. Troubleshooting application failures
  7. Exercise: Troubleshooting Applications
  8. Development Toolbox: State of the art

Part 5: Developing Stateful Services

Stateless services are great for certain use cases, but there are scenarios where an application needs to be able to store data permanently, or at least work with data that is not ephemeral. Databases are one example.

  1. Understanding persistent volumes
  2. Exercise: Working with PV and PVC
  3. Backup and restore in Kubernetes
  4. Exercise: Backup and restore with Velero
  5. Databases in Kubernetes

Part 6: Security Practices and Recommendations

Kubernetes is not secure by default, and there are many considerations that you need to be aware of if before exposing your applications to the public internet. Companies usually have existing security policies, so we’ll cover how these security practices apply in a Kubernetes ecosystem.

  1. Authentication and Authorization
  2. Integration with AWS and IAM
  3. Docker image and pods security
  4. Pod Security Context and Policies
  5. Secrets encryption using KMS
  6. Exercise: Security in Kubernetes

Part 7: Extending the Kubernetes API

There are times where we need to extend the Kubernetes API to operate systems more easily. Not everyone will need to build something to extend the Kubernetes API, but it’s very valuable to understand the what, when, and how of custom resource definitions and the operator pattern.

  1. Custom Resource Definition (CRD)
  2. Custom Controllers
  3. Operator Pattern
  4. Operator Framework
  5. Exercise: Creating an Operator

Part 8: What’s Next for Kubernetes?

We’ll discuss other topics related to Kubernetes that might not fit everyone’s use cases, but that as a Kubernetes user you might want to be aware of. For instance, we’ll talk a little bit about having federated clusters, hybrid workloads, and several important tools from the CNCF.

Managing Azure Infrastructure with Terraform

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Infrastructure as Code

In this section, we will introduce the benefits that Infrastructure as Code (IaC) can bring to organizations and how IaC fits within modern DevOps best practices.

  1. DevOps and GitOps
  2. Principles of Infrastructure as Code
  3. Applying Infrastructure as Code in DevOps
  4. Infrastructure as Code best practices
  5. Benefits of Infrastructure as Code
  6. The case for Terraform

Part 2: Terraform Overview

This section provides an overview of Terraform concepts and vocabulary and instructs how Terraform manages infrastructure configuration in cloud environments.

  1. Terraform configuration language overview
  2. Terraform CLI
  3. The lifecycle of a configuration
  4. State storage – local versus remote
  5. Connecting to Azure

Hands-on Labs:

  • Setting up a Terraform project

Part 3: Azure Resources

In this section participants will be getting hands-on practice using Terraform to create a simple application environment in Azure, learning the essential constructs in Terraform for defining resources.

  1. Resource metadata and naming best practices
  2. Subscription and resource group
  3. Networking resources (VNet, subnet, network security group)
  4. Compute resources (virtual machine)
  5. Storage resources (storage account, file share, blob storage)
  6. Database resources (SQL database)
  7. Variables
  8. Outputs

Hands-on Labs:

  • Deploying a VNet
  • Adding a virtual machine into your VNet
  • Adding storage and a database
  • Including variables in your code
  • Using Terraform commands to validate and inspect your configuration

Part 4: Terraform Programming

This section introduces programming constructs within Terraform that enable you to add more control and flexibility in defining resources.

  1. Control operations (count, loops, conditional, depends_on, etc.)
  2. Data structures (maps, lists, random_string, etc.)
  3. Data sources
  4. Functions (e.g., lookup, coalesce, join, merge, etc.)
  5. Variable validation
  6. Debugging Terraform

Hands-on Labs:

  • Managing multiple resources through count and loops
  • Using maps and lists in your code
  • Using functions in your code
  • Using Terraform CLI and state manipulation to debug your configuration

Part 5: Modules

This section shows how modules can be used to create reusable components in Terraform and teaches best practices in organizing Terraform code.

  1. Purpose of modules
  2. Modules code file organization structure
  3. Module structure
  4. Module sources and versioning
  5. Nested modules
  6. Publishing modules

Hands-on Labs:

  • Refactoring your earlier lab code to a module
  • Using Azure modules (subscription, metadata, resource group, virtual network)

Part 6: Wrapping Up

This section wraps up the course with reviews to reinforce what you have learned.

