Product Description

The ultimate companion for professionals interested or involved in Agile and Scrum, this book will give you a holistic, well-balanced introduction to both subjects while discussing their integration and synergy! Agile project management is shifting the world of project management at its core for good reasons. With an approach to projects that is quite different from the traditional waterfall methodology, Agile project management focuses on added value fast while staying on track to achieve a defined business goal. Completing projects in small chunks, piece by piece, allows project stakeholders to implement deliverables much faster than waiting for all phases of the project to be completed, as well as allowing for modifications to project items based on changing needs. Often overlooked as a project management style that is only for IT-related projects, Agile methodology can be utilized to complete projects across any industry, including company reorganization, improving upon or redefining business processes, and simply any project that has short production and implementation times. In this book, I will teach you everything you need to know about Agile project management so that you can comfortably and confidently deploy the techniques and strategies in your projects. I'll take you step by step through the phases of an Agile project, how to schedule iterations during your project, and how to win over project stakeholders with this progressive methodology. Differing greatly from the traditional "waterfall" or "relay" approach to project management methodology, Scrum emphasizes the importance of a cross-functional team that pushes forward together to a collective goal - the project success. Implementing such tactics as "daily scrums" in which all members of the team are held accountable for their accomplishments, current tasks, and potential obstacles, attempts to create a real "team" amongst all members where all individuals must move forward together, as occurs within a scrum on the Rugby field from which the term was adopted. The holistic approach taken by not only embraces the importance of progressing as a team, it also raises several important questions that highlight potential inefficiencies within an organization, specifically related to resource allocation, accountability, and task management. Not to be overlooked, the approach taken even from the smallest projects within an organization can ultimately define the overall success.