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Online Agile training courses are a great way to kickstart or advance your career as a developer. Not only are they flexible and affordable, but they can also offer real-world, hands-on experience to help you gain confidence and get noticed by potential employers amongst a large field of competitive applicants. This guide will feature some of the top online courses for Agile developers to help you expand your knowledge, skill set, and potential for lucrative future employment opportunities.
The Best Agile Training Courses for Developers
The following list includes some of the top online Agile courses for developers. Pay close attention to any prerequisites and the curriculum to ensure your chosen course is a right fit before enrolling.
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Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum
Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum is a beginner-level online course from IBM. Created and taught by a seasoned Agile practitioner, the course is ideal for anyone looking to get started in Agile and Scrum, including product/project managers, executives, development managers, and software developers.
Over 48,000 students have enrolled in this online Agile course, which consists of 13 quizzes and takes just nine hours to complete on a flexible schedule. It has a 4.9-star rating with over 1,300 reviews and offers a shareable certificate for your LinkedIn profile upon completion.
Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum consists of four modules:
- Introduction to Agile and Scrum
- Agile Planning
- Daily Execution
- Create an Agile Plan with ZenHub
The final module is an optional HONORS Project meant to show your proficiency in the course material. It takes one hour to complete.
Coursera offers a seven-day free trial for the Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum course. Once the trial ends, you can continue for $49 monthly until the course is completed.
Read: Top Agile Tools for Developers
Agile with Atlassian Jira
Agile with Atlassian Jira is a beginner-level course taught by Atlassian University. Atlassian is the company behind Jira, the number one software development tool Agile teams use. This course offers hands-on experience in using and configuring the popular tool.
Almost 283,000 students have enrolled in Agile with Atlassian Jira, giving it a 4.7-star rating through nearly 8,300 online reviews. The four-module course takes 12 hours to complete on a flexible schedule, consists of four quizzes, and offers a shareable certificate for your LinkedIn profile upon completion.
Students will learn Agile basics, such as Scrum and Kanban. They will also practice applying Agile practices and creating/managing Agile boards in Jira.
- Module 1 (Agile Overview I) introduces the Agile mindset and Jira and has students create custom Kanban boards.
- Module 2 (Agile Overview II) covers Scrum concepts, sprint execution using Jira, Lean principles, and the Agile Manifesto.
- Module 3 (Configure Jira I) gets hands-on with configuring issues, custom issue types, and creating filters.
- Module 4 (Configure Jira II) involves epic and version creation, users, permissions, and a final Jira configuration project.
Agile with Atlassian Jira costs $49.
Agile Software Development
The Agile Software Development course from the University of Minnesota is an intermediate-level course that takes 11 hours to complete at your own pace. Its primary prerequisite is basic knowledge of software development methodologies and the software development process. Over 155,000 students have enrolled in the Agile course, giving it a 4.7-star rating via almost 7,000 reviews. Upon completion, you will receive a shareable certificate for your LinkedIn profile.
Agile Software Development consists of four modules and 14 quizzes:
- Module 1 (Agile Fundamentals) covers the Agile mindset and how/when to apply it, how Agile differs from traditional methods, and the different Agile frameworks.
- Module 2 (Requirements and Planning) covers Agile estimation and planning techniques, plus user stories.
- Module 3 (Scrum) details Agile’s most popular framework.
- Module 4 (XP and Course Wrap-up) compares Scrum to XP.
Coursera offers a free seven-day trial of the Agile Software Development course. Once the trial ends, you can continue the course until completion for $49 per month.
Managing an Agile Team
Managing an Agile Team is an online course from the University of Virginia that teaches students how to correctly apply Agile, support their team’s transition to the methodology, and more. The course focuses more on the application of Agile than simple explanations and definitions, and it aims to help managers charter team focus, improve collaboration, and more.
Over 61,000 students have enrolled in this online Agile course for existing and aspiring Agile developers and managers, which has a 4.7-star rating via nearly 1,300 reviews. It takes 10 hours to complete on a flexible schedule, has three quizzes, and offers a shareable LinkedIn certificate on completion.
