Managing Agile Projects Edited by Kevin Aguanno Multi-Media Publications Inc. 2005    ISBN: 1-895186-11-0
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Are you being asked to manage a project with unclear requirements, high levels of change, and/or a team using Extreme Programming or other Agile Methods? If you are a project manager or team leader who is interested in learning the secrets of successfully controlling and delivering agile projects, then this is the book for you. From learning how agile projects are different from traditional projects, to detailed guidance on a number of agile management techniques and how to introduce them onto your own projects, we have the insider secrets from some of the industry experts – the visionaries who developed the agile methodologies in the first place.

Managing Agile Projects is edited by Kevin Aguanno, a noted speaker and educator on agile project management, and includes contributions from many noted figures in the agile movement:

• Scott Ambler, the developer of Agile Modeling;
• Sanjiv Augustine, a leading expert in Agile Project Management;
• Alistair Cockburn, developer of the Crystal Methods;
• David Cohen, a scientist studying agile methods;
• Larry Constantine, developer of usage-centered design;
• Patricia Costa, a scientist studying agile methods;
• David Hussman, an author and speaker on agile methods;
• Ron Jeffries, the co-creator of Extreme Programming;
• Gerold Keefer, a critic of Extreme Programming noted for his in-depth analysis and research;
• Kirstin Kohler, a leading expert in requirements engineering;
• Mike Lindvall, a scientist studying best practices and methodologies;
• Barbara Paech, an expert in requirements engineering;
• Linda Rising, a leading expert in object-oriented design and the use of "patterns;"
• Jim Tomayko, a professor at the Software Engineering Institute;
• Pascal Van Cauwenberghe, an expert in Extreme Programming and founder of a European XP conference; and
• Susan Woodcock, VP of a major IT consulting firm who is researching the application of agile methods to packaged software implementation projects.

Other books on the topic present a single management method for agile projects; this one, however, presents management techniques that are common to all agile development methods. So, whether you are using Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, Feature-Driven Development (FDD), one of the Crystal Methods, Lean Development, Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), or any other agile method, this book is written for you.

Managing Agile Projects contains well over 400 pages packed full of insider tips on how to make these methods work for you. Chapters focus on topics critical to the success of projects facing changing requirements and seemingly impossible deadlines. Chapters cover topics such as engineering unstable requirements, active stakeholder participation, conducting agile meetings, extreme testing, agile documentation, and how to use agile methods under fixed price contracts. The book also provides information to help you plan your agile projects better to avoid some common pitfalls introduced by the fast pace and concurrent activities common to agile development methods. This book will show you the tricks to keeping agile projects under control.

For more information, you can download PDFs of The Book Introduction and The Table of Contents from Kevin's site for the book.

What I Contributed

I contributed three articles for this book, all of which are updated takes on concepts which I originally presented in Agile Modeling:

1. Active Stakeholder Participation.  This article describes techniques for getting your business stakeholders actively involved with your modeling efforts. 
2. The Heightened Importance of Communication.  This article argues that communication is a critical success factor to your project and then describes how to improve communication within your team.
3. Agile Documentation.  This article covers techniques for dramatically reducing the amount of documentation which you create on software development projects.

How to Obtain Managing Agile Projects

Other:

• Go to your local bookstore (if it isn’t on the shelf then tell them to order it in!)
• Order it online from Barnes & Noble.
• Order it online from Chapters.ca/Indigo in Canada. 
• Purchase it at Stacey's Professional Bookstore.

Book Royalties

To support the tsunami disaster relief efforts, all author royalties from the sales of the book will be donated to the International Red Cross.

Training and Mentoring

I offer training and mentoring in agile software development techniques.

Related Resources

• Agile Project Planning Tips
• Agile Requirements Change Management
• The "Broken Iron Triangle" Anti-Pattern
• Comparing Approaches to Budgeting and Scheduling Software Development Projects
• How to Write a Technical Book
• Justifying a Software Development Project

Let Us Help

We actively work with clients around the world to improve their information technology (IT) practices, typically in the role of mentor/coach, team lead, or trainer.  A full description of what we do, and how to contact us, can be found at Scott W. Ambler + Associates.