The Art of Agile Development is one of a handful of books that should be read by any serious practitioner of agile software development. It complements my other favorite books, with an emphasis on practical implementation of agile practices and the issues and complications that inevitably arise. Although the book focuses on practices derived from XP (eXtreme Programming), I found it to be relevant and applicable to agile development in general, and recommend it to other ScrumMasters and agile proponents. It provides clear explanations, rationales and practical examples of concepts I’ve studied and practiced for years, but still struggle to master.
The authors define the scope and organization of the book in the Preface and then deliver exactly what they promise in a clear and concise way. Part 1 includes a brief but effective summary of agile principles and of XP concepts and practices. I especially liked their opening section describing how an agile approach aligns with success.
After pointing out that agile is no silver bullet and that implementation can be a challenge, the authors discuss the specifics of introducing XP into an organization and present a concrete implementation as a starting point. In Part 2, they present a set of 37 practices that, taken together, form a practical approach for getting started. Their descriptions include practical advice, specific suggestions and potential pitfalls.
Part 3 is intended to provide guidance to experienced agile practitioners as they develop and hone agile practices to fit their specific circumstances. There are really no new ideas presented, but it is a succinct and well organized presentation of values, principals and practices that are critical to successful implementation of any agile methodology. The book concludes with an excellent bibliography.
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