Below is a clean, instructor-ready agenda that reshapes your revised course into

6 Sessions × 2 Hours = 12 Hours (Instructor-led Core)

with the remaining ~4 hours covered via labs + capstone continuation (self-paced / guided).

This format works well for corporate training, LMS scheduling, and calendar planning.

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Azure DevOps with CI/CD – Full Course Agenda (2H × 6 Sessions)

Platform / Tooling: Azure DevOps Persona: DevOps / Platform Engineer Level: Novice → Foundation Total Sessions: 6 Session Duration: 2 Hours each Delivery Style: 35–40% Concepts | 60–65% Hands-on Capstone: Multi-Stage CI/CD Pipeline (continues beyond sessions)

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Session 1 (2 Hours): CI/CD Fundamentals & Azure DevOps Overview

Focus: Foundations and mental models for CI/CD on Azure DevOps

Topics Covered

• CI vs CD vs Release pipelines (real-world mapping)

• DevOps lifecycle and pipeline responsibilities

• Azure DevOps services overview:

  • Repos
  • Pipelines
  • Artifacts
  • Boards (contextual)

• Azure DevOps project and repository structure

• Git branching strategy overview (main, feature)

• YAML pipelines vs classic pipelines

• First look at pipeline execution and logs

Hands-on Activities

• Create Azure DevOps project
• Import or clone starter repository
• Create first YAML pipeline
• Run pipeline and inspect logs

Outcome: Participants understand how CI/CD works in Azure DevOps and can run a basic pipeline.

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Session 2 (2 Hours): Build Pipelines & YAML Authoring

Focus: Writing clean, maintainable YAML build pipelines

Topics Covered

• YAML pipeline anatomy:

  • trigger
  • pool
  • variables
  • stages, jobs, steps

• Hosted agents vs self-hosted agents

• Build jobs and common tasks

• Pipeline variables and secrets

• Artifact creation and publishing

• Common YAML mistakes & best practices

Hands-on Activities

• Extend YAML pipeline with build steps
• Use variables in pipeline
• Publish build artifacts
• Refactor YAML for readability

Outcome: Participants can author reliable build pipelines using YAML.

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Session 3 (2 Hours): Multi-Stage Pipelines & Environments

Focus: Moving from CI to CD using stages and environments

Topics Covered

• Single-stage vs multi-stage pipelines
• Stage dependencies and conditions
• Azure DevOps Environments
• Deployment jobs vs build jobs
• Environment approvals & checks
• Artifact promotion between stages
• Environment-specific configuration patterns

Hands-on Activities

• Convert pipeline to multi-stage YAML
• Create Dev and Test stages
• Configure environment approvals
• Deploy artifacts between stages

Outcome: Participants can design controlled, multi-stage delivery pipelines.

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Session 4 (2 Hours): Automation, Artifacts & Pipeline Optimization

Focus: Reusability, automation patterns, and performance

Topics Covered

• Azure Artifacts:

  • Feeds
  • Versioning
  • Dependency consumption

• Pipeline templates and reuse

• Job and step reuse patterns

• Error handling and retries

• Conditional execution

• Pipeline performance optimization

• Caching strategies

Hands-on Activities

• Create or consume artifacts
• Refactor YAML using templates
• Add conditions and retries
• Optimize pipeline execution time

Outcome: Participants can build reusable, optimized CI/CD pipelines.

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Session 5 (2 Hours): Governance, Security & Observability

Focus: Operating pipelines safely at scale

Topics Covered

• Pipeline security fundamentals
• Service connections and permissions
• Secrets management (variable groups, secure files)
• Branch policies and PR validation
• Pipeline monitoring and diagnostics
• Logs, pipeline failures, and troubleshooting
• Auditability and compliance considerations

Hands-on Activities

• Secure pipeline with permissions
• Configure branch policies
• Add validation pipeline for PRs
• Analyze failed pipeline runs

Outcome: Participants can secure, monitor, and troubleshoot pipelines confidently.

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Session 6 (2 Hours): Capstone – End-to-End CI/CD Pipeline

Focus: Apply everything in a realistic delivery scenario

Capstone Scope

Build a production-style multi-stage CI/CD pipeline that includes:

• Source → Build → Package → Deploy stages
• Artifact publishing and consumption
• Environment approvals
• Secure variables and secrets
• Observability and logs

Activities

• Capstone walkthrough & expectations
• Pipeline design discussion
• Guided implementation
• Validation checklist review
• Demo & feedback

Deliverables

• Final multi-stage YAML pipeline
• Artifacts produced by pipeline
• Evidence of pipeline runs
• Short README explaining pipeline flow

Outcome: Participants demonstrate end-to-end CI/CD capability using Azure DevOps.

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Overall Competencies Built

By the end of all 6 sessions, participants can:

• Design CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps
• Write clean, maintainable YAML pipelines
• Implement multi-stage deployments
• Secure pipelines and manage access
• Optimize and troubleshoot pipelines
• Deliver a real-world CI/CD solution

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Optional Next Steps (If You Want)

I can also:

• Create step-by-step labs for each session
• Design a formal capstone evaluation rubric
• Map content to AZ-400 (DevOps Engineer Expert)
• Convert this into a trainer guide + student workbook
• Create sample GitHub / Azure DevOps repos

Just tell me 👍