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The Agile Samurai: How Agile Masters Deliver Great Software (Pragmatic Programmers)
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Product Details
| Binding: | Paperback |
|---|---|
| EAN: | 9781934356586 |
| Label: | Pragmatic Bookshelf |
| Feature: | |
| Publisher: | Pragmatic Bookshelf |
| Studio: | Pragmatic Bookshelf |
Editorial Reviews
Get ready to kick some software project butt. By learning the ways of the agile samurai you will discover:
how to create plans and schedules your customer and your team can believe in
what characteristics make a good agile team and how to form your own
how to gather requirements in a fraction of the time using agile user stories
what to do when you discover your schedule is wrong, and how to look like a pro correcting it
* how to execute fiercely by leveraging the power of agile software engineering practices
By the end of this book you will know everything you need to set up, execute, and successfully deliver agile projects, and have fun along the way. If you're a project lead, this book gives you the tools to set up and lead your agile project from start to finish. If you are an analyst, programmer, tester, usability designer, or project manager, this book gives you the insight and foundation necessary to become a valuable agile team member.
The Agile Samurai slices away the fluff and theory that make other books less-than-agile. It's packed with best practices, war stories, plenty of humor and hands-on tutorial exercises that will get you doing the right things, the right way.
This book will make a difference.
Customer Reviews
Johanna Rothman @ 2010-12-02 Humor and How to do Agile
I knew I was going to like The Agile Samurai from the first page:
"Agile is a way of developing software that reminds us that although computers run the code, it's people who create and maintain it."
Jonathan Rasmussen, the Other JR, has written a great, short, to-the-point book about how to move a project to agile. From the beginning "Deliver something of value every week" to the Agile Principles sprinkled throughout the book, such as "The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams" to the conversations between the student and the Sensei, you can learn how to move your project from where it is to agile.
Some pieces I particularly like are:
1. All of Chapter 4, Seeing the Big Picture, where Jonathan suggests we need an elevator pitch for our project. I'm stealing this idea right away.
2. Chapter 8: Agile Planning, Dealing with Reality. After a humorous side trip with Murphy and his Law, Jonathan introduces us to burndown, burnup, and team velocity charts.
3. Chapter 15: Continuous Integration: Making it Production-Ready. What if you only had one hour to deploy your product. Could you? Jonathan walks you through what you need to do to make the code production ready.
Jonathan has great advice about how to know how agile you are:
"And don't forget. It's not about "being" agile. It's about building great products and delivering world class service to your customers."
This is a great book. If you are thinking of starting an agile journey, do yourself a favor and get this book. You will not be sorry.
"Agile is a way of developing software that reminds us that although computers run the code, it's people who create and maintain it."
Jonathan Rasmussen, the Other JR, has written a great, short, to-the-point book about how to move a project to agile. From the beginning "Deliver something of value every week" to the Agile Principles sprinkled throughout the book, such as "The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams" to the conversations between the student and the Sensei, you can learn how to move your project from where it is to agile.
Some pieces I particularly like are:
1. All of Chapter 4, Seeing the Big Picture, where Jonathan suggests we need an elevator pitch for our project. I'm stealing this idea right away.
2. Chapter 8: Agile Planning, Dealing with Reality. After a humorous side trip with Murphy and his Law, Jonathan introduces us to burndown, burnup, and team velocity charts.
3. Chapter 15: Continuous Integration: Making it Production-Ready. What if you only had one hour to deploy your product. Could you? Jonathan walks you through what you need to do to make the code production ready.
Jonathan has great advice about how to know how agile you are:
"And don't forget. It's not about "being" agile. It's about building great products and delivering world class service to your customers."
This is a great book. If you are thinking of starting an agile journey, do yourself a favor and get this book. You will not be sorry.
