Information Technology (IT)

[dathbgboy]

Agile/SCRUM is like a buzzword in today's corporate world. Many employers want people that know it but by the description, don't really know it themselves. You can go on Tutorials Point and find info on it. As long as you understand it and articulate that you do, you should be good. If you know basic project management functions and SDLC, you'll have no trouble incorporating SCRUM.

 

[luckyluchiano]

Daily scrum is an imperative part of SCRUM. This only involves the dev team, with a stand in scrum master or product owner (if needed). It helps your team to feel accountable and solve any issues that could potentially arise.

Coming from waterfall to Agile, I really do see more quality work getting done in less time. All about delegating roles, responsibilities and personal accountability.

Check scrumguides.org for the official guide. Try to apply small changes daily to your team.

Yea just from what I know about Agile/SCRUM I can see how beneficial it is just from the headaches I have had on a few Waterfall projects in the past.

 

[willypete]

Did he already have plenty of knowledge and experience? Although basic automation tasks were in my job description while I was in the military, I mostly dealt with radios and antennas. I'm currently attending UMUC but feel 2 1/2 years is too long till I can graduate. I want to gain experience now while taking 1 or 2 classes on the side. I've been recommended to start with A+ or S+ as job opportunities will open. All I have right now besides the little experience with computers and mostly tactical communication side is a Secret clearance. Do you guys think I can land a entry level job like help desk right now or should I grab one of those certs first? I'm also currently living in the DMV area btw. Thanks for any help and advice in advance fam.

Peace

Honestly I'd go on indeed or any other job search site and start applying to any help desk position you're interested in. I did the samething last year and that's how I landed my current job.

I will say that I probably can get better jobs if I have a degree and certs but my experience has been getting me most of my offers so far

 

[luckyluchiano]

Its the kind of work you're doing that would call for it.

At a previous employer we did agile, but my team only worked on one application. It made sense to have short continuous release cycles (major and minor) to deploy bug fixes and new functionality. SCRUM specific, if I need help with something on the story board, another teammate can pick it up.

For my current work, I'm involved throughout the SDLC for multiple projects. The timelines are structured around deadlines for clients in other countries. There are multiple assets and teams involved and I'm probably not working on the same tool as my team. Its better to have the longer 6 month release to allow for development, testing and approval by outside governments. Especially if one asset/team is finished with their deliverable and another is held up.

I`m a BA but from what I see in Agile the BA doesnt really operate like it would in Waterfall. In Agile the BA tends to be the Product Owner or part of the Dev Team, but if they are on the dev team they are more focused on technical docs and specs. In waterfall I pretty much did both acts.

 

[unkn0wn]

I`m a BA but from what I see in Agile the BA doesnt really operate like it would in Waterfall. In Agile the BA tends to be the Product Owner or part of the Dev Team, but if they are on the dev team they are more focused on technical docs and specs. In waterfall I pretty much did both acts.

The scrum team Im on right now doesnt have any BAs doing dev work. We got developers on the team for that and they handle the design too. We focus on the business requirements and ensure it aligns with the tech requirements.

 

[luckyluchiano]

The scrum team Im on right now doesnt have any BAs doing dev work. We got developers on the team for that and they handle the design too. We focus on the business requirements and ensure it aligns with the tech requirements.

You are a BA or "product owner"?

in Waterfall I was a BA on the dev team and "owned the solution" being to the client I was their Primary POC, gathered/defined requirements, designed the solution (conceptually), and created the business specifications/technical docs based on the requirements. Pretty much created the concept for the functionality and my programmers used it to create the technical design and code from it. When it came to UAT I worked with the Clients and our internal test teams (depending on the project) to ensure their results fulfill the requirements of the project (I`d also create recommended test scenarios depending on the project).

from what I see in Agile those tasks are split between two people, one being the Product Owner and the other stuff someone on the dev team.

 

[unkn0wn]

You are a BA or "product owner"?

in Waterfall I was a BA on the dev team and "owned the solution" being to the client I was their Primary POC, gathered/defined requirements, designed the solution (conceptually), and created the business specifications/technical docs based on the requirements. Pretty much created the concept for the functionality and my programmers used it to create the technical design and code from it. When it came to UAT I worked with the Clients and our internal test teams (depending on the project) to ensure their results fulfill the requirements of the project (I`d also create recommended test scenarios depending on the project).

from what I see in Agile those tasks are split between two people, one being the Product Owner and the other stuff someone on the dev team.

Im a BA but the product owner is a lead BA. My scrum team includes people from all skillsets (a scrum master, BAs, an architect, Devs) so we try to leverage that by providing the appropriate tasks to the right resources. The tasks that I have include creating the value realization plan, testing plan (QA only since UAT is free to test whatever they want), and some other misc items. During our scrum workshops, everybody is engaged in the discussions though. It isnt a true scrum project though since I'm only 25% allocated to it. It's also difficult for SAP projects to utilize scrum, at least at my organization, since we follow strict monthly releases.

 

[luckyluchiano]

Im a BA but the product owner is a lead BA. My scrum team includes people from all skillsets (a scrum master, BAs, an architect, Devs) so we try to leverage that by providing the appropriate tasks to the right resources. The tasks that I have include creating the value realization plan, testing plan (QA only since UAT is free to test whatever they want), and some other misc items. During our scrum workshops, everybody is engaged in the discussions though. It isnt a true scrum project though since I'm only 25% allocated to it. It's also difficult for SAP projects to utilize scrum, at least at my organization, since we follow strict monthly releases.

yea thats the thing with SCRUM/Agile pretty much it was created in a manner where you can apply it as needed/as it fits your org so there is no true universal mandatory format.

