Scrum Alliance and Northwestern University Launch New Change Management Course

DENVER, Nov. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scrum Alliance®, a global leader in agility-based training and certification, and Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, renowned for its prestigious academic programs and dedicated approach to professional development, today announced the launch of a course formed in partnership: Change Management: Overcoming Resistance for Agile Transformation.

Agile transformation—shifting an organization's culture, processes, and structure to operate with the principles and practices of agile—is essential to building resilient organizations that can adapt to today's disruptions. However, the biggest barrier to a successful agile transformation is failed adoption due to ineffective change management.

Launching a course dedicated to change management will provide leaders and agile practitioners with practical strategies to foster true adoption of new ways of working, resulting in sustainable transformation.

"Organizations today face constant change, and success depends on how effectively leaders guide their teams through it," said Tristan Boutros, CEO of Scrum Alliance. "This course equips leaders and their teams with practical tools and techniques to navigate complex initiatives, changing business dynamics, as well as environmental and economic challenges, all while keeping agility at the core. By blending proven change management methods with agile principles, participants will learn to turn disruption into opportunity and drive meaningful, sustainable progress."

"Organizations can grow and thrive when they adopt agile ways of working. But agile adoption is never just about process. It is about people, being supported while they navigate shifts in their behaviors and mindsets," said Lisa-Ann Barnes, Adjunct Faculty, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies: Project Management Certificate Programs. "Unfortunately, agile transformations can fail unless leaders, agile practitioners, and project managers deploy the right change management strategies to meet their teams where they're at. Students will leave this course with proven strategies and best practices to guide their teams through the challenges of agile adoption."

Change Management: Overcoming Resistance for Agile Transformation is an on-demand, self-paced microcredential course ideal for people guiding teams through an agile adoption. The course provides practical change management strategies and guidance for leading teams new to agile practices, along with templates and resources for resistance mapping, current and future state analysis, and change planning. Case studies are used throughout the course to illustrate real-world challenges and how to overcome them.

The partnership between Scrum Alliance and Northwestern University School of Professional Studies gives participants practical training designed by leaders in agility. The goal of the co-created course is to go beyond classroom theory by providing actionable strategies grounded in agile thinking and organizational science that can be immediately used to make a measurable impact on agile, hybrid, or traditional projects by upskilling experienced professionals to lead with influence.

Change Management: Overcoming Resistance for Agile Transformation goes beyond traditional change management courses by centering learning around people, working iteratively, and being adaptable. It combines change methods with agile values, giving participants new ways to lead change in fast-moving, evolving environments.

About Scrum Alliance®
As the first not-for-profit focused on agile education and professional credentialing, Scrum Alliance continues to advance its position of Agile for Anyone™ by equipping professionals and their organizations with the education, skills, and community needed to succeed in today's ever-evolving workplaces.

Learn more at www.scrumalliance.org.

About Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a leading private research institution with campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois. Known for its academic excellence and commitment to innovation, Northwestern offers a wide range of professional development programs through its School of Professional Studies, preparing individuals for success in an ever-evolving global economy.

For more information or to enroll in this course, please visit www.scrumalliance.org or www.sps.northwestern.edu.

Media Contact
Bethany Rhodes
Uproar by Moburst for Scrum Alliance
[email protected]