Thomas Knierim @ 2011-07-25 Starter course for agile managers
Over the last ten years, I've been working with teams with different degrees of commitment to the agile process, ranging from non-existing to quite strong. I was looking for a text that summarises agile methodology to help me formalise and articulate my own experiences, and of course to enhance my knowledge of some of the finer points of agile practices. I have to admit that this book did not meet my expectations. The first eighty pages up to chapter six are mostly about project inception and read like a prolonged introduction. From chapter six onwards, the author finally comes to the point and discusses the core concepts of agile processes, so the book does get better with increasing page numbers. Unfortunately, Scrum isn't discussed at all, instead Kanban is introduced in chapter eight. The discussion of typical technical processes, such as refactoring, TDD, and continuous integration is compacted into several brief chapters at the end of the book.
The writing style is very informal; the author uses a conversational tone throughout the book. Almost every page contains illustrations, which makes it an easy and quick read. The style of the book is comparable to the Head First books. It left me with the the impression that I sat in an all-day meeting where someone said a lot of intelligent things to which everyone else agreed. Unfortunately, not many of these things seemed radically new or thought-provoking, so I fear I won't remember many of them next month. Of course, this may be entirely my own fault. I prefer a more formal, concise, old-school language. I also prefer dense and meaty text books with lots of diagrams, numbers and formulas. In return, I can dispense with stick figures, pictograms, and even with Master Sensei (a guru character used in the book). I feel that a lot of the deeper and more complex issues of agile project management have simply been left out.
To be fair, it must be mentioned that I probably do not fall into the target group for which this book was written. It is more appropriate as an introductory text for people who are new to agile project management, or even new to the entire business of project management. Think "trial lesson" and "starter course".
The writing style is very informal; the author uses a conversational tone throughout the book. Almost every page contains illustrations, which makes it an easy and quick read. The style of the book is comparable to the Head First books. It left me with the the impression that I sat in an all-day meeting where someone said a lot of intelligent things to which everyone else agreed. Unfortunately, not many of these things seemed radically new or thought-provoking, so I fear I won't remember many of them next month. Of course, this may be entirely my own fault. I prefer a more formal, concise, old-school language. I also prefer dense and meaty text books with lots of diagrams, numbers and formulas. In return, I can dispense with stick figures, pictograms, and even with Master Sensei (a guru character used in the book). I feel that a lot of the deeper and more complex issues of agile project management have simply been left out.
To be fair, it must be mentioned that I probably do not fall into the target group for which this book was written. It is more appropriate as an introductory text for people who are new to agile project management, or even new to the entire business of project management. Think "trial lesson" and "starter course".
Sean Feldman @ 2010-10-19 Agile in the wild
What this book isn't: boring theory about agile methodology and history of "how did it all start". This book is neither source of THE secret of agile software development.
What this book is: a great and valuable source of reality connected simple facts that would allow you to re-evaluate how you build your software. Inception Deck is a great tool to kick off a project. Project planning and execution from agile point of view and with developers in mind are chapters that logically explain how to address everyday issues on traditional projects. This book is about achieving targets by going with simplicity.
What this book is: a great and valuable source of reality connected simple facts that would allow you to re-evaluate how you build your software. Inception Deck is a great tool to kick off a project. Project planning and execution from agile point of view and with developers in mind are chapters that logically explain how to address everyday issues on traditional projects. This book is about achieving targets by going with simplicity.
Jean-Paul S. Boodhoo @ 2010-12-06 Agile From The Trenches
When it comes to books on programming, some of my favourite are ones that leave you with practical advice and guidance that is drawn directly from the trenches of applying and refining the concepts. The pragmatic bookshelf is indicative of this style of writing, and I often do not hesitate to recommend lots of their books to people that I work with.
The bookshelf now has claim to another great book that is written by someone that I once had the honour of working with. The Agile Samurai is a great book that comes straight from the trenches of working, refinining, and applying agile practices. Jonathan Rasmusson ("JR"), is a master programmer, iteration manager, and general jack of all software trades. I would be able to recommend the book alone just based on the content that is within the pages, but I can recommend it even stronger knowing that JR has condensed into its pages the dissemination of practices, war wounds, and nuggets that could only have been gleaned by someone who has proven each of the techniques on projects of all sizes.
I gave the following recommendation in the opening sections of the book:
This book was written with the insight and clarity that can only come from a person who has proved these techniques in the trenches. I have read many books on agile software development; this is by far the most engaging, easy to read, and just plain fun of them all. Get ready to sharpen that sword!
