מרצה בכיתה מול סטודנטים

A new course at the school of industrial engineering and management

Agile management of a cybersecurity project – Theory and practice

During the 2023 summer semester, Afeka held its first-ever undergraduate course for students of industrial engineering and management on the theory and practice of agile management of a cybersecurity project, led by Mr. Gideon Koch of Afeka’s school of industrial engineering and management.

The agile method is the methodology of choice at many organizations for project management, software development, and improving the company’s organizational and teamwork abilities. Known as the “rapid management” method, it is built around short activity cycles throughout the project, with the development team delivering added value to the client in each cycle, thus improving the satisfaction of all stakeholders – including the client and the development team.

This method is based on an organizational culture that regards change as a way of life, and emphasizes the use of soft skills, building commitment, and the development team and client’s involvement in the project towards optimizing the process and the end product. Applying the method poses numerous challenges to the companies and organizations that utilize it, requiring them to adapt it to their needs.

The course included Afeka alumni and industry experts as guest lecturers, who shared insights on applying this methodology in their own organizations. The students served as active listeners in these lectures, conducting in-depth discussions with the guest lecturers on a variety of topics.

As part of the course, students also picked an industry organization, evaluated its conduct using the Agile Scrum methodology, analyzed its status, and made suggestions for improvement and adaptation towards optimal performance, as per the methodology.

This initiative was made possible thanks to the prolific activity of Afeka’s Alumni Relations department, which works to foster connections with alumni in the industry and enrich Afeka students. Due to the course’s success and positive student feedback, additional schools at Afeka are set to include similar courses in their curricula.

 

The course included the following guest lecturers:

    • Reut Rachel Geva | CEO of InSiteOut, researcher, entrepreneur, technological advisor, and strategic development specialist

Lecture: Effectively leading the dev team using an Agile model

    • Tomer Daniel | Software engineering alumnus, 2013 | Senior development manager at Palo Alto Networks, with 15 years of experience in software development

Lecture: Managing dependencies in multi-team projects using the Agile method

    • Rotem Mey-Tal | Mechanical engineering alumnus, 2010 | CEO of Asgard Systems and Robel Innovations | MBA, Ben Gurion University

Lecture: Agile project case study – Combined methodology sniper simulator

    • Shai Harodi | Industrial engineering and management alumna, 2018 | 7 years of experience in data technologies, and currently a customer engineer at Google

Lecture: Working in an agile management environment, scope and schedule

    • Idan Hagag | Mechanical engineering alumnus, 2017 | Service product manager at Applied Materials

Lecture: Managing stakeholders in large projects

Afeka College believes in experience-based learning that combines theoretical knowledge hands-on experience, in line with market needs and industry trends. Exposing the students to a highly sought-after methodology, while including alumni and industry professionals in the course faculty, exemplifies Afeka’s deep connection to the industry.

For more on the undergraduate program in industrial engineering and management