Managing an Agile Team consists of four modules:
- Module 1 (The Agile Team) introduces the fundamental jobs of software development and the top Agile methodologies (Kanban, Scrum, and XP).
- Module 2 (Learning and Deciding) focuses on prioritization and applying Scrum, XP, and Kanban practices.
- Module 3 (Building and Managing) touches on the essential positions involved in running an Agile team.
- Module 4 (Practicing Agile) involves a peer-reviewed assignment that combines everything learned from the previous three modules.
Coursera offers a free seven-day trial for the Managing an Agile Team course. Once the trial ends, you can enjoy continued access for $79 per month until you receive your certificate.
Agile Planning for Software Products
Agile Planning for Software Products is an online course from the University of Alberta that helps students create effective software development plans, assess and plan for risks, generate work estimates for software releases, and more.
Over 62,000 students have enrolled in this online Agile course, giving it a 4.8-star rating via nearly 2,000 reviews. The course takes 12 hours to complete on a flexible schedule, includes five quizzes, and offers a shareable certificate for your LinkedIn profile upon completion.
Agile Planning for Software Products consists of four modules:
- Module 1 (Introduction to Planning) discusses the basic principles for effective planning and the differences between targets, estimates, and commitments.
- Module 2 (Project Planning) discusses story points, velocity, time boxing, and Gantt charts.
- Module 3 (Iteration Planning) covers task time estimation, task dependencies, critical path, iteration plan creation, etc.
- Module 4 (Risk Planning) discusses common causes of project failures, anti-patterns, and risk assessment.
Coursera offers a free seven-day Agile Planning for Software Products course trial. Once the trial ends, you can continue the course until completion for $49 per month.
Agile Analytics
Agile Analytics is another online course from the University of Virginia. The beginner-level course teaches students how to create a robust analytics infrastructure for their Agile teams so they can drive user value. Over 27,000 students have enrolled in the course, giving it a 4.7-star rating via 400-plus reviews.
Agile Analytics takes 14 hours to complete on a flexible schedule. It consists of 14 quizzes and offers a shareable certificate for your LinkedIn profile upon completion. There are four modules in the course:
- Module 1 (Introduction and Customer Analytics) teaches students how to gain insights into customers’ habits, jobs, and problems.
- Module 2 (Demand Analytics) teaches how to run experiments to test demand to ensure customers want your software before development.
- Module 3 (UX Analytics) covers experimentation and how to consistently test usability.
- Module 4 (Analytics and Data Science) details how to create productive and focused interfaces that mesh with data science.
Coursera offers a seven-day free trial for the Agile Analytics course. You can continue to access the course once the trial ends for $79 per month until completed.
What to Look for in Agile Courses for Developers
With so many Agile training courses online, you may feel overwhelmed when picking the best one to sharpen your skills and advance your career. You can filter results by first considering your current level of experience. If you want to break into Agile development, start by looking at only beginner-level courses. Next, you can factor in your career goals and read the descriptions of online Agile courses to see who they are intended for.
Course content is another important factor to consider. Beyond seeking the most up-to-date content, look for Agile courses that cover many Agile topics to give you a broader understanding of the methodology, including best practices, Lean, Scrum, Kanban, and more. Aim for Agile training courses taught by expert instructors from reputable organizations that offer plenty of hands-on exercises, interactivity, and assessments to test your absorption of the class material. If possible, enroll in a course that offers industry-recognized certification upon completion to enhance your resume and job prospects.
For ultimate flexibility that matches your schedule, look for online Agile courses you can complete at your own pace and see how long each takes to complete so it meets your expectations. Lastly, make sure the Agile course you choose fits your budget. Many are affordable, and some even come with free trials and financial aid.
Final Thoughts on the Top Online Courses for Agile Developers
This guide featured some of the top online Agile courses for developers. All can help enhance your skill set and knowledge and help you gain the recognition, compensation, and position you desire. Once you complete one course, keep going, as the more you add to your resume, the further your career as an Agile developer can go.
Read: Top Agile Certifications