For fun, you may also want to check out the awesome Bruce Lee promotional video, that JR put together for the book (it is hilarious).
Enjoy sharpening the sword!!
JP Boodhoo
Software Artist
Develop With Passion
The bookshelf now has claim to another great book that is written by someone that I once had the honour of working with. The Agile Samurai is a great book that comes straight from the trenches of working, refinining, and applying agile practices. Jonathan Rasmusson ("JR"), is a master programmer, iteration manager, and general jack of all software trades. I would be able to recommend the book alone just based on the content that is within the pages, but I can recommend it even stronger knowing that JR has condensed into its pages the dissemination of practices, war wounds, and nuggets that could only have been gleaned by someone who has proven each of the techniques on projects of all sizes.
I gave the following recommendation in the opening sections of the book:
This book was written with the insight and clarity that can only come from a person who has proved these techniques in the trenches. I have read many books on agile software development; this is by far the most engaging, easy to read, and just plain fun of them all. Get ready to sharpen that sword!
For fun, you may also want to check out the awesome Bruce Lee promotional video, that JR put together for the book (it is hilarious).
Enjoy sharpening the sword!!
JP Boodhoo
Software Artist
Develop With Passion
Mark Levison "www.no @ 2011-03-09 Well written, clear and great use of humour
Others have already done a good job outlining the content so I won't repeat that here.
I make my living helping people by teaching Scrum Courses and helping organizations transition to Agile. I see alot of books that help to learn Agile. This has become my new first choice.
Why:
1) The writing style does a good job of mixing stories, pictures and everything else we know that help simplify learning and increase understanding.
2) The book uses humour well making it alot more fun. Difficult topics shouldn't be boring to read about.
3) At a recent client there were alot of questions around Story Points and Planning Poker. I handed them the relevant chapter of this book. Lightbulbs went off and team members understood.
To me the greatest testimonial was several team members after reading about Story Points went and purchased the book.
Caveat Emptor I recieved a free copy of the book.
I make my living helping people by teaching Scrum Courses and helping organizations transition to Agile. I see alot of books that help to learn Agile. This has become my new first choice.
Why:
1) The writing style does a good job of mixing stories, pictures and everything else we know that help simplify learning and increase understanding.
2) The book uses humour well making it alot more fun. Difficult topics shouldn't be boring to read about.
3) At a recent client there were alot of questions around Story Points and Planning Poker. I handed them the relevant chapter of this book. Lightbulbs went off and team members understood.
To me the greatest testimonial was several team members after reading about Story Points went and purchased the book.
Caveat Emptor I recieved a free copy of the book.
Lisa Crispin @ 2010-11-30 Get out there and start reading this book!
Reading The Agile Samurai, I felt like I was sitting with the author over a cup of coffee or a mug of beer, learning good ways to plan and develop good software products. The book has a fun and conversational style at the same time as it delivers serious lessons about software projects. The illustrations aren't there just for fun (though they are amusing), they help to quickly explain the concepts.
Though I've been working on agile teams for 10 years and read countless books on the subject, I was surprised to find some tools and ideas in here that are new to me. For example, I'd never heard of the "Inception Deck", ten questions and exercises to get your software project off to the right start. It looks like an excellent approach. I also like the idea of creating a "product box" to focus on what's compelling for your customers and on the benefits of your product.
One thing I appreciate about The Agile Samurai is how the author incorporates ideas from many disciplines, such as Lean. Even more valuable are the many anecdotes from the author's experience. One theme I found in the book is the need to deal with reality, and it's helpful to have real-world examples.
I particularly enjoy the little conversations between the "Master Sensei and the aspiring warrior" that wrap up each chapter. You had the same questions the aspiring warrior asks! This is a fun way to explore the confusing aspects of agile development.
If you're new to agile, you might as well know the truth right from the start, and this book is grounded in reality. Yes, high-level estimates ARE guesses, as the author says, "usually really bad, overly-optimistic ones". Meet the Cone of Uncertainty! But the author gives us a way to estimate to acknowledge all this but still help us plan.
