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Agile Project Management For Dummies
Be flexible and faster with Agile project management As mobile and web technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there is added pressure to develop and implement software projects in weeks instead of months. Agile Project Management For Dummies can make that happen. This is the first book to provide a simple, step-by-step guide to Agile Project Management approaches, tools, and techniques. With the fast pace of mobile and web technology development, software project development must keep pace; Agile Project Management enables developers to complete and implement projects more quickly and this book shows you how.
Offers a practical context for understanding and applying Agile techniques, moving from theory into actual practice Explains when to use Agile and how to avoid common pitfalls Written by experts who know how to apply the principles in real-world situations Agile Project Management For Dummies enables you to understand and apply Agile principles for faster, more accurate development.
Offers a practical context for understanding and applying Agile techniques, moving from theory into actual practice Explains when to use Agile and how to avoid common pitfalls Written by experts who know how to apply the principles in real-world situations Agile Project Management For Dummies enables you to understand and apply Agile principles for faster, more accurate development.
360 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 28, 2019
Mark Layton explains agile clearly, including going into sufficient depth on the background.
A personal experience: the book made me realise that an agile 'sprint' is just an iteration in the project making a functionality deliverable. It is meant to proceed at a more sustainable pace than the last weeks before the final deadline of a traditional waterfall project, hence the 'sprint' metaphor is poorly chosen (not by the author, so not criticism), but I guess 'lap' would have been less catchy.
A personal experience: the book made me realise that an agile 'sprint' is just an iteration in the project making a functionality deliverable. It is meant to proceed at a more sustainable pace than the last weeks before the final deadline of a traditional waterfall project, hence the 'sprint' metaphor is poorly chosen (not by the author, so not criticism), but I guess 'lap' would have been less catchy.
March 26, 2015
I've purchased many "...for Dummies" books in the past but this is the first one I've actually read cover-to-cover. If you are familiar with the "...for Dummies" series, you know what you're going to get: a nuts and bolts, start with the basics, type of book. Having knowledge of and experience in the traditional waterfall project methodology for software development and delivery, I wanted to learn more about Agile Project Methodology but I wanted to make sure I started with a solid foundation. If your plan is the same as mine, this book fits the bill. It begins with background information (Ch. 1), then the Agile Manifesto and the 12 Agile Principles (Ch. 2) and builds on that each chapter thereafter. Besides the key terms, definitions, project team roles, Agile in practice, etc.... this book delves into topics such as procurement, working with vendors, and project cost and budget considerations specific to Agile projects. If you read from cover-to-cover, you will notice some repetition in the book; intended for those who use the book as a reference - read a section here, chapter there, skip ahead. I didn't mind it. In fact, I used it to my learning advantage. I feel confident in what I have learned here, so much so, I feel I am ready to move on and tackle heftier Agile-specific topics
February 7, 2022
Covers everything... over and over and over.
It's a very good introduction for people like me, in a legacy tech company in the midst of modernization. I finally understood many buzzwords as actual technical terms belonging to a very specific context. There are plenty of tools and methods to adopt.
Usually I find more "wordy" books just fine, or even preferable to their opposite (especially for introductions to a subject). But I did find myself skimming sometimes and thinking "yes, we covered that already, get to the point!" I feel the book could have been just as good in about 2/3 the length.
It's a very good introduction for people like me, in a legacy tech company in the midst of modernization. I finally understood many buzzwords as actual technical terms belonging to a very specific context. There are plenty of tools and methods to adopt.
Usually I find more "wordy" books just fine, or even preferable to their opposite (especially for introductions to a subject). But I did find myself skimming sometimes and thinking "yes, we covered that already, get to the point!" I feel the book could have been just as good in about 2/3 the length.
November 24, 2019
To some degree, I already use some of the agile principles in my job. One of the principles that I used is "the deliverables should be seen on the first day of the project, the second to the last day of the project is just confirming the deliverables". With this book I learn that to be successfully implemented those principles I need several concepts, again this the things that I already used for example "No makan tulang, in Indonesian proverb" means it transparency. The other principle that I found that a lot of projects is to fail. Longer duration and never-ending scope. These principles are also similar to agile principles.