  1. Reference material to learn more
  2. Course review
  3. Next steps

Cloud Strategy Boot Camp

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: Fundamentals of Cloud Computing

  1. Tenets of Cloud Computing
    • What makes something “cloud”?
    • The five tenets
    • Why the five tenets are so difficult in practice
    • The cloud mindset
  2. Cloud Deployment Models
    • Types of providers
      • Public
      • Private
      • Hybrid
    • Combining providers
      • Single
      • Multi-cloud
    • Choosing among provider types
    • Using cloud providers securely
  3. Cloud Service Models
    • Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
    • Platform as a service (PaaS)
    • Software as a service (SaaS)
    • Serverless
  4. Communicating Your Cloud Journey
    • Share your cloud strategy
    • Don’t ignore the people side of strategy success
    • Stay connected regularly and be available
    • Expect challenges and doubters
    • Celebrate your successes and share lessons learned
    • Exercise: Develop a communications plan

Part 2: Cloud Strategy Overview

  1. What Is Cloud Strategy?
    • What it is (and isn’t)
    • Relation to other strategies and plans
    • Once you have one, now what?
  2. From Business Vision to Cloud Strategy
    • Desired business outcomes
    • Potential benefits
    • Potential risks
    • The rise of bimodal IT
    • Business-specific factors
    • Exercise: Align benefits and risks with desired outcomes
  3. Cloud Strategy Council
    • What is it?
    • Why do you need one?
    • Who’s on it?
  4. Services Model
    • Consume
    • Build
    • Broker
    • Hybrid Management
    • Exercise: Develop sample services model
  5. Financial Models
    • How pricing works for cloud services
    • Is cloud cheaper?
    • CapEx vs. OpEx
  6. Principles
    • Why principles matter
    • Common cloud principles
    • How to choose yours
    • Exercise: Select cloud principles for sample case
  7. Workload Inventory
    • The hard work of preparation
    • Exercise: Complete a sample workload inventory
  8. Establish Governance Model
    • Importance of cloud governance
    • Layers of governance
      • Enterprise architecture
      • Technical architecture
      • Application architecture
      • Data architecture
    • Risk and compliance
      • Legal compliance
      • Industry compliance
      • Internal policies
    • Cloud center of excellence
  9. Staffing, Resource, and Training Impacts
    • Assessment of roles needed and impacted
    • Evaluate corporate staffing and resource policies
    • Exercise: Complete a sample training plan
  10. Exit Strategy
    • Why it’s critical to have one
    • Contracts
    • Data ownership and retention
    • Potential risks and issues

Part 3: Beginning Cloud Adoption

  1. Cloud Adoption Framework
    • Assess
    • Perform
    • Extend
    • Improve
  2. Assess Your Cloud Readiness
    • Initiating your adoption planning
    • Conducting cloud readiness assessments inventorying
    • Interpreting readiness results
    • Moving from assessment to action plan
    • Exercise: Complete a sample readiness assessment
  3. Cloud Migration Decision Framework: The 6Rs
    • Replace
    • Refactor
    • Rehost
    • Retain
    • Retire
    • Replatform
    • Exercise:Apply cloud migration decision framework to a sample case
  4. Select Your First Cloud Service
    • Prioritize candidate services
      • Select candidates for your first cloud service
      • Assess service criticality of each candidate
      • Assess risk and benefit of each candidate
      • Decide on the first cloud service
    • Architect selected cloud service
      • Cloud native
      • 12 factor app methodology
      • LIFESPAR
      • Exercise: Rearchitect sample architecture for cloud migration
    • Evaluate cost and return
      • Maximize your cloud value
        • Avoid surprise bills
        • Use demand forecasting effectively
        • Trade off space and time to save money
        • Hit your uptime targets without breaking the bank
      • Assess benefits of cloud service
        • Operational efficiencies or agility
        • Changes in staffing and skill sets
          • Operations
          • Development
          • Security
        • Expected cost savings from infrastructure
        • Determine costs of cloud services
        • Assessing impact on staff resources
      • Compute cloud service costs
        • Throughput
        • Compute time
        • Scalability
        • Resiliency
      • Exercise: Estimate cost for sample architecture for public cloud providers