Here's one of my favorite paragraphs in the book:
Just don't be strong-armed or bullied into committing something you and the team can't deliver. That's not doing anyone any favors. And this collaboration thing has to be two-way. Just be honest, and tell them what it's going to take. [The Agile Samurai, p. 148]
This book really will help you deliver something of value every week. It covers many critical techniques in a surprisingly comprehensive way, giving the reader suggestions for additional reading. Agile newbies will learn accurate and useful information about everything from XP practices to Kanban, as well as where to learn more about all that. The author puts agile concepts together to come up with practical advice, such as how to create a visual workspace.
In my view, the book ends with the best possible advice: "Don't worry about being agile". The author gives you many tools and techniques, and prepares the reader (or "aspiring warrior") to figure out what is best for that individual and that project. We shouldn't worry about being "agile", we should indeed aim to build great products and deliver great service to our customers. To paraphrase the author, get out there and start reading this book, then get out there and start doing it!
Though I've been working on agile teams for 10 years and read countless books on the subject, I was surprised to find some tools and ideas in here that are new to me. For example, I'd never heard of the "Inception Deck", ten questions and exercises to get your software project off to the right start. It looks like an excellent approach. I also like the idea of creating a "product box" to focus on what's compelling for your customers and on the benefits of your product.
One thing I appreciate about The Agile Samurai is how the author incorporates ideas from many disciplines, such as Lean. Even more valuable are the many anecdotes from the author's experience. One theme I found in the book is the need to deal with reality, and it's helpful to have real-world examples.
I particularly enjoy the little conversations between the "Master Sensei and the aspiring warrior" that wrap up each chapter. You had the same questions the aspiring warrior asks! This is a fun way to explore the confusing aspects of agile development.
If you're new to agile, you might as well know the truth right from the start, and this book is grounded in reality. Yes, high-level estimates ARE guesses, as the author says, "usually really bad, overly-optimistic ones". Meet the Cone of Uncertainty! But the author gives us a way to estimate to acknowledge all this but still help us plan.
Here's one of my favorite paragraphs in the book:
Just don't be strong-armed or bullied into committing something you and the team can't deliver. That's not doing anyone any favors. And this collaboration thing has to be two-way. Just be honest, and tell them what it's going to take. [The Agile Samurai, p. 148]
This book really will help you deliver something of value every week. It covers many critical techniques in a surprisingly comprehensive way, giving the reader suggestions for additional reading. Agile newbies will learn accurate and useful information about everything from XP practices to Kanban, as well as where to learn more about all that. The author puts agile concepts together to come up with practical advice, such as how to create a visual workspace.
In my view, the book ends with the best possible advice: "Don't worry about being agile". The author gives you many tools and techniques, and prepares the reader (or "aspiring warrior") to figure out what is best for that individual and that project. We shouldn't worry about being "agile", we should indeed aim to build great products and deliver great service to our customers. To paraphrase the author, get out there and start reading this book, then get out there and start doing it!
Clinton Begin @ 2010-11-15 Good for the newbie and veteran alike
I really liked this book for three reasons. First, it covers a broad range of agile topics at a high level, and explains them clearly. After reading this book you will be well prepared for other books that might dive into each practice more specifically in depth. Second, for people new to agile methods, this book is an easy read, with a diagram and an analogy on every page. These are powerful tools for helping inject the knowledge into the minds of those learning agile methods for the first time. This leads me to my third reason for loving this book. As an agile mentor myself, this book has become a toolbox of good ideas for explaining agile methods. Everyone is different, and a lot of times you need to explain things differently to different people. This book has some great ways of explaining agile, how it works, and why it works. Of course, the easiest way would be to simply recommend the book, which I most certainly do!
Glen Pineo @ 2011-11-19 Agile Eye Opener
This was a book that was a eye opener on how the Agile process works behind the scenes from the business concept to the delivery of the end product.
Agile isn't a simple read but JR brought his extensive knowledge and on job experiences and made it easy to understand using diagrams, charts and examples on almost every page. There are also a number of tools within this book that will assist your team in having a successful project.
Reading this book gives a better understanding of what other parties within the Agile team will bring to assist in the final outcome of the end product.
