Succeeding with Agile

Released October 2009

Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional

ISBN: 9780321660534

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Book description

Proven, 100% Practical Guidance for Making Scrum and Agile Work in Any Organization

This is the definitive, realistic, actionable guide to starting fast with Scrum and agile–and then succeeding over the long haul. Leading agile consultant and practitioner Mike Cohn presents detailed recommendations, powerful tips, and real-world case studies drawn from his unparalleled experience helping hundreds of software organizations make Scrum and agile work.

Succeeding with Agile is for pragmatic software professionals who want real answers to the most difficult challenges they face in implementing Scrum. Cohn covers every facet of the transition: getting started, helping individuals transition to new roles, structuring teams, scaling up, working with a distributed team, and finally, implementing effective metrics and continuous improvement.

Throughout, Cohn presents “Things to Try Now” sections based on his most successful advice. Complementary “Objection” sections reproduce typical conversations with those resisting change and offer practical guidance for addressing their concerns. Coverage includes

Practical ways to get started immediately–and “get good” fast

Overcoming individual resistance to the changes Scrum requires

Staffing Scrum projects and building effective teams

Establishing “improvement communities” of people who are passionate about driving change

Choosing which agile technical practices to use or experiment with

Leading self-organizing teams

Making the most of Scrum sprints, planning, and quality techniques

Scaling Scrum to distributed, multiteam projects

Using Scrum on projects with complex sequential processes or challenging compliance and governance requirements

Understanding Scrum’s impact on HR, facilities, and project management

Whether you've completed a few sprints or multiple agile projects and whatever your role–manager, developer, coach, ScrumMaster, product owner, analyst, team lead, or project lead–this book will help you succeed with your very next project. Then, it will help you go much further: It will help you transform your entire development organization.