Paul Flewelling - The Agile Developers Handbook

Copyright 2018 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Commissioning Editor: Amarabha Banerjee
Acquisition Editor: Namrata Patil
Content Development Editor: Deepti Thore
Technical Editor: Sneha Hanchate
Copy Editor: Safis Editing, Laxmi Subramanian
Project Coordinator: Shweta Birwatkar
Proofreader: Safis Editing
Indexer: Aishwarya Gangawane
Graphics: Tania Dutta
Production Coordinator: Melywn Dsa

First published: February 2018

Production reference: 2090518

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham
B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78728-020-5

www.packtpub.com

Mapt is an online digital library that gives you full access to over 5,000 books and videos, as well as industry leading tools to help you plan your personal development and advance your career. For more information, please visit our website.

• Spend less time learning and more time coding with practical eBooks and Videos from over 4,000 industry professionals

• Improve your learning with Skill Plans built especially for you

• Get a free eBook or video every month

• Mapt is fully searchable

• Copy and paste, print, and bookmark content

Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.com and as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy. Get in touch with us at service@packtpub.com for more details.

At www.PacktPub.com , you can also read a collection of free technical articles, sign up for a range of free newsletters, and receive exclusive discounts and offers on Packt books and eBooks.

Paul Flewelling began looking for a better way to build software after one fateful project that ticked all the boxes, yet failed to deliver what the customer needed. That search led him to help grow one of NZ's first Agile software teams. As word of the team's success spread, he also began training others. He currently coaches the product teams who are transforming NZ's largest newspaper company for the digital economy. He speaks nationally and internationally on all things Agile, shares coaching insights on his blog, co-hosts monthly meet-ups, and is often seen wisely stroking his beard.

I want to thank all the teams I've coached for coming on the journey with me. Your willingness to try out many of our crazy ideas and make them work inspires me to be a better coach.

Thank you to the many coaches I've worked and shared ideas with. You've always stretched me to think beyond my horizons; I'm humbled to work with such great humans.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to my wife; I wouldn't be on this journey if it weren't for her.

Kamal Prasad Bansod has around 15 yrs of experience in IT. He has spent around 8 years exploring and experimenting with Agile/Scrum. He has worked with different team dynamics and transformation of Agile teams. He strongly believes in the Agile principles and engineering practices. If they are followed properly then value-based delivery can be done to the market with expected quality. He loves to share his knowledge and ideas with companies that adopt and improve their use of Agile processes and techniques to build high-performing teams.

If you're interested in becoming an author for Packt, please visit authors.packtpub.com and apply today. We have worked with thousands of developers and tech professionals, just like you, to help them share their insight with the global tech community. You can make a general application, apply for a specific hot topic that we are recruiting an author for, or submit your own idea.

Agile thinking has caused a fundamental shift in how we deliver software. The aim of this book is to offer the reader a pragmatic, easy-to-follow approach to mastering this transformative way of working. It's roughly divided into three sections to reflect the three stages of adoptionbeginner, intermediate, and master.

In the first few chapters, we'll look at the origins of the Agile movement and review the fundamentals. We then get straight into the practical guide, teaching you how to set up your Agile approach through a series of activities and pragmatic examples. Each key concept has an accompanying exercise for you to practice and learn the thinking behind it.

After we've laid the ground rules and taught the basic techniques, the second half of the book will look at how we can start to expand our understanding. It takes what we've learned and applies slightly different perspectives, such as Lean and Lean Startup thinking. You'll start to see how you can shape or bend the rules to get much more from your Agile practice.

In the final three chapters, we look at some possibilities regarding technical practices, team dynamics, and organizational changes. Here, the intention is to show you where some teams are now. And although some of these may seem distant from where you are on your particular journey, the aim is to show where you may be heading and to inspire you to keep taking the next step.

Agile is a mindset, something we can only achieve by going on the journey ourselves. The hope is that this book will put you on the path to becoming a truly Agile thinker.

Let's go!

This is a companion guide for those who build software and are about to embark on (or who are already on) an Agile journey. No prior knowledge of Agile is needed. This book fills in the gaps. For those at the very beginning of their journey, this book teaches the foundations to start your Agile practice. For those who are already on the path, this book is designed to give you ideas on where you may be heading. Like any good guide, it gives tips to move you out of your comfort zone and push your thinking to become truly Agile.