At its core, this unique assessment tool enables you to confidently reach your own conclusions and make rational, well-supported decisions about Agile methods. It lets you systematically address key adoption issues involving organizational culture, customers, staff, tools and processes, and project considerations. A comprehensive start-to-finish worksheet makes it easy to document observations at every stage, draw justifiable conclusions, and market your recommendation to your company. The guide also features expert guidelines to customize an Agile method for your firm, train staff, test the new method, and evaluate its performance. Key topics are supported with nearly 100 illustrations. Practical ready-to-use tools, including equations and templates in Excel format, are provided in a handy workbook which can be accessed through the author’s website.

Contents:

Part 1: Adoption Considerations

Introducing the Agile Methods - Historical and Background Information. Pointers to the Appendices. Stage-Setting Commentary on the Agile Methods

Considerations About Your Organizational Culture - Hierarchical Organizations. Cooperative Organizations.

Considerations About Your Customers - Contracts and Statements of Work. Establishing and Changing Requirements. Expectations About Collaboration.

Considerations About Your Project - Size of Project Team. Criticality of Projects. Safety and Security Requirements. Multiple Teams and Subcontractors. Integration with Hardware and Other Software.

Considerations About Your Tools and Processes - Requirements Management. Project Management. Configuration Management.

Considerations About Your Staff - Existing Work Patterns. Changing Work Patterns. Making Changes Stick.

Using This Book to Make Your Adoption Decisions - The Structure of the Book: Values, Principles, Practices. The Adoption Worksheet. Final Steps.

Part 2: Value: Individuals and Interactions Over Processes and Tools

About People, Processes, and Tools - Role of People in Successful Development Projects. Role of Processes in Successful Development Projects. Role of Tools in Successful Development Projects. Balancing People, Process and Tools for Project Success.

Motivated Individuals and Self-Organizing Teams - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications

Face-to-Face Communication - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Sustainable Pace - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Supporting Processes and Tools - Practices. Adoption Implications.

Part 3: Value: “Working Software Over Comprehensive Documentation”

The Role of Documentation in a Software Project — Purpose of a Document. Audience for a Document. Value of a Document vs. Its Cost.

Incremental Delivery of Working Software - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Part 4: Value: “Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation”

>Defining the Customer Relationship - Role of Contracts. Role of On-Going Collaboration. Balancing Contracts and Collaboration.

Daily Collaboration - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Part 5: Value: “Responding to Change Over Following a Plan”

Understanding Change in Software Projects - Customers Learn. Developers Learn. Capitalizing on What We Learn.

Welcome Changing Requirements - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Part 6: The Unstated Value: Keeping the Process “Agile”

Maintaining the Process - You Are Using a Process. Sources of Efficiency and Inefficiency. Continuous Process Improvement.

Technical Excellence - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Maximizing Work Not Done - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Project Reviews - Principles and Practices. Adoption Implications.

Part 7: The Adoption Decision

Making the Adoption Decision - Compiling Your Adoption Worksheet Data. Drawing Conclusions. Marketing Your Conclusions in Your Organization. Agreeing Together on an Action Plan.

Adopting the New Practices - Crafting Your Custom Agile Method. Training Those Who Will Be Affected. Pilot Testing the New Methods. Rolling it Out to the Whole Organization.

Evaluating the Effects of Your Agile Method - Project Performance. Senior Management Acceptance. Customer Relationship. Team Satisfaction. Continuously Improving Your Agile Method.

Appendix

Agile Manifesto - Full Text. Commentary

12 Principles - Quote Each. Commentary on Each

Adaptive Software Development (ASD) - Practices. Defining Features.

>Crystal Methods - Practices. Defining Features.

Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) - Practices. Defining Features.

Extreme Programming (XP) - Practices. Defining Features.

Feature-Driven Development (FDD) - Practices. Defining Features.

Lean Development - Practices. Defining Features.

SCRUM - Practices. Defining Features.

Alan S. Koch, PMP, is a speaker and writer on effective Project Management methods. He is a certified Project Management Professional and President of ASK Process, Inc., a training and consulting company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Previously, Mr. Koch spent 13 years with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University and taught as an adjunct professor of Computer Science at Geneva College. His 27 years of designing, developing, and maintaining software include extensive experience in quality assurance and software process improvement. Mr. Koch received his M.S. in Management Science from the University of Dayton, Ohio.