By the end of this book, I start to realize that many parts of the agile concept are invented as an answer to the current state of IT development. Currently, there is more customization of the package instead building a code from scratch. I also noted that shifting from an in-house developer to outsource developer. This is a new thing that we need to accept. The metric is simple, to be successful, we need to do anything we can to be there. If you do anything, basically you already implementing agile.
By the end of this book, I start to realize that many parts of the agile concept are invented as an answer to the current state of IT development. Currently, there is more customization of the package instead building a code from scratch. I also noted that shifting from an in-house developer to outsource developer. This is a new thing that we need to accept. The metric is simple, to be successful, we need to do anything we can to be there. If you do anything, basically you already implementing agile.
April 16, 2018
Does what is says on the box
May 12, 2016
For someone already knowledgable in Scrum and Agile in general, this book does not provide much value other than repetition of the already known. In certain places the book feels like a chase for word count, by re-iterating what's already been said and that makes you want to skip ahead. The book is all about "the perfect scenario", but doesn't dig into the grit of things.
For the complete beginner in Agile, this book is a bit too broad-stroked and might provide some insight into how Agile projects work if you are open-minded enough and have an ability to absorb and understand new concepts by reading a few paragraphs. The book does tell you about concepts that have already been covered or will be covered, but for a beginner reader that would require reading the book twice. Once to just get an idea and twice to jump back and forward among the cross-references within the chapters.
It's a decent read, but I was looking for something more detailed and nitty-gritty.
For the complete beginner in Agile, this book is a bit too broad-stroked and might provide some insight into how Agile projects work if you are open-minded enough and have an ability to absorb and understand new concepts by reading a few paragraphs. The book does tell you about concepts that have already been covered or will be covered, but for a beginner reader that would require reading the book twice. Once to just get an idea and twice to jump back and forward among the cross-references within the chapters.
It's a decent read, but I was looking for something more detailed and nitty-gritty.
April 2, 2013
Ugh, this book was hard to get through. I admit that I was fully aware of many of the Agile concepts prior to cracking open this book. It was given to me at a project management event and opened it when I wanted to brush up on some terminology for an interview.
The criminal sin of this book was how repetitive it was. He probably could have cut 100 pages if he said the information just once. And, while I know that this book was to teach about Agile, I felt like he was too much of a cheerleader. There are some situations for which Agile doesn't work. Layton went with a "don't do this things" instead of "this is a situation where Agile might not be the best methodology". In my perspective, Agile is a tool in your toolbox, like anything else and should be used appropriately but it is not meant to be the end all, be all, do all.
Some good information but mostly just a frustrating read.
The criminal sin of this book was how repetitive it was. He probably could have cut 100 pages if he said the information just once. And, while I know that this book was to teach about Agile, I felt like he was too much of a cheerleader. There are some situations for which Agile doesn't work. Layton went with a "don't do this things" instead of "this is a situation where Agile might not be the best methodology". In my perspective, Agile is a tool in your toolbox, like anything else and should be used appropriately but it is not meant to be the end all, be all, do all.
Some good information but mostly just a frustrating read.
April 7, 2021
Professional development read; work related.
My first ever for Dummies book! I remember seeing these since I was a young child, filling rows of bookshelves at Barnes and Nobles with all sorts of various topics with their iconic yellow covers. Yet, I always seemed to avoid them for whatever reason and never gave them a chance.
Working within an Agile environment and with folks who specialize in Project Management... this book was remarkably spot on. I wish I would have read this 9 months ago.
Best of all, I actually enjoyed reading this and it was not a painful pro-def type book in anyway. This book was so good, I could easily see myself buying a hardcopy or reading again a second time. It also has a 'cheat sheet' pdf that coincides with the material that is an awesome reference as well that I will definitely be reviewing!
If you have anything to do with Agile or Project Management, or want to... I highly recommend this book.
With the high quality of information and fun/effective presentation provided within this... I foresee more for Dummies books in my future!
My first ever for Dummies book! I remember seeing these since I was a young child, filling rows of bookshelves at Barnes and Nobles with all sorts of various topics with their iconic yellow covers. Yet, I always seemed to avoid them for whatever reason and never gave them a chance.