If you're new or a seasoned veteran to Agile it's a book I would highly recommend.
Agile isn't a simple read but JR brought his extensive knowledge and on job experiences and made it easy to understand using diagrams, charts and examples on almost every page. There are also a number of tools within this book that will assist your team in having a successful project.
Reading this book gives a better understanding of what other parties within the Agile team will bring to assist in the final outcome of the end product.
If you're new or a seasoned veteran to Agile it's a book I would highly recommend.
J. Rivera @ 2011-11-17 Accessible, fun and entrataining way to dive into Agile
This informal and diagram-full book is perfect for beginners who are seeking hands-on, practical advise on how to run their projects, starting today!
It provides the reader with great techniques and tips that can be applied to any agile methodology, Scrum, Crystal, Kanban or anything else you're trying out.
Definitely recommend!
It provides the reader with great techniques and tips that can be applied to any agile methodology, Scrum, Crystal, Kanban or anything else you're trying out.
Definitely recommend!
Yuriy Zubarev "yuriy @ 2011-09-03 Solid and concise foundation for Agile
Engaging, concise and practical book on everything that makes project execution and product development agile. The book has a wide scope, and given its easily digestible size, it's not comprehensive in all the areas it covers. In return it delivers a holistic view on everything that happens (or should happen) from the moment an idea is born, to the moment you need to add a new feature to the next version of a product.
Part 2: Agile Project Inception. This is the most important part of the book, simply because it addresses the most important part of any initiative: inception. The author collected many ideas and principles on how to start a project in a right way from many different sources and wrapped them in Agile principles. In my experience (and it's not that uncommon), the inception phase is the one that bleeds the most in many ill-conceived and -executed projects. Practically everybody is confused when asked "Elevator Pitch"; they give different and incoherent answers on "Why Are We Here"; and have puzzled looks when asked about stakeholders ("Meet Your Neighbors"). If you have this book for just 30 minutes, read this part and you won't regret it.
Part 3: Agile Project Planning. All the usual suspects are covered here: user stories, estimations, flexibility and burn-down charts. If you're new to the subject, you will get a solid introduction; if you're coming from a long vacation - a quick refresher.
Part 4: Agile Project Execution. The concept explored here is how to deliver something of value every and each iteration. The author did a great job putting it all together and he highlighted main steps of each cycle: analysis, design, development and testing. In addition, there is also a very good explanation on how to weave periodic pulse checks (planning, stand-up, show-case and retrospective meetings) in a life-cycle of every iteration and how to maximize their usefulness.
Part 5: Creating Agile Software. The last part describes to software developers and their managers the key enablers of agile construction phase. Once again no sensationalism here but a solid list of topics: testing, refactoring, TDD and continuous integration.
The one special thing I want to mention and complement the book and the author, is that "Agile Smurai" is free of dogma and doesn't afraid to suggest "Do Whatever Works for You". It's good to see that common sense is still respected, which cannot be said for all Agile books.
Part 2: Agile Project Inception. This is the most important part of the book, simply because it addresses the most important part of any initiative: inception. The author collected many ideas and principles on how to start a project in a right way from many different sources and wrapped them in Agile principles. In my experience (and it's not that uncommon), the inception phase is the one that bleeds the most in many ill-conceived and -executed projects. Practically everybody is confused when asked "Elevator Pitch"; they give different and incoherent answers on "Why Are We Here"; and have puzzled looks when asked about stakeholders ("Meet Your Neighbors"). If you have this book for just 30 minutes, read this part and you won't regret it.
Part 3: Agile Project Planning. All the usual suspects are covered here: user stories, estimations, flexibility and burn-down charts. If you're new to the subject, you will get a solid introduction; if you're coming from a long vacation - a quick refresher.
Part 4: Agile Project Execution. The concept explored here is how to deliver something of value every and each iteration. The author did a great job putting it all together and he highlighted main steps of each cycle: analysis, design, development and testing. In addition, there is also a very good explanation on how to weave periodic pulse checks (planning, stand-up, show-case and retrospective meetings) in a life-cycle of every iteration and how to maximize their usefulness.
