Assignment 3: Resolve Conflicts and Promote Collaboration as an Agile Coach

Assignment 3: Resolve Conflicts and Promote Collaboration as an Agile Coach
Due Week 9 and worth 110 points
The following resources may be helpful when completing this assignment:

• “Handling Conflict on Agile Teams: What to Do When a Team Member Complains” (You may also view the article at http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/articles/892-handling-conflict-on-agile-teams-what-to-do-when-a-team-member-complains.)
• “Unsolvable Conflict on Agile Teams” (You may also view the article at http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/articles/888-unsolvable-conflict-on-agile-teams.)

Determining how to build a high-performing agile team, while managing conflicts, is a considerable task for any agile coach. In this assignment, you are asked to explore and discuss various conflict resolution methods and determine when and how to use them as an agile coach. You must discuss the techniques in the context of an agile project team environment with various scenarios, and must also demonstrate approaches to turning the high-contention situations into high-collaboration situations.
For example, the project team has consistently encountered changes of scope by the product owner. The QA team also emailed the whole team on how poorly the developers have done in their coding. The developers escalated to their manager about the documentation errors from the architects.
Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Identify and evaluate at least three (3) conflict resolution techniques that can be used by the agile coach to change the dynamics of the team in the example provided.
2. Speculate on two (2) common causes of conflicts in teams. Suggest two (2) approaches that agile coaches can take in order to mitigate or prevent these conflicts.
3. Analyze the major pros and cons of two (2) conflict resolution techniques. Determine at least three (3) different situations (e.g., levels of conflicts) where these conflict resolution techniques would be useful.
4. Suggest at least three (3) strategies where an agile coach can use conflict to propel team members to achieve higher performance.
5. Recommend at least five (5) best practices for collaboration and cooperation within agile teams. Support each best practice recommendation with one (1) example of collaboration within agile teams.
6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. You may use the resources above or others of your choosing.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain how agile teams and coaches master agile project management.
• Describe effective communication strategies among agile coaches.
• Compare and contrast facilitation techniques among agile coaches.
• Describe effective communication strategies among agile coaches.
• Compare problem-solving techniques in agile environments.
• Explain the role of an agile coach in addressing ethical issues and conflict among team members.
• Compare and contrast best practices with collaboration and cooperation in agile teams.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in advanced agile project management topics.
• Write clearly and concisely about advanced agile project management topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Assignment 3: Resolve Conflicts and Promote Collaboration as an Agile Coach
Due Week 9 and worth 110 points
The following resources may be helpful when completing this assignment:

• “Handling Conflict on Agile Teams: What to Do When a Team Member Complains” (You may also view the article at http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/articles/892-handling-conflict-on-agile-teams-what-to-do-when-a-team-member-complains.)
• “Unsolvable Conflict on Agile Teams” (You may also view the article at http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/articles/888-unsolvable-conflict-on-agile-teams.)

Determining how to build a high-performing agile team, while managing conflicts, is a considerable task for any agile coach. In this assignment, you are asked to explore and discuss various conflict resolution methods and determine when and how to use them as an agile coach. You must discuss the techniques in the context of an agile project team environment with various scenarios, and must also demonstrate approaches to turning the high-contention situations into high-collaboration situations.
For example, the project team has consistently encountered changes of scope by the product owner. The QA team also emailed the whole team on how poorly the developers have done in their coding. The developers escalated to their manager about the documentation errors from the architects.
Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Identify and evaluate at least three (3) conflict resolution techniques that can be used by the agile coach to change the dynamics of the team in the example provided.
2. Speculate on two (2) common causes of conflicts in teams. Suggest two (2) approaches that agile coaches can take in order to mitigate or prevent these conflicts.
3. Analyze the major pros and cons of two (2) conflict resolution techniques. Determine at least three (3) different situations (e.g., levels of conflicts) where these conflict resolution techniques would be useful.
4. Suggest at least three (3) strategies where an agile coach can use conflict to propel team members to achieve higher performance.
5. Recommend at least five (5) best practices for collaboration and cooperation within agile teams. Support each best practice recommendation with one (1) example of collaboration within agile teams.
6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. You may use the resources above or others of your choosing.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain how agile teams and coaches master agile project management.
• Describe effective communication strategies among agile coaches.
• Compare and contrast facilitation techniques among agile coaches.
• Describe effective communication strategies among agile coaches.
• Compare problem-solving techniques in agile environments.
• Explain the role of an agile coach in addressing ethical issues and conflict among team members.
• Compare and contrast best practices with collaboration and cooperation in agile teams.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in advanced agile project management topics.
• Write clearly and concisely about advanced agile project management topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.