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Agile Learning Resources

This is a list of some resources that are useful for getting started or growing your understanding of Agile.

Getting Started

Short articles for printing out and reading while you are on the train/subway.

• Agile Manifesto – Web page
• Agile Manifesto Principles – Web page
• Article on the history of Iterative developement
• Connections between Lean and Agile
• Short Scrum Guide – 13 page article/guide
• Agile/Scrum Life cycle diagram – print and post on a wall.
• Scrum on a page – print and keep handy.

Intro to Scrum/Agile

• A Gentle Introduction to Agile – Presentation
• Agile Executive Briefing – Presentation
• Agile Experience at GuideWire (Video 8 min – case study)
• Scrum in 10 minutes – Video (10 min)
• A Day in the Life of a Scrum Team – Video (6 min)
• Scrum Overview by Ken Schwaber – Video (60 min)
• Overview Powerpoint by Mike Cohn

Other Stuff you need to know to get your project started

• Getting started with User Stories – Book Excerpt
• Agile Estimation and Planning by Mike Cohn – Video (90 min)

Next Steps

• Check out some of the other resources below.
• Start reading some of the books.
• You have started a journey of learning – be patient and enjoy the trip.

Additional Learning Resources

• Scrum
  • Scrum Overview by Ken Schwaber – Website
  • Scrum Overview by Mike Cohn – Website
• XP
  • eXtreme Programming on C2 Wiki.
• User Stories
  • An Introduction to User Stories – Presentation
• Agile Estimation and Planning
  • Agile Estimation and Planning – Presentation
• Lean
  • Demo showing impact of bottlenecks
  • Lean for Business – Website
• Fun Stuff
  • Punchy video about how Agile can improve on Waterfall
• Agile Team Room
  • Agile Team Room – Photos
  • How does radical collocation help a team succeed?
• Pairing – team collaboration on tasks
  • Benefits of Pair Programming – C2 Wiki
  • Benefits Research Paper – Cockburn & Williams
  • 21 ways to  hate pair programming
  • How Pair Programming works - General concepts behind pairing and pair programming] (used in training)
  • Promiscuous Pairing - Some ideas on how rapid pairing can cultivate creativity. Also, How-to Article
• Agile Documentation Practices – Web Article
• Agile Testing – Video (60 min)
• Automated Testing
  • Automated Acceptance Testing – Presentation
• How Agile are you? (Agile Adoption)
  • Nokia Test – basic Agile test
  • Uncle Bob’s more extensive test
• Crystal Clear – low ceremony Agile process
  • 7 Properties of Crystal Clear – Article
  • 7 Properties Mind Map

Books to Read

Stage 1: Getting the basics in place

• Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager’s Guide
• Scrum I: Agile Software Development With Scrum – Basic Instructions
• Scrum II: Agile Project Management With Scrum – Stories about Scrum Usage
• User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development
• Scrum and XP from the Trenches
• Agile Estimating and Planning

Deepening the practice

• Succeeding with Agile
• Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash
• Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game
• The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility
• Scrum III: Enterprise Scrum
• Art of Agile Development

Technical Practices

• Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software
• Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
• Working Effectively with Legacy Code
• Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
• Refactoring to Patterns

eXtremeProgramming

• Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change
• Extreme Programming Installed

Lean

• Leading Lean Software Development: Results Are not the Point by Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck
• The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
• Critical Chain
• Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation

Other good ones

• Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams
• Managing Agile Projects
• Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas
• Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play by Luke Hohmann
• Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, and Ken Schwaber
• Scrumban – Essays on Kanban Systems for Lean Software Development by Corey Ladas

More Technical Practices

• Fit for Developing Software: Framework for Integrated Tests by Rick Mugridge and Ward Cunningham
• Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach by Cem Kaner, James Bach, and Bret Pettichord
• Agile Database Techniques: Effective Strategies for the Agile Software Developer by Scott Ambler

Games & Simulations

• XPGame – learn how Agile really works
• Scrum Simulation – Scrum version of the above
• Leadership Game - learn different leadership styles and how you relate to them
• Bottleneck Game – learn how to improve your processes to eliminate bottlenecks
• Business Value Game – learn strategies and challenges with prioritizing work (product backlog)