Agile Project Management For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

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Agile Project Management For
Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to
www.dummies.com and search for “Agile Project
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Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Understanding Agile

Chapter 1: Modernizing Project Management
Project Management Needed a Makeover
Introducing Agile Project Management

Chapter 2: Applying the Agile Manifesto and

Principles
Understanding the Agile Manifesto
Outlining the Four Values of the Agile Manifesto
Defining the 12 Agile Principles
Adding the Platinum Principles
Changes as a Result of Agile Values
The Agile Litmus Test

Chapter 3: Why Being Agile Works Better

 Evaluating Agile Benefits
How Agile Approaches Beat Historical Approaches
Why People Like Being Agile

Part 2: Being Agile

Chapter 4: Agile Approaches
Diving under the Umbrella of Agile Approaches
Reviewing the Big Three: Lean, Scrum, and Extreme
Programming
Putting It All Together

Chapter 5: Agile Environments in Action

Creating the Physical Environment
Low-Tech Communicating
High-Tech Communicating
Choosing Tools

Chapter 6: Agile Behaviors in Action

Establishing Agile Roles
Establishing New Values
Changing Team Philosophy

Part 3: Agile Planning and Execution

Chapter 7: Defining the Product Vision and
Product Roadmap
Agile Planning
Defining the Product Vision
Creating a Product Roadmap
Completing the Product Backlog

Chapter 8: Planning Releases and Sprints

Refining Requirements and Estimates
Release Planning
Sprint Planning

Chapter 9: Working throughout the Day

Planning Your Day: The Daily Scrum
Tracking Progress
Agile Roles in the Sprint
 Creating Shippable Functionality
The End of the Day

Chapter 10: Showcasing Work, Inspecting, and

Adapting
The Sprint Review
The Sprint Retrospective

Chapter 11: Preparing for Release

Preparing the Product for Deployment: The Release Sprint
Preparing for Operational Support
Preparing the Organization for Product Deployment
Preparing the Marketplace for Product Deployment

Part 4: Agile Management

Chapter 12: Managing Scope and Procurement
What’s Different about Agile Scope Management?
Managing Agile Scope
What’s Different about Agile Procurement?
Managing Agile Procurement

Chapter 13: Managing Time and Cost

What’s Different about Agile Time Management?
Managing Agile Schedules
What’s Different about Agile Cost Management?
Managing Agile Budgets

Chapter 14: Managing Team Dynamics and

Communication
What’s Different about Agile Team Dynamics?
Managing Agile Team Dynamics
What’s Different about Agile Communication?
Managing Agile Communication

Chapter 15: Managing Quality and Risk

What’s Different about Agile Quality?
Managing Agile Quality
What’s Different about Agile Risk Management?
Managing Agile Risk
Part 5: Ensuring Agile Success
Chapter 16: Building a Foundation
Organizational and Individual Commitment
Choosing the Right Pilot Team Members
Creating an Environment That Enables Agility
Support Agility Initially and Over Time

Chapter 17: Scaling across Agile Teams

Multi-Team Agile Projects
Making Work Digestible through Vertical Slicing
Aligning through Roles with Scrum at Scale
Multi-Team Coordination with LeSS
Reducing Dependencies with Nexus
Joint Program Planning with SAFe
Modular Structures with Enterprise Scrum

Chapter 18: Being a Change Agent

Becoming Agile Requires Change
Why Change Doesn’t Happen on Its Own
Strategic Approaches to Implementing and Managing Change
Platinum Edge’s Change Roadmap
Avoiding Pitfalls
Signs Your Changes Are Slipping

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Key Benefits of Agile Project
Management
Better Product Quality
Higher Customer Satisfaction
Reduced Risk
Increased Collaboration and Ownership
More Relevant Metrics
Improved Performance Visibility
Increased Project Control
Improved Project Predictability
Customized Team Structures
 Higher Team Morale

Chapter 20: Ten Key Factors for Project Success

Dedicated Team Members
Collocation
Automated Testing
Enforced Definition of Done
Clear Product Vision and Roadmap
Product Owner Empowerment
Developer Versatility
Scrum Master Clout
Management Support for Learning
Transition Support

Chapter 21: Ten Metrics for Agile Organizations

Return on Investment
Satisfaction Surveys
Defects in Production
Sprint Goal Success Rates
Time to Market
Lead and Cycle Times
Cost of Change
Team Member Turnover
Skill Versatility
Manager-to-Creator Ratio

Chapter 22: Ten Valuable Resources for Agile

Professionals
Agile Project Management For Dummies Online Cheat Sheet
Scrum For Dummies
The Scrum Alliance
The Agile Alliance
The Project Management Institute Agile Community
International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile)
InfoQ
Lean Enterprise Institute
Extreme Programming
 Platinum Edge

About the Authors

Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
 Introduction
Welcome to Agile Project Management For Dummies. Agile project
management has grown to be as common as any management technique in
business today. Over the past decade and a half, we have trained and coached
companies big and small, all over the world, about how to successfully run
agile projects. Through this work, we found that there was a need to write a
digestible guide that the average person could understand and use.
In this book, we will clear up some of the myths about what agile project
management is and what it is not. The information in this book will give you
the confidence to know you can be successful using agile techniques.

About This Book

Agile Project Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition is more than just an
introduction to agile practices and methodologies; you also discover the steps
to execute agile techniques on a project. The material here goes beyond
theory and is meant to be a field manual, accessible to the everyday person,
giving you the tools and information you need to be successful with agile
processes in the trenches of project management.

Foolish Assumptions
Because you’re reading this book, you might have a passing familiarity with
project management. Perhaps you are a project manager, a member of a
project team, or a stakeholder on a project. Or perhaps you don’t have
experience with formal project management approaches but are looking for a
solution now. You may even have heard the term agile and want to know
more. Or you might already be part of a project team that’s trying to be more
agile.
Regardless of your experience or level of familiarity, this book provides
insights you may find interesting. If nothing else, we hope it brings clarity to
any confusion or myths regarding agile project management you may have
encountered.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, you’ll find the following icons.

Tips are points to help you along your agile project management
journey. Tips can save you time and help you quickly understand a
particular topic, so when you see them, take a look!

The Remember icon is a reminder of something you may have seen

in past chapters. It also may be a reminder of a commonsense principle
that is easily forgotten. These icons can help jog your memory when an
important term or concept appears.

The Warning icon indicates that you want to watch out for a certain
action or behavior. Be sure to read these to steer clear of big problems!

The Technical Stuff icon indicates information that is interesting but

not essential to the text. If you see a Technical Stuff icon, you don’t
need to read it to understand agile project management, but the
information there might just pique your interest.

On the Web means that you can find more information on the book’s
website at www.dummies.com/go/agileprojectmanagementfd2e.

Beyond the Book