Agile Software Development: Evaluating the Methods for Your Organization

  • 4h 32m
  • Alan S. Koch
  • Artech House
  • 2005

Here’s the first truly impartial book that gives you both an expert objective analysis of Agile software development methods together with much-needed tools for evaluating their suitability for your organization. It reviews the philosophical underpinnings and objectives of the Agile Manifesto and the 12 Agile principles, and discusses in concrete detail each practice of the six most widely recognized Agile methods. You get concise and unbiased insight into adoption implications, the possible benefits that may accrue, and the potential pitfalls of the practices.

At its core, this unique assessment tool enables you to confidently reach your own conclusions and make rational, well-supported decisions about Agile methods. It lets you systematically address key adoption issues involving organizational culture, customers, staff, tools and processes, and project considerations. A comprehensive start-to-finish worksheet makes it easy to document observations at every stage, draw justifiable conclusions, and market your recommendation to your company. The guide also features expert guidelines to customize an Agile method for your firm, train staff, test the new method, and evaluate its performance. Key topics are supported with nearly 100 illustrations. Practical ready-to-use tools, including equations and templates in Excel format, are provided in a handy workbook which can be accessed through the author’s website.

About the Author

Alan S.Koch PMP, is a speaker and writer on effective project managment methods. He is a certified project management professional and president of ASK Process, Inc. ASK Process helps companies improve the return on their software investment by focusing on the quality of both their software products and the processes they use to develop them. ASK Process provides consulting, training, coaching, and mentoring services related to both Agile Methods and disciplined processes (including CMMI, PSP/TSPM, PMBOK®, the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), and IEEE standards).

Mr. Koch consults with a variety of software organizations in their process improvement programs, has contributed to the accomplishment of several successful process improvement efforts, speaks in numerous venues on process, quality, and related topics, has written many articles on software development processes and software quality, has taught as an adjunct professor of computer science, and has mentored students in Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Software Engineering Program. He is also a member of the Project Management Institute, has developed and maintained numerous software systems, has performed software QA and testing, established and managed a QA department, and was a member of the technical staff at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

In this Book

  • Introducing the Agile Methods
  • Considering Your Organizational Culture
  • Considering Your Customers
  • Considering Your Projects
  • Considering Your Tools and Processes
  • Considering Your Staff
  • Using This Book to Make Your Adoption Decisions
  • About People, Processes, and Tools
  • Motivated Individuals and Self-Organizing Teams
  • Face-to-Face Communication
  • Sustainable Pace
  • The Unstated Principle—Appropriate Processes and Tools
  • The Role of Documentation in a Software Project
  • Incremental Delivery of Working Software
  • Defining the Customer Relationship
  • Daily Collaboration of All Stakeholders
  • Understanding Change in Software Projects
  • Welcome Changing Requirements
  • Maintaining the Process
  • Technical Excellence
  • Simplicity
  • Retrospectives
  • Making the Adoption Decision
  • Adopting New Practices
  • Evaluating the Effects of Your Agile Method
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