Part 5: Creating Agile Software. The last part describes to software developers and their managers the key enablers of agile construction phase. Once again no sensationalism here but a solid list of topics: testing, refactoring, TDD and continuous integration.
The one special thing I want to mention and complement the book and the author, is that "Agile Smurai" is free of dogma and doesn't afraid to suggest "Do Whatever Works for You". It's good to see that common sense is still respected, which cannot be said for all Agile books.
Randy @ 2011-02-21 Best intro to agile I've read
I consider The Agile Samurai the best introduction to agile I've read. The writing is clear, fun and concise. The use of a dialog with Sensei to summarize each chapter is clever and a refreshing change from the typical bullet points. Even if you have done agile for a while, this book will bring you back to the principles of agile and re-inspire you on why you have the habits that you do. It will re-equip you to have conversations with skeptics and newbies. I have a copy available for anyone who joins the team.
John R. Vacca "Tech @ 2011-02-08 HOW AGILE ARE YOU?? CHECK IT OUT!!
Are you an analyst, programmer, tester, UX designer, or project manager? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Jonathan Rasmusson, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that gives you the tools to set up and lead your agile project from start to finish.
Rasmusson, begins by giving you a very high-level introduction to agile planning. Next, the author takes a close look at what makes the agile team click. He continues by taking a look at a powerful expectation-setting tool called the inception deck. Next, the author shows you and your team how to attain a clear understanding of what the goal of the project is; why you are building it; and, how you will be able to communicate clearly and quickly to others. Then, he shows you how to visualize what the technical solution for your project is going to look like and what it's going to take to deliver. The author continues by getting into the basics of agile planning. Next, he will show you how to estimate your user stories the agile way; as well as, some powerful group estimation techniques for sizing up things. Then, the author will show you how to create plans you can believe in and follow through on commitments you and your team make. He continues by showing you how agile projects get things done through the power of the iteration. Next, the author shows you how a typical iteration works and the various meetings and sync points agile teams use to keep it all moving. Then, he shows you how making a few simple changes to your workspace will enable you to work with even greater clarity and focus. The author continues by looking at one of the greatest time-savers of any software project--automated unit testing. Next, he shows you how refactoring will lower your maintenance costs, give you a common vocabulary for making improvements to the code, and enable you to add new functionality at full speed. Then, the author shows you how test-driven development first aids you as you stare at your blank canvas of code and wonder where it should all begin. Finally, he shows you how to harness the power of continuous integration.
This most excellent book gives you the insight and foundation necessary for becoming a valuable agile team member! More importantly, if you read this book from cover to cover, you'll find detailed instructions on how to successfully set up and kick-start your own agile project so clearly, that there won't be any confusion as to what your project is about and what it stands for.
Rasmusson, begins by giving you a very high-level introduction to agile planning. Next, the author takes a close look at what makes the agile team click. He continues by taking a look at a powerful expectation-setting tool called the inception deck. Next, the author shows you and your team how to attain a clear understanding of what the goal of the project is; why you are building it; and, how you will be able to communicate clearly and quickly to others. Then, he shows you how to visualize what the technical solution for your project is going to look like and what it's going to take to deliver. The author continues by getting into the basics of agile planning. Next, he will show you how to estimate your user stories the agile way; as well as, some powerful group estimation techniques for sizing up things. Then, the author will show you how to create plans you can believe in and follow through on commitments you and your team make. He continues by showing you how agile projects get things done through the power of the iteration. Next, the author shows you how a typical iteration works and the various meetings and sync points agile teams use to keep it all moving. Then, he shows you how making a few simple changes to your workspace will enable you to work with even greater clarity and focus. The author continues by looking at one of the greatest time-savers of any software project--automated unit testing. Next, he shows you how refactoring will lower your maintenance costs, give you a common vocabulary for making improvements to the code, and enable you to add new functionality at full speed. Then, the author shows you how test-driven development first aids you as you stare at your blank canvas of code and wonder where it should all begin. Finally, he shows you how to harness the power of continuous integration.
This most excellent book gives you the insight and foundation necessary for becoming a valuable agile team member! More importantly, if you read this book from cover to cover, you'll find detailed instructions on how to successfully set up and kick-start your own agile project so clearly, that there won't be any confusion as to what your project is about and what it stands for.