Part 4: Extending and Improving Adoption

  1. Assess Hybrid Operating Challenges
    • Development and testing
      • Development toolchain
      • Debugging in the cloud
      • Testing
    • Operations
      • The rise of SRE
      • Moving administration up the stack
      • Aligning cloud service monitoring and on-premises monitoring
      • Survey of SRE vendors and tools
    • Security
      • Incident and event management
      • Auditing
      • Policy enforcement
      • Penetration testing
      • Threat assessment and modeling
      • Vulnerability management
    • Identity and access controls
      • The continuum of identity from on-premises to IDaaS
      • Understand the benefits and trade-offs of IAM protocols
      • Identity as the new edge
      • The hidden costs of identity in SaaS
      • Survey of cloud IAM vendors
    • Environment management
      • Moving from on-premises environments to cloud environments
      • Hybrid environment challenges
    • Configuration management
      • Impact of cloud service models on configuration
      • Storing secrets securely
      • Managing secrets over time
      • Monitoring for drift
      • Survey of configuration management vendors and tools
    • Deployment and release management
      • A new philosophy of release management
      • Separating deployment from release
      • Monitor and recover from failed deployments
      • Data management
        • Implement proper security controls
        • Plan a successful data migration effort
        • Establish audit and traceability
        • Analysis and reporting from the cloud
          • Business continuity and disaster recovery
            • Evaluate business continuity procedures
            • Evaluate disaster recovery procedures
  1. Improve Cloud Adoption Practices
    • Conduct regular retrospectives
    • Improve automation
    • Manage workloads
    • Refine governance, security, and risk processes
    • Train and develop staff
    • Monitor cloud consumption
    • Perform ongoing security and risk assessments

 Part 5: Wrap Up

  1. Our Cloud Strategy Journey
  2. What To Do Now
  3. Final Thoughts

Jira and Agile Projects

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1 – JIRA Fundamentals

  1. Using JIRA
  • The JIRA workspace
  • Mapping JIRA features to common agile & scrum practices
  • Tickets in JIRA
  1. Team roles and JIRA
  • Review: Agile and Scrum basics
  • Team members
  • ScrumMasters & Product Owners
  • JIRA features for supporting Agile teams
  1. JIRA issues and Agile Projects
  • What’s possible with JIRA
  • Navigating JIRA
  • Creating, editing and transitioning issues
  • Types of issues
  • JIRA’s standard hierarchy
  • Stories, prioritizing & estimating
  • Managing backlogs in JIRA

Hands-On Exercise: Using issues to track, link, and cross-reference agile projects

  1. JIRA workflows
  • Project roles & permissions
  • Components
  • Releases
  • Projects to products
  • Views of projects within JIRA
  1. Search and Exploring Data
  • Prioritizing & searching JIRA issues
  • Views & options for meaningful results
  • Using filters
  • Using JIRA Query Language (JQL)
  • Saved searches and re-use
  • Using dashboards & subscriptions

Hands-On Exercise: Defining search criteria and using JQL, detail view, list view, filters & subscriptions

Part 2 – Applying JIRA to Enterprise Work

  1. Managing agile & kanban boards in JIRA
  • Aligning agile boards with team needs
  • Scrum vs. Kanban boards
  • Using Kanban boards
  • Typical team member duties in JIRA
  • Supporting sprint planning and resource assignments
  • Managing your backlog efficiently with JIRA
  • Epics, stories, and sub-tasks
  • Releases and release reporting
  1. Sprints in JIRA
  • Starting a sprint
  • Active sprints
  • Quick filters for managing work
  • Swimlanes
  • Closing a sprint

Demo – Using Agile Boards for backlogs and sprints

During this in-depth demonstration, we will show you how to use JIRA for some of the most common agile project needs. This demo will cover:

  1. Agile Board Navigation
  2. Compare Scrum and Kanban boards
  3. Using Backlog mode
  4. Filtering the Backlog
  5. Planning a Sprint
  6. Starting a Sprint
  7. Managing Work in an Active Sprint
  8. Closing a Sprint
  1. Analyzing reports in JIRA
  • Built-in JIRA reports and their benefits
  • Analyzing reports
  • Using information in JIRA to make decisions
  1. JIRA scrum boards and agile reports
  • Burndown Charts
  • Sprint Report
  • Epic Burndown
  • Release Burndown
  • Velocity Charts
  • Control Charts
  • Cumulative Flow Diagram
  1. JIRA Kanban Board reports
  • Control Charts
  • Cumulative Flow Diagrams
  • Work in Progress (WiP) and JIRA

Part 3 – Scaling JIRA enablement

  1. Using JIRA to enable Agile projects at scale
  • Managing multiple projects in JIRA
  • Cross-referencing and linking issues
  • Portfolio and program support with JIRA
  • Managing releases
  • Reporting
  • JIRA plugins
  1. Building Dashboards in JIRA
  • Creating, editing, and sharing dashboards
  • Dashboard gadgets to present information
  • Where do gadgets get their data?
  • Configure dashboard gadgets with project data and/or filtered data
  • Dashboard layouts
  • Dashboard troubleshooting
  1. Course conclusion: charting your path
  • Discussion: Top three opportunities for improvement using JIRA
  • Immediate next steps for your team
  • Expert Q and A