 

[juice man]

What people don't realize is that everyone wants SCRUM but true SCRUM does not work for all environments. A branch of Agile could though.

I learned this during cert. A large financial corporation could not utilize 2-4 week sprints into their structure. PM's played the role of SM and P.O.

 

[luckyluchiano]

What people don't realize is that everyone wants SCRUM but true SCRUM does not work for all environments. A branch of Agile could though.

I learned this during cert. A large financial corporation could not utilize 2-4 week sprints into their structure. PM's played the role of SM and P.O.

yea I think it works great for Applications (mobile or web) but Complex business systems idk. I heard getting the certifications for SCRUM are pretty much cash grabs by the companies who offer them and the only people who care about them are headhunter recruiters who have no technical knowledge lol.

 

[4318michaeljohnson4318]

Any CISSPs? What the studying like from what I hear at work it isn't too bad. I work next to a guy who got his over the summer, he's a bright guy but he never made it seem like it was tough

 

[juice man]

yea I think it works great for Applications (mobile or web) but Complex business systems idk. I heard getting the certifications for SCRUM are pretty much cash grabs by the companies who offer them and the only people who care about them are headhunter recruiters who have no technical knowledge lol.

I won't deny the recruiter part. I've only been certified since January, I've already taken on a new role but have recruiters calling and inboxing weekly.

I will say that I learned more in the 2 day course with instructor Jason Tanner than I had picked up working quasi-agile. From experience interviewing, companies look for the certifications as a way to distinguish who really knows and can implement SCRUM.

 

[dathbgboy]

What people don't realize is that everyone wants SCRUM but true SCRUM does not work for all environments. A branch of Agile could though.

I learned this during cert. A large financial corporation could not utilize 2-4 week sprints into their structure. PM's played the role of SM and P.O.

Most of us in here realize it, we've discussed this about a lot of things that companies want but it not being the right fit and it's a headache

I think this highlights and issue in companies. They need true Program Managers to help them identify what they want and the proper methodologies to use in each scenario.

 

[luckyluchiano]

I won't deny the recruiter part. I've only been certified since January, I've already taken on a new role but have recruiters calling and inboxing weekly.

I will say that I learned more in the 2 day course with instructor Jason Tanner than I had picked up working quasi-agile. From experience interviewing, companies look for the certifications as a way to distinguish who really knows and can implement SCRUM.

Did you get cert on your own or compay provided it/ paid for it?

 

[juice man]

Company offered to pay as part of the yearly professional development. I will have them pay for my PMP course and cert.

 

[dathbgboy]

I need to get my foot in the door so I can flourish like yall

 

[Top Boy]

I need to get my foot in the door so I can flourish like yall

All comes down to your network fam.

A lot of people really doubt this but I wouldn't even be in the position I was in now if I didn't make a connection in the IT world willing to help pull me up. 

Made a connection with my boss, and he's willing to do the same thing. Being a young black man with drive in the IT world has shown me nothing but love, you can do it too!

 

[QU!K]

P4L

 

[juice man]

All comes down to your network fam.

A lot of people really doubt this but I wouldn't even be in the position I was in now if I didn't make a connection in the IT world willing to help pull me up. 

Made a connection with my boss, and he's willing to do the same thing. Being a young black man with drive in the IT world has shown me nothing but love, you can do it too!

This is so true. Also, don't sleep on LinkedIn! My last 2 opportunities have been directly through my LinkedIn contacts and profile. Keep it updated and be seen on the timeline. Local networking opps come around a couple times a month, at least in my city. Show up.

 

[luckyluchiano]

talked with the Director cat for the Agile gig, I think I did decent as my experience speaks for itself but I think I messed up early on as I kept focusing on Solutioning opposed to just the requirements part. In Water fall I own the entire solution while in Agile or at least in their process I more so own the Requirements. Not going to trip if I dont hear back, as I think if they have someone who has been in Agile prior they may interview better but I think my resume speaks for itself so we will see.

 

[menacin methods]

Any CISSPs? What the studying like from what I hear at work it isn't too bad. I work next to a guy who got his over the summer, he's a bright guy but he never made it seem like it was tough

I got my CISSP last year....I studied for a month and a half and did practice exams. I also passed my CISA and GSEC last year, the GSEC helped me with the CISSP cause it goes into detail on each topic. Keep in mind the CISSP is a inch deep and a mile wide, it covers many topics. The CISSP is a tough exam because you have to complete 250 questions in 6 hours. I finished with 3 mins to go. Some questions are really straight forward while others are really hard.

What type of work do you exactly do in Info Sec?

 

[luckyluchiano]

I got my CISSP last year....I studied for a month and a half and did practice exams. I also passed my CISA and GSEC last year, the GSEC helped me with the CISSP cause it goes into detail on each topic. Keep in mind the CISSP is a inch deep and a mile wide, it covers many topics. The CISSP is a tough exam because you have to complete 250 questions in 6 hours. I finished with 3 mins to go. Some questions are really straight forward while others are really hard.

What type of work do you exactly do in Info Sec?

I assume you had prior extensive Info Sec experience? Because I usually hear people studied for the CISSP for 6 months.

 

[Stormblessed]

I assume you had prior extensive Info Sec experience? Because I usually hear people studied for the CISSP for 6 months.

I don't think you need experience, back in school one of my classmates was able to pass CISSP just studying of the winter break in between semesters. They have the associate title for people who pass the test without the necessary experience.

 

[4318michaeljohnson4318]

I assume you had prior extensive Info Sec experience? Because I usually hear people studied for the CISSP for 6 months.

I've heard people only studying for a month I've never personally looked at the material myself

 

[cruzzz]

How did you guys start out in the field? Did you major in something related? This seems really interesting, but I have no idea where to start.