Scott B. Powers "Sco @ 2010-11-17 Great Toolkit
The Agile Samurai is an easy read, and great for someone like me who has dabbled in agile development, but never really 'got it'. This book gathers all of the key elements of agile development, and explains it in terms that most anyone will understand. I really like how the author adds real scenarios and some humor to keep it very entertaining. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Agile development on a new level. Even if you already use agile development in your software design, this book will help you understand and use the tools available to you on a new level. It is a great reference and has added another toolkit to my growing set of development tools.
Miles @ 2010-10-29 The book I will recommend to folks new to Agile
I had a chance to talk with the author at length about the book after I read it. You can really tell Johnathan knows his stuff, and that the advice offered has been battle-tested. His choice to use humor makes the book readable, fun, and an easy read. For people new to agile, or even seasoned practitioners who want to learn some clever ways to communicate what agile is and isn't, this book will no doubt be useful for years to come.
tom546 @ 2010-10-19 Great read
I read through this book pretty fast. It's a great resource for people like me who had a shaky understanding of agile methodology. I knew a few concepts (stories, iterations) but not really a big picture from start to end. This seems to cover everything "agile", at least to a beginner like me (project inception, planning,execution,etc). Everything is written in an entertaining way with samples to really help you get the concept the author is writing about. All the complexity of agile is easy to follow in this book. This will be my handy resource that I'll keep at work for sure. It would have been handier if I'd had it sooner!
Jessica Watson @ 2010-10-18 Agile Samurai Delivers!
If you have any interest at all in Agile development this is the book you need to pick up. The Agile Samurai is a great resource to bring you and your team up to speed, and also gives great tips and techniques to those are are well on their way down the Agile path. Not only is it well written with concepts that flow flawlessly into one another and are easy to understand but it's also full of humor to keep you smiling along the way.
Oliver Degnan @ 2011-07-21 Brilliant!
Thank you. THE best book on agile software development. Seriously!
Written by somebody who ACTUALLY has been through agile software development.
It doesn't matter how much you think you know about Agile software development; you have got to get a copy of this book.
Written by somebody who ACTUALLY has been through agile software development.
It doesn't matter how much you think you know about Agile software development; you have got to get a copy of this book.
Noel Rappin "Noel Ra @ 2011-02-26 Great Book For Motivating Agile
I love how this book describes how an Agile project works in a clear way, without getting bogged down in terminology or methodological fighting. The early section about how to kick off an Agile project was particularly enlightening.
This book is so good at motivating the how and why of Agile teams that we can even give it to clients to help them work better with our teams.
Recommended even if you think you know everything about Agile, and definitely recommended if you don't.
This book is so good at motivating the how and why of Agile teams that we can even give it to clients to help them work better with our teams.
Recommended even if you think you know everything about Agile, and definitely recommended if you don't.
Jason Yip @ 2010-12-06 My favourite Agile overview book at the moment
I've worked with JR at ThoughtWorks before and this book provides a very clear insight to how we approached Agile. I can confirm that what you read here is not simply musings about how things might work but based on direct experience and experimentation.
The Agile Samurai is my favourite Agile overview book at the moment and I'd want to give it to every client beforehand to save myself having to describe essentially the same things. For other books, I typically have to do too many adjustments.
If you're new to Agile, this is a great book to start with; if you're experienced with Agile, this is a good book to check how your model compares with another experienced practitioner.
The Agile Samurai is my favourite Agile overview book at the moment and I'd want to give it to every client beforehand to save myself having to describe essentially the same things. For other books, I typically have to do too many adjustments.
If you're new to Agile, this is a great book to start with; if you're experienced with Agile, this is a good book to check how your model compares with another experienced practitioner.
R. Yang @ 2011-05-01 Excellence book
This is one of the best book that you definitely need to have if you practice Agile or want to know more.
Jonas Claesson @ 2011-12-03 A Must Read!
