Agile Essentials You Always Wanted To Know

1. Agile Overview

1.1 What is Agile?

1.2 Need for Agile

1.3 Agile Characteristics

1.4 Agile Myths

1.5 Agile Manifesto

1.5.1 Agile Mindset

1.5.2 Agile Manifesto Values

1.5.3 Agile Manifesto Principles

1.6 Agile Methodologies

1.6.1 Scrum

1.6.2 XP

1.6.3 Lean

1.6.4 Kanban

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

2. Scrum

2.1 Scrum Overview

2.2 Scrum Pillars

2.3 Scrum Roles

2.3.1 Product Owner

2.3.2 Scrum Master

2.3.3 Development Team

2.4 Scrum Events

2.5 Scrum Artifacts

2.6 Scrum Chronology of Events

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

 
3. Agile Planning

3.1 Agile Planning vs. Traditional Planning

3.1.1 Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

3.1.2 Minimally Marketable Product (MMP) / Minimally Marketable

Feature (MMF)

3.2 Requirements Gathering

3.2.1 User Stories

3.2.2 Requirements Hierarchy

3.2.3 Remember the Future (Agile Game for requirements elicitation)

3.2.4 Speedboat / Sailboat (Agile Game for risk identification)

3.3 Prioritization

3.3.1 Customer Valued Prioritization

3.3.2 Story Map

3.4 Estimation

3.4.1 Relative Sizing / Story Points

3.4.2 Wideband Delphi

3.4.3 Planning Poker (Agile Game for Estimation)

3.4.4 Affinity Estimating (Agile Game for Estimation)

3.4.5 Story Point Estimation Guidelines

3.4.6 Ideal Time and Real Time Estimation

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

4. Agile Execution

4.1 Risk Management

4.1.1 Risk-Based Spike

4.1.2 Risk-Adjusted Backlog

4.2 Prototypes, Simulations, Demonstrations

4.3 Test-Driven Development (TDD) / Test-First Development (TFD)

4.4 Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)

4.5 Cycle Time

4.6 Escaped Defects

4.7 Agile Contracting

4.7.1 Money for Nothing and Change for Free Contract

4.7.2 Graduated Fixed Price / Cost Targeted Contract

4.7.3 Fixed Price Work Packages Contract

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

5. Agile Tracking and
Reporting

5.1 Agile Communications

5.2 Information Radiators

5.2.1 Burndown Chart

5.2.2 Burnup Chart

5.2.3 Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

5.2.4 Velocity Chart

5.2.5 Kanban / Task Board

5.3 Agile Earned Value Management (EVM)

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

6. Agile Project Management

6.1 Agile Team Characteristics

6.1.1 Empowered Team

6.1.2 High-performance Team

6.1.3 Team Space

6.1.4 Co-located & Distributed Team

6.2 Agile Leadership

6.2.1 Adaptive Leadership

6.2.2 Servant Leadership

Chapter Summary

Solved Examples

Practice Exercises

Glossary

Kalpesh Ashar is a management consultant and corporate trainer. He holds an MBA from SPJIMR, an Engineering degree, and Agile certifications including CSM (Certified Scrum Master), PMI-ACP (PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner), and SFPC – Scrum Foundations Professional Certificate. Mr. Ashar has over 21 years of experience in large organizations and start-ups in Asia, USA, and Europe. His background provides a platform from which to write in a way to help people with diverse backgrounds understand business topics.

Vibrant Publishers is focused on presenting the best texts for learning about technology and business as well as books for test preparation. Categories include programming, operating systems and other texts focused on IT. In addition, a series of books helps professionals in their own disciplines learn the business skills needed in their professional growth.

Vibrant Publishers has a standardized test preparation series covering the GMAT, GRE and SAT, providing ample study and practice material in a simple and well organized format, helping students get closer to their dream universities.

The Self-Learning Management Series is designed to help students, new managers, career switchers, and entrepreneurs learn essential management lessons and covers every aspect of business, from HR to Finance to Marketing to Operations across any and every industry. Each book includes basic fundamentals, important concepts, and standard and well-known principles as well as practical ways of application of the subject matter.

An excellent introduction to Agile for the newcomer and an excellent review for the experienced practitioner.
-- Jose Solera, PMP, CSM, CSPO, CSP and Agile practitioner since the 1990s Short: Jose Solera, PMP, CSM, CSPO, CSP and Agile practitioner

Effectively outlines the key concepts that all Agile project leader, Scrum Master or Product Owner must know and master.
-- Tim Mills, MBA, MS, CPL, ITIL, SS-GB, CSM, PMP Lead Instructor, Agile Project Management Harvard Extension School Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA Short: Tim Mills, PMP Lead Instructor, Harvard Extension School

This delivers pretty much exactly what it promises. After reading this book I think I have a pretty clear, high level, understanding of what Agile can do, how it works, and what it looks like from the inside and the outside. Highly recommended for anyone involved in a software development organization who is wondering whether Agile is something they should be considering adopting.
-- Foretopman
Librarything User

I am really enjoying Agile Essentials by Kalpesh Ashar as a supplement text in my Introduction to Project Management course. My students find the information easy to apply and compliment traditional project management concepts.
-- Paul W. Harp
FedEx Freight
Manager- Facility Design Solution & Projects

Online Resources

Instructor Resources