Working within an Agile environment and with folks who specialize in Project Management... this book was remarkably spot on. I wish I would have read this 9 months ago.
Best of all, I actually enjoyed reading this and it was not a painful pro-def type book in anyway. This book was so good, I could easily see myself buying a hardcopy or reading again a second time. It also has a 'cheat sheet' pdf that coincides with the material that is an awesome reference as well that I will definitely be reviewing!
If you have anything to do with Agile or Project Management, or want to... I highly recommend this book.
With the high quality of information and fun/effective presentation provided within this... I foresee more for Dummies books in my future!
June 13, 2024
This book is a great introduction to agile project management, offering clear and accessible explanations of agile principles and practices. It's particularly useful for beginners, providing step-by-step guidance on implementing agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. The practical examples and tips make it easy to apply the concepts in real-world scenarios. However, experienced agile practitioners might find the content too basic and lacking in advanced strategies. The book occasionally glosses over the complexities of agile transformations, which can leave readers seeking more in-depth analysis. Despite these drawbacks, it's a valuable resource for those new to agile project management or looking to refresh their knowledge.
March 21, 2022
I checked this audiobook out online from my library and listened to while on my daily walks.
Good refresher of the general terms, process and structure of Agile and setting up an Agile team/PMO . Nothing earth shattering and my company’s already shifted to Lean, Kanban, SAFe (Scaled Agile) but it was a good reminder of the basics and some of the building blocks.
Good refresher of the general terms, process and structure of Agile and setting up an Agile team/PMO . Nothing earth shattering and my company’s already shifted to Lean, Kanban, SAFe (Scaled Agile) but it was a good reminder of the basics and some of the building blocks.
March 8, 2022
This was an excellent book on Agile.
As someone who lives Agile day-to-day, this was a great springboard to help me make impact in what I need to get done, and the terms I should know.
I look forward to reading a book on Scrum soon.
4.4/5
As someone who lives Agile day-to-day, this was a great springboard to help me make impact in what I need to get done, and the terms I should know.
I look forward to reading a book on Scrum soon.
4.4/5
November 30, 2017
A great introduction to agile project management methodologies.
August 17, 2018
Perfect introduction into agile project management. This book is not so detailed and a little bit repetitive, but it's totally ok.
June 4, 2019
Pretty good intro to Agile
The the last quarter of the book is mostly repetitive , but still a good intro to the world of Agile.
The the last quarter of the book is mostly repetitive , but still a good intro to the world of Agile.
October 30, 2019
Good starter for those wanting understand Agile Project Management framework.
January 9, 2021
Great book for anyone getting into project management
June 13, 2023
Lots of good information and explanations. As with all technical books, I slowed my reading after a while.
July 25, 2023
To be honest, I found this really hard going. It's not a fault of the book, I just thought I'd find it more accessible than I did.
September 1, 2020
well crafted. Good for agile newbies and not so newbies alike.
January 9, 2016
In het bedrijf waar ik werk probeer ik sinds enkele maanden de agile aanpak ingang te doen vinden. Ik heb me al uitgebreid geïnformeerd via het internet en dit boek is het eerste "papieren" boek dat ik over agile lees.
Waar de officiële Scrum Guide beperkt is tot een luttele 16 A4'tjes, heb je aan dit boek een hele kluif: 335 bladzijden en een redelijk klein lettertype. Het is duidelijk gestructureerd en is erg uitgebreid. Vooral de laatste hoofdstukken, over hoe agile introduceren, mensen mee krijgen met verandering en de 10 grote voordelen van agile vind ik interessant. Vanwege de omvang is het zeer volledig.
Toch heb ik enkele bedenkingen bij het boek. Om te beginnen mis ik een stuk van wat men op de backcover "De Dummies manier" noemt. "Een vleugje humor"? Op 2 grapjes na niet gevonden. "Een handige spiekbrief"? Twee bladzijden vol tekst inclusief een figuur die onontcijferbaar is noem ik geen spiekbrief - en het Agile Manifest en de agile principes mogen dan misschien wel inspireren, maar zijn geen praktische tips over hoe een projectmethodologie toe te passen... maar ze nemen wel de helft van de "spiekbrief" in. Er wordt verder zodanig veel gebruik gemaakt van de Dummies-pictogrammen (Tip, Belangrijk, Pas Op, enz.) dat die er ook niet meer uit springen.