I've never really cared for agile books since they are usually too academic and doesn't describe real life projects and how to deal with them. This one is different! I can tell that this book was written from experience, not academic research, as I constantly recalled past project experiences when reading this book. I just wish I would have found it earlier. The chapter on how to kick-start an agile project (the inception deck) is worth the price of the book alone.
If you only have the time to read one agile book, this should be the one! Even if you think you know it all, this book is still very valuable. I have over 10 years of consulting experience and I found lots of valuable advice and techniques to make me a better agile samurai :)
If you only have the time to read one agile book, this should be the one! Even if you think you know it all, this book is still very valuable. I have over 10 years of consulting experience and I found lots of valuable advice and techniques to make me a better agile samurai :)
Jennitta Andrea @ 2011-02-05 Packed with value for new comers and experts alike
What more is there left to say. "The Agile Samurai: How Agile Masters Deliver Great Software" by Jonathan Rasmusson deserves all of the praise that it has received.
I know that this book came 'from the heart', not just because Jonathan told me so, but because that's the only way someone could (a) cover the whole topic end-to-end while doing justice to each individual sub-topic (b) provide value to both new comers and experienced practitioners alike, and (c) make a technical book enjoyable and fresh. It takes great skill, experience, and hard work - a master - to make something appear effortless and simple.
While there were mixed reviwes about the "Master Sensi and the Aspiring Warrier" dialogs at the end of each section, I particularly liked them. They provided a realistic glimpse into questions and struggles people have in understanding and applying the concepts. It reinforces the notion that you should actively reflect all along the way about your unique team / project: "don't get hung up on the practices. Take what you can from this book, and make it fit your unique situation and context. And whenever you are wondering whether you are doing things the 'agile way', instead ask yourself two questions: Are we delivering something of value every week? Are we striving to continuously improve?".
One reviewer felt like they were "sitting with the author over a cup of coffee or a mug of beer, learning good ways to plan and develop good software products". I've had many coffee chats with Jonathan over the years, and I can assure you that this book truly represents his voice and personal style, as well as his calm, clear, practical approach to his work. If you connected with Jonathan's writing style, "what you read is what you'll get" if you attend one of his training classes or engage him as a team member or coach.
I know that this book came 'from the heart', not just because Jonathan told me so, but because that's the only way someone could (a) cover the whole topic end-to-end while doing justice to each individual sub-topic (b) provide value to both new comers and experienced practitioners alike, and (c) make a technical book enjoyable and fresh. It takes great skill, experience, and hard work - a master - to make something appear effortless and simple.
While there were mixed reviwes about the "Master Sensi and the Aspiring Warrier" dialogs at the end of each section, I particularly liked them. They provided a realistic glimpse into questions and struggles people have in understanding and applying the concepts. It reinforces the notion that you should actively reflect all along the way about your unique team / project: "don't get hung up on the practices. Take what you can from this book, and make it fit your unique situation and context. And whenever you are wondering whether you are doing things the 'agile way', instead ask yourself two questions: Are we delivering something of value every week? Are we striving to continuously improve?".
One reviewer felt like they were "sitting with the author over a cup of coffee or a mug of beer, learning good ways to plan and develop good software products". I've had many coffee chats with Jonathan over the years, and I can assure you that this book truly represents his voice and personal style, as well as his calm, clear, practical approach to his work. If you connected with Jonathan's writing style, "what you read is what you'll get" if you attend one of his training classes or engage him as a team member or coach.
NoMercyEh @ 2010-10-14 Great resource for Agile Developers and Leads
I bought this book after my CTO came into my office and said "You need to buy this book." It was a great resource and helped us iron out some kinks in our Agile process.
Prasanna "Prasanna - @ 2011-07-06 Be Agile Ninja
I have been running sprint planning meetings and daily stand ups for a while. I have been a developer as well as the scrum master. In my observation, most of the teams have their own 'interpretation' of scrum and agile. Which may be fine, but from experience, i have noticed that if you move way too much from the main concepts of 'agile' you don't really get the benefit of it.
The common pitfall is people implementing the 'waterfall' model but call it scrum.
Get the book, do the agile the right way.
The common pitfall is people implementing the 'waterfall' model but call it scrum.
Get the book, do the agile the right way.
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