Software Delivery Fundamentals
The basics — source control, tickets, estimation, and choosing your first process
free · no signup · 3-4 hours · 5 modules · 19 lessons · beginner
What You'll Learn
5 outcomesBy the end of this curriculum, you will be able to:
- Understand why process is leverage, not bureaucracy
- Use Git effectively — branches, commits, PRs, and what 'main' is sacred for
- Use a ticket tracker for work visibility and traceability
- Estimate work meaningfully without arguing about hours
- Choose between Scrum, Kanban, or a custom approach for your team
Who This Is For
- Teams without an existing process
- Engineers new to professional software delivery
- Tech leads inheriting a team that hasn't formalized practices yet
- Anyone who's been told 'just adopt agile' and isn't sure where to start
- Founders building their first engineering team
Curriculum
5 modules · 19 lessons5 modules covering fundamentals through methodology selection
Why Process Matters
30 minThe reflex against process is rational — most teams have lived with bad process. This module reframes process as leverage and shows what you lose when you don't have any.
Learning Objectives
- Understand why "we don't need process" is rarely true
- Distinguish leverage-creating process from bureaucracy
- Know what every team needs regardless of methodology
Source Control & Git Fundamentals
50 minThe single biggest leverage point for teams without process. This module covers Git mechanically and culturally — what to commit, when to branch, why `main` is sacred.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what version control gives you that nothing else can
- Use branches, commits, and PRs effectively
- Know why a clean Git history matters
Tickets & Traceability
40 minWhy every piece of work has an ID. What a good ticket contains. How to link commits, PRs, and tickets into a single story.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what tickets give you that Slack threads don't
- Write a ticket that someone else could pick up
- Link commits and PRs back to tickets
Estimation as a Habit
40 minWhy teams estimate at all. The minimum estimate that adds value. Light intro to scales, with no advocacy for any specific one.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what estimation gives you (and doesn't)
- Distinguish "how long" from "how big"
- Know the basic scales without committing to one
Choosing Your First Process
30 minA decision framework: Scrum vs. Kanban vs. neither, and how to graduate to one of the methodology courses.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what each major process is good for
- Use a decision framework that matches process to context
- Know when "no methodology" is the right answer
Additional Resources
4 referencesRecommended reading and references for deeper learning
Pro Git
bookFree, comprehensive Git book — the canonical reference.Trunk Based Development
websiteModern Git branching strategy — opinionated and well-argued.Conventional Commits
websiteA specification for adding structure to commit messages.The Phoenix Project
bookGene Kim's novel on DevOps — readable introduction to flow and bottlenecks.
Start Building Your Foundation
This curriculum is completely free. No signup required. Start learning at your own pace and build the fundamentals every team needs.
Start Module 1: Why Process Matters