Winning Agile Projects

Learn how to pitch, propose and close more agile
Dynamics 365 and Power Platform projects

Are you involved in sales, pre-sales or discovery for Dynamics 365 or Power Platform projects?

Winning Agile Projects is for Microsoft partner teams involved in selling and envisioning enterprise applications built on Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.

If you're a business development manager, customer success manager, pre-sales consultant, project manager, practice manager, delivery manager or solution architect then Winning Agile Projects has been designed with you in mind.

This live, interactive masterclass will level-up your organisation's ability to pitch, propose, estimate and close agile projects that offer greater value to your customers and more profitable, and professionally rewarding projects for your team.

Learn how to propose, estimate and win agile projects

Since 2017, I've taught thousands of Microsoft Business Applications builders how to use the Scrum framework to build amazing, agile Dynamics 365 and Power Platform applications.

The one thing that my students consistently ask for is guidance on how to propose, estimate and win agile projects with Microsoft customers who might be new to agile or within Microsoft practices trying to use an agile delivery approach within a traditional sales and engagement framework.

Winning Agile Projects is the culmination of over 20 years' experience selling enterprise business applications, 15 years as the owner or principal of a Microsoft partner business, and 13 years proposing and using the Scrum framework to build applications my customers love.

Is this masterclass for you?

Winning Agile Projects is exclusively for Microsoft Business Applications partners and admission is by application only.

It's designed for partner whose delivery teams are already familiar with agile approaches, like Scrum.

It's ideal if your sales, pre-sales and engagement leadership are struggling with outdated proposal formats, long drawn estimation processes, and traditional statements of work for waterfall-style engagements.

Do any of these challenges sound familiar to you?
✔ Your proposals mention Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step?
✔ Your estimation process involves months-long discovery or initiation phases?
✔ You rely on detailed, written requirements specifications?
✔ Customers resist an agile approach because they don't understand the benefits?
✔ Customers want fixed-scope, fixed-date and fixed-cost projects?
✔ You've tried an agile approach once but it felt like something essential was missing?
✔ Your prospects are choosing other partners more often that they're engaging you?

I've been there too. I've tried selling and delivering projects based on outdated approaches, like Sure Step. Since 2008 I've won and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of agile business applications projects. I know what it's like to pitch an agile process to a prospective customer, lead a discovery team in a rapid estimation engagement, and construct compelling, agile  proposals and contracts.

Can your team learn how to win more agile projects? Yes, then definitely can. I'd love to show you how.

What's included in the Winning Agile Projects masterclass?

Winning Agile Projects is a cohort-based course that includes pre-recorded video content followed by coursework then live, weekly, interactive workshops with your team to review their assignments and deepen their understanding.

Additional resources include guides, estimation spreadsheets, a release burndown chart presentation, and a sample agile statement of work.

Race 1: Qualifying agile opportunities

Whether you're already proposing an agile approach or not, we're going to make sure you're pitching to the right types of customers and for the right types of projects where an agile approach is most likely to lead to successful outcomes for your customer and for you. You'll also recognise what type of team you'll need within your practice for agile approaches to succeed.

At the end: You'll be able to confidently qualify customers and projects perfect for pitching an agile approach. 

Race 2: How to pitch the benefits of an agile approach

There are many benefits experienced by customers building agile apps. You'll learn about them and how to describe them to your customers this week.

At the end: You'll be able to identify and articulate the top three benefits for your prospective customer.

Race 3: Creating compelling proposals for agile projects

Through a case study of a Microsoft customer receiving two proposals, you'll learn what goes through customers' minds when they are reviewing your proposals.

At the end: You'll learn what makes a compelling proposal for an agile business application project.

Race 4: Estimating agile projects

Traditional approaches to project discovery take months and produce detailed but inaccurate documentation. There is a better way! We'll learn proven practices for reducing uncertainty at the start of a project.

At the end: You'll know how to build a user story map and release burndown chart that illustrate the goals, persona, scope, features, timeline, resources and costs of your customer's business applications project.

