The local leader in teaching the fast-growing Agile Methodology concept of project management is itself putting agility into practice by taking its classes to the next level and launching the Penn State Great Valley Center for Agile Methodologies alongside two new programs on its Malvern campus.

“Attending the Agile courses benefited us as a team tremendously,” local professional Jim Taylor said. “We have a better understanding of Agile as a group, which allows us to work from a common vision. We were able to immediately apply what we learned to our current projects and have improved the productivity and predictability of our development efforts.”

According to Jay Polakoff, Senior Manager of Workforce Solutions, “the Agile Methodology is a series of guidelines designed to increase customer satisfaction through continuous delivery of working software, or a product, that meets their needs.”

Among the different facets of Agile, the uber-popular Scrum approach is the focus of the first of the center’s new programs: the three-day Large-Scale Scrum Certified Practitioner course, which addresses Scrum principles, application, successful models, exercises and extensive Q and A.

“Our programs are designed to meet the needs and challenges of working adults,” Jay Polakoff said. “They are delivered in a concise format that affords students the opportunity to implement significant change in their organization.”

Another framework, Kanban, will teach about communication through visual management in the exclusive two-day interactive Certified Lean Kanban Professional program, which aims to help managers, team leads, architects, developers and executives improve project lead times and reduce bottlenecks.

The courses are particularly attractive to already-successful aspiring leaders.

“A certification affords students the opportunity to demonstrate to employers and peers their commitment to continuous improvement,” he added.

The center’s existing Scrum Alliance-registered courses include Scrum Developer, ScrumMaster and Product Owner. To register for classes; learn more about agile development, or register for classes click here.