PLAN FOR IMPROVISATION

In Individuals and Interactions an agile guide , Ken Howard and Barry Rogers give us a set of tools for managing individuals on agile projects. They acknowledge that "There have been countless books on the subject of human behavior and communication. Psychologists, sociologists, organizational behavior experts, and others have conducted studies, published journal articles, taught courses, and granted degrees in this subject area." Since the philosophical science has been covered in detail by many many others, this book focuses on specific tools you can use for individuals and interactions on agile software projects. It jumps right into actionable techniques without much exposition. It assumes you are fully in agreement with running projects utilizing agile project management practices. Fair warning: The book might feel quite one sided for some if you come from a heavy command and control background or don't agree with agile principals . You might get a bit frustrated. I

I am reviewing books I have read in the past for an upcoming coaching gig. I realized I hadn't posted this review on my blog yet! This is from over a year ago, but its still relevant as I work with more and more customers who are now becoming interested in Lean software development. This is still one of the better "agile" books I have read in the past couple of years. Here is my review: In  Leading Lean Software Development , Mary and Tom Poppendieck present a handbook for how to run a software development group, top to bottom. I intended for this to be a simple review of concepts known to me for years, but the book offered much more. The book’s jacket describes it better than I can: They “show software leaders and team members exactly how to drive high-value change throughout a software organization—and make it stick.”  If you are completely new to agile and lean you the book might move a little fast for you.  If this is the case, I suggest you spend some quick time ge