Race 5: Creating agile contracts

Let's try and avoid traditional contracts that bind us to an inflexible requirements specification. Instead, we're going to review an agile statement of work that focuses our joint team on achieving the customer's desired business outcomes.

At the end: You'll be able to make changes to your statement of work template so that they work for agile engagements.

What are other Microsoft partners
saying about Winning Agile Projects?

Hamish Sheild 
Director
AppRising, New Zealand

"I was looking for ways to try to speed up the sales process and streamline it. I think this course definitely delivers on all of that. And what I really liked about it was the workshops after each session, where you get to communicate with others, share ideas, and it just really solidifies your learning."

Conal Campbell
Director of Sales
ITK Consulting, Canada

"When we heard about Neil's masterclass, we signed up as many architects and functional consultants as were available because we're always interested in hearing from other partners perspectives on how they pitch agile to their customers. And as a result, we've already changed the way that we're pitching our solutions and the underlying contracting model. I would certainly recommend Neil's masterclass to other sales and marketing professionals."

Stephen Price
Senior Solution Architect and Director of WOW
ITK Consulting, Canada

"As a result of this course, and the fascinating workshops that came with it, we've chosen to make some pretty fundamental changes, both in our presales process, but also just in our understanding of who might be a good fit for us. Having a master at Microsoft Business Apps who is also a master at agile and Scrum in your corner, someone like Neil, it's hard to put a price on, but certainly will work the sticker price of this course."

Frequently Asked Questions

Each masterclass cohort is designed for up to ten students.

You can enrol ten participants from your organisation for a private cohort experience. Alternatively, you can enrol students from your organisation and you will be paired with students from a non-competing Microsoft partner.

We will meet every week on Thursdays at 7am, 2pm or 6pm AEST (04:00, 08:00 UTC, or 21:00 UTC), depending on where your team is located.

Your team will receive a Microsoft Teams invitation to each workshop.

Each masterclass runs for five weeks. There are five sections in the masterclass and we will cover one section each week.

Each section of the masterclass involves between 10 minutes and 60 minutes of pre-recorded video content and coursework for your students that will take between 15 and 30 minutes to complete, then a one hour live, interactive workshop. There are five sections so the overall time commitment is 8 to 12 hours.

The masterclass involves active participation and a sincere time commitment. Please apply only if your team is willing and able to make this experience a priority.

Each workshop for each cohort will be recorded and your team will have access to it for at least 12 months after completing the masterclass. That said, there is no substitute for learning together with your peers.

Yes, students from each cohort will be enrolled in a private community where they can access their workshop records and engage in discussions with each other.

Hi there, I'm Neil Benson

Neil Benson

Welcome to Customery. My mission is to help everyone use the Scrum framework to successfully implement Microsoft Business Applications. That’s why I created the Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps course, as well as my blog and podcast.

I started using the Scrum framework to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM in 2008. In fact, the case study of my first project is one of the lessons in the course. I’ve been working with CRM systems for over 20 years and implementing them for the past 16 years.

I took my Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster training with Mike Cohn and I’m a Scrum.org certified Professional Scrum Master and Professional Product Owner too.

I love pitching, envisioning and delivering agile Microsoft Business Applications projects that provide amazing results for my customers. And amazing experiences for their users and their customers.

As well as running consulting practices for a national firm in the US and a global professional services firm, I’ve started and sold a Microsoft hosting and consulting company. I’ve also spent over ten years as an independent consultant leading Scrum teams delivering successful CRM outcomes.

Microsoft has given me a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award each year since 2010 for my thought-leadership in the Microsoft Business Applications community. I’ve organised and spoken at numerous Microsoft conferences and user groups in person and online.

I grew up in Belfast and I've lived in Edinburgh, London and Los Angeles. So now you know where my messed-up accent comes from. Today, I live in Brisbane, Australia, with my family who help me build LEGO models for Customery. And if I wasn't delivering Business Applications with Scrum, I'd love to be a pizzaiolo with my own pizzeria.