Ilan Goldstein - Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners: Agile Tactics, Tools, & Tips

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Agile Tactics, Tools, & Tips

Ilan Goldstein

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goldstein, Ilan.
Scrum shortcuts without cutting corners : agile tactics, tools & tips / Ilan Goldstein.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-321-82236-9 (paperback : alkaline paper)
1. Agile software developmentHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Scrum (Computer software
development)-Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
QA76.76.D47G645 2013
005.1dc23 2013016569

Copyright 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to (201) 236-3290.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-82236-9
ISBN-10: 0-321-82236-6
Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing, July 2013

Great books give you advice you can follow, and Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners most definitely does. Written to suit newcomers or experienced practitioners who have a healthy interest in Scrum, the knowledge contained in this book can be game-changing. Ilan Goldstein shares his extensive global experience to produce a well-written and valuable insight into practicing and sustaining effective agile practices.

Kevin Austin, Agile coach and transition lead, Fortune 50 investment bank

A software team succeeds because it has the right people who are allowed to do their best work. Understanding the patterns and anti-patterns (my favorite anti-patterntest sprint) in this guidebook will help you know who the right people are and how to help them work well. These shortcuts focus on people, and thats why they work. Get your team (and the rest of your company) reading and discussing this today.

Lisa Crispin, coauthor with Janet Gregory, of Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams

Ilan Goldstein has earned a loyal following in the Agile community for his no-nonsense advice and practical solutions that deliver real results for teams. Im thrilled that hes been able to distill this expertise into a book thats rich with insights and also very readable. I cant wait to use all his best ideas in my own practice!

Pete Deemer, CEO of Stormglass and author of The Scrum Primer

This book is an outstanding reference for anyone using Scrum to build software. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or a beginner just starting out, youll find something worthy in here that you can learn and apply right away. Ilans casual and engaging writing style describes perfectly the real-world challenges that you may face when using Scrum, and gives you practical guidance for working through them.

Ryan Dorrell, CTO, AgileThought

I especially like the essay style. It invites me to skip around to find topics of interest, and makes it easy to find what Ilan thinks about things. Ilan takes us over ground weve covered before, but he gives us a fresh look at things. Very valuable!

Ron Jeffries, coauthor of The Agile Manifesto and founder of xprogramming.com

Scrum is not a solution. Your solution will only become clear through a journey of inspection and adaptation. The journey is not straightforward, and you will make some mistakes as you try to customize Scrum to your organization. Ilans work for me is a Hitch Hikers Guide to Scrum, giving you insights, tools, approaches, and belief to support you. I really appreciate the openness in Ilans stories and how he shares his experiences. I dont have to agree with every technique or idea, as Ilan is not trying to instruct. He is asking you to think; to challenge your assumptions and help you on your way.

Martin Kearns, Scrum trainer and national Agile and innovation lead at SMS Management & Technology

Most books about Scrum are on theory and speak from a distant third-person perspective. They are hard to read. Ilan has created the opposite. He has created a book that feels like a conversation. I kept nodding in recognition at all the real-world problems he identifies and laughing at the pragmatic, humorous, and spot-on wisdom he shares. His writing flows smoothly and draws you in to the point where you will hate to put this book down at the end.

Clinton Keith, Scrum trainer and author of Agile Game Development with Scrum

With Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners, Ilan Goldstein has delivered the must-have text for Scrum teams. The fact that Scrum is a framework is often used to justify tinkering with its fundamental mechanismsto the extent that what was once Scrum becomes something altogether different and less effective. Goldstein clearly identifies the delineation between those mechanisms that can be tailored and those that must remain true to ensure success.