Introduction to Agile Methods

A Thorough Introduction to the Agile Framework and Methodologies That Are Used Worldwide

Organizations of all shapes and sizes are embracing Agile methodologies as a way to transform their products, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement. Many people with varying levels of work experience are interested in understanding the architecture and nuances of Agile, but it is difficult to know where to start. Numerous practitioner books are available, but there has never been a single source for unbiased information about Agile methodologies–until now. Introduction to Agile Methods is the place to start for students and professionals who want to understand Agile and become conversant with Agile values, principles, framework, and processes.

Authors Sondra Ashmore and Kristin Runyan use academic research and their own experiences with numerous Agile implementations to present a clear description of the essential concepts. They address all key roles and the entire development life cycle, including common roadblocks that must be overcome to be successful. Through the authors’ realistic use cases, practical examples, and thought-provoking interviews with pioneering practitioners, complex concepts are made relatable. No matter what your role or level of experience, this book provides a foundational understanding that can be used to start or enhance any Agile effort.

Coverage includes

• How Agile compares with the Waterfall method and when to use each
• Why Agile demands a cultural transformation–and how that looks to each participant
• Comparing various Agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), Crystal, Feature Driven Development (FDD), Lean, and DSDM
• Understanding the roles within Agile and how they work together to create superior results
• Agile approaches to requirements gathering, planning, estimating, tracking, reporting, testing, quality, and integration
• Extending Agile beyond IT

Sondra Ashmore, Ph.D., is an IT leader who specializes in large Fortune 500 corporations. Her areas of expertise include product management, project management, and new product development for IT offerings. She received her graduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in technical communication and management, and at Iowa State in human computer interaction. Her research focuses on the software development process, both Waterfall and Agile, and explores strategies to optimize the user experience. In 2012, she was recognized as a "Forty under 40" business leader by the Business Record, and won the Iowa Technology Association's Women of Innovation award for business innovation and leadership for her work at IBM. Sondra is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP), and Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM).

Kristin Runyan is a product delivery expert, specializing in product management, Agile coaching and training, and leadership. Kristin is certified as a Scrum Master (CSM), Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Marketing Product Manager, and a Project Management Professional (PMP). She was a 2011 winner of the Women of Innovation award from the Iowa Technology Association. Kristin got her undergraduate degree at Texas Christian University and her MBA at Saint Louis University. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, and is an avid blogger at www.runyanconsulting.com; her twitter handle is @KristinRunyan.