De illustraties en figuren vind ik niet van een zeer hoog niveau (op het internet is veel meer en mooier beeldmateriaal over agile te vinden) en ik stoorde me soms aan de spelfoutjes, vooral in het begin van het boek.
Ik mis praktische voorbeelden. De auteur geeft massa's richtlijnen en tips, maar het was nuttig geweest moesten die voorzien zijn van voorbeelden uit de praktijk. Dat gebeurt omzeggens niet en maakt de toepasbaarheid van één en ander op de werkvloer minder gemakkelijk, het blijft te vaag / theoretisch.
De auteur blaast wel heel erg de loftrompet over agile, in die mate dat ik het soms ongeloofwaardig vind. Vergelijkingen tussen waterval methoden en agile draaien steevast uit op een catastrofe voor waterval. Ik heb genoeg projecten volgens waterval gedaan om te weten dat de methode zeker zijn waarde heeft en dat het niet zo zwart-wit is als men hier wil voorstellen. Dat agile altijd en overal de beste oplossing is, is niet waar, en uitblijvend succes wijten aan een onvoldoende toepassing van agile vind ik bij de haren gesleurd.
Besluit: het boek heeft zeker zijn waarde als een algemene handleiding over agile. Het is zeer volledig en raakt alle aspecten van de agile methode. Maar het leest niet 100% vlot en het kon overzichtelijker. Ik persoonlijk ben op zoek naar een referentiewerk over agile (een boek dat je vast kan nemen als je met een probleem zit en waar je snel en vlot je antwoorden kan vinden); ik heb niet het gevoel dat ik het met dit boek gevonden heb.
Waar de officiële Scrum Guide beperkt is tot een luttele 16 A4'tjes, heb je aan dit boek een hele kluif: 335 bladzijden en een redelijk klein lettertype. Het is duidelijk gestructureerd en is erg uitgebreid. Vooral de laatste hoofdstukken, over hoe agile introduceren, mensen mee krijgen met verandering en de 10 grote voordelen van agile vind ik interessant. Vanwege de omvang is het zeer volledig.
Toch heb ik enkele bedenkingen bij het boek. Om te beginnen mis ik een stuk van wat men op de backcover "De Dummies manier" noemt. "Een vleugje humor"? Op 2 grapjes na niet gevonden. "Een handige spiekbrief"? Twee bladzijden vol tekst inclusief een figuur die onontcijferbaar is noem ik geen spiekbrief - en het Agile Manifest en de agile principes mogen dan misschien wel inspireren, maar zijn geen praktische tips over hoe een projectmethodologie toe te passen... maar ze nemen wel de helft van de "spiekbrief" in. Er wordt verder zodanig veel gebruik gemaakt van de Dummies-pictogrammen (Tip, Belangrijk, Pas Op, enz.) dat die er ook niet meer uit springen.
De illustraties en figuren vind ik niet van een zeer hoog niveau (op het internet is veel meer en mooier beeldmateriaal over agile te vinden) en ik stoorde me soms aan de spelfoutjes, vooral in het begin van het boek.
Ik mis praktische voorbeelden. De auteur geeft massa's richtlijnen en tips, maar het was nuttig geweest moesten die voorzien zijn van voorbeelden uit de praktijk. Dat gebeurt omzeggens niet en maakt de toepasbaarheid van één en ander op de werkvloer minder gemakkelijk, het blijft te vaag / theoretisch.
De auteur blaast wel heel erg de loftrompet over agile, in die mate dat ik het soms ongeloofwaardig vind. Vergelijkingen tussen waterval methoden en agile draaien steevast uit op een catastrofe voor waterval. Ik heb genoeg projecten volgens waterval gedaan om te weten dat de methode zeker zijn waarde heeft en dat het niet zo zwart-wit is als men hier wil voorstellen. Dat agile altijd en overal de beste oplossing is, is niet waar, en uitblijvend succes wijten aan een onvoldoende toepassing van agile vind ik bij de haren gesleurd.
Besluit: het boek heeft zeker zijn waarde als een algemene handleiding over agile. Het is zeer volledig en raakt alle aspecten van de agile methode. Maar het leest niet 100% vlot en het kon overzichtelijker. Ik persoonlijk ben op zoek naar een referentiewerk over agile (een boek dat je vast kan nemen als je met een probleem zit en waar je snel en vlot je antwoorden kan vinden); ik heb niet het gevoel dat ik het met dit boek gevonden heb.
May 29, 2021
Easy to read and understand concepts. Includes practical steps to implement.
August 4, 2016
Read for a class on Agile Management from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. This book was a good intro to Agile Management and the differences between it and Waterfall/Traditional Project Management. This type of management is excellent for software projects and developing software related plug-ins.
The author talks in depth about Agile and its uses, and tries to sell the reader on using Agile in traditional settings, which I personally disagree with in many ways. However, it is an interesting point, and would do some good in various sectors, including, in my opinion, government ministries at certain levels. A projectized environment that puts stakeholders first and constantly deals with chaotic change benefits from Agile, and this book gives you the nitty-gritty details at a basic level, a la the for Dummies series. A good basic introduction, but with nothing overly special or noteworthy to comment on. Great for a class or for a basic introduction to the subject.
The author talks in depth about Agile and its uses, and tries to sell the reader on using Agile in traditional settings, which I personally disagree with in many ways. However, it is an interesting point, and would do some good in various sectors, including, in my opinion, government ministries at certain levels. A projectized environment that puts stakeholders first and constantly deals with chaotic change benefits from Agile, and this book gives you the nitty-gritty details at a basic level, a la the for Dummies series. A good basic introduction, but with nothing overly special or noteworthy to comment on. Great for a class or for a basic introduction to the subject.
October 4, 2012
We've just implemented Agile Scrum on a project at work, and even within the first sprint, it has been terrific. I thought I'd augment my knowledge with this book and felt it was very good. My only real complaint is that by the end of the book, it felt like it was saying the same things over and over again. The "road map to success" diagram was used at least 3 or 4 different times in the book...I got it after the first time. So it could have been a little more concise by cutting out the repetition, and I would have gotten just as much out of it.
March 6, 2013
Note: I read the IBM edition, not this edition. IBM edition is shorter and older!
Not for true dummies, needs some experience in agile, but gives very good review of the topic.
Well structured
I found many topics new to me
Short but enough as a review
Shamelessly, contains too much ads for IBM products, but it is IBM-edition! But on the other side neglects mentioning other strong tools like TFS (but this understandable also, it's a Microsoft product :)
Not for true dummies, needs some experience in agile, but gives very good review of the topic.
Well structured
I found many topics new to me
Short but enough as a review
Shamelessly, contains too much ads for IBM products, but it is IBM-edition! But on the other side neglects mentioning other strong tools like TFS (but this understandable also, it's a Microsoft product :)
November 17, 2013
Too many words for such an amount of information. This book is suffering of verbosity and countless repetitions. Ask yourself If you are dummy, and if your answer is 'Yes' - go ahead, otherwise don't buy this book.
September 3, 2016
It was repetitive and I did not read it cover to cover. It was available from a digital library so it was a convenient way to learn about agile. It had a few good tips I'm not sure I would have learned from a web search, so it was useful.
September 25, 2015
This book was really repetitive. The concepts were were well presented. A little humor mixed in with material that can be dry helped keep reading fairly light. Real world example helped put the concepts in perspective.
December 20, 2023
Really glad I switched jobs so that I never had to learn how best to incorporate the Agile methods for meetings and project management.
I slogged through to do well on a job interview. In the long run, for the best that I didn’t get the job.
I slogged through to do well on a job interview. In the long run, for the best that I didn’t get the job.
March 23, 2021
I was skeptical of this book through parts of it. It was to descriptive. And with details I did not agree with. But actually it was interesting and valuable giving me something to think about. Just be aware when reading it that there a nuances and variations to the methods described here.
April 16, 2023
What a read! When I read a Dummies book, I can expect a barrage of information. My choice for an introduction to agile did not disappoint. A comprehensive overview with frequent comparisons, my interest was more than satisfied. For further development, I feel confident with this foundation.
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