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Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to best meet their business needs and successfully manage projects. Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions provides those interested or involved in innovation, project management, product development, software development or technology management with an authoritative roadmap to easily and quickly implement Scrum, the most popular agile project development and delivery framework. It helps teams deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement―which drives competitive advantage.
156 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2016
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114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2018
This book is suitable for software engineers and their team to develop a project that incorporates discipline. Both Agile and Scrum are used as methods to accomplish successful projects in the most effective way within a short amount of time. This step-by-step guide provides a thorough list of instructions that are clear and concise, for even a beginner. The insight you gather from reading this guide is an explanation of every step in a process for developing a product. If there’s proper leadership that takes charge in handling the beginning stages and finds appropriate individuals to be on the developing team, would this increase the success rate?
In “Agile Scrum,” author Scott M. Graffius breaks down the initial visual chart into chapters, going into depth of each stage for better understanding. Not only are steps provided, but he also includes minor details that are also important, such as the purpose of each step, the members participating, and accompanied examples. It’s a well-written and planned out guide that offers enough information to answer any questions that would arise while going through each stage. One thing that truly helps while reading is the visual aspects included because sometimes illustrations can provide a better grasp of written words. Every participant involved has a role to play with particular tasks to fulfill and that is also made known in the steps given. By following this guide, you would more than likely succeed with your vision and see it through from beginning to end, the potential is there.
I learned a lot of techniques from reading this guide. Coding and creating software for the world is remarkable given that we live in a world of technology. I recommend individuals who are either new to the software technology industry or professionals to consider reading this for strategies to make their workload manageable.
In “Agile Scrum,” author Scott M. Graffius breaks down the initial visual chart into chapters, going into depth of each stage for better understanding. Not only are steps provided, but he also includes minor details that are also important, such as the purpose of each step, the members participating, and accompanied examples. It’s a well-written and planned out guide that offers enough information to answer any questions that would arise while going through each stage. One thing that truly helps while reading is the visual aspects included because sometimes illustrations can provide a better grasp of written words. Every participant involved has a role to play with particular tasks to fulfill and that is also made known in the steps given. By following this guide, you would more than likely succeed with your vision and see it through from beginning to end, the potential is there.
I learned a lot of techniques from reading this guide. Coding and creating software for the world is remarkable given that we live in a world of technology. I recommend individuals who are either new to the software technology industry or professionals to consider reading this for strategies to make their workload manageable.
September 4, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Author: Scott M. Graffius
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 16 readers:
14 would read another book by this author.
11 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
13 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
14 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘I would think any company manager, director or owner would find this interesting. Pretty easy to follow and well-set out.’ Male reader, aged 44
‘Instructive and well-presented; this is a bible for any company. A Finalist and highly recommended.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘All about being adaptive to change, a very important requirement of any business. But as we all know – I’m glutton intolerant and trying to get restaurant chains to change their menu is basically impossible - many companies react slowly to change, and as a result miss opportunities. This book will help them to see this.’ Female reader, aged 68
‘There’s a theory here; is it correct? No idea. But it’s interesting.’ Male reader, aged 55
‘If you are interest or work in project or product management, this could be for you. I thought it was informative and highly original.’ Male reader, aged 61
To Sum It Up:
‘A project manager’s bible. Informative and easy to follow. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Author: Scott M. Graffius
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 16 readers:
14 would read another book by this author.
11 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
13 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
14 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘I would think any company manager, director or owner would find this interesting. Pretty easy to follow and well-set out.’ Male reader, aged 44
‘Instructive and well-presented; this is a bible for any company. A Finalist and highly recommended.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘All about being adaptive to change, a very important requirement of any business. But as we all know – I’m glutton intolerant and trying to get restaurant chains to change their menu is basically impossible - many companies react slowly to change, and as a result miss opportunities. This book will help them to see this.’ Female reader, aged 68
‘There’s a theory here; is it correct? No idea. But it’s interesting.’ Male reader, aged 55
‘If you are interest or work in project or product management, this could be for you. I thought it was informative and highly original.’ Male reader, aged 61
To Sum It Up:
‘A project manager’s bible. Informative and easy to follow. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
June 5, 2017
Agile Scrum, by Scott M. Graffius is a simple guide for those looking for a quick and easy reference to agile scrum. Designed for those involved in innovation, project management, product development, software development or technology management, this an ideal resource for those who want to dive right in and get started. With a bare-bones introduction, this book acts based on the premise that the reader is already sold on the concept of agile scrum, and therefore moves right into the steps required to efficiently complete a project using scrum. Avoiding lengthy explanations, each section is paired with a step-by-step diagram which illustrates the current step being discussed. Any detailed explanations are cross-referenced as supplemental information made available in the appendix.
A-type personalities (those inclined to avoid instruction manuals) and non-readers will rejoice upon discovering this guide which makes getting started with agile scrum a breeze.
A-type personalities (those inclined to avoid instruction manuals) and non-readers will rejoice upon discovering this guide which makes getting started with agile scrum a breeze.
August 3, 2016
A helpful aid for those using Agile Scrum
I attended an Agile Scrum training course over 2 years ago and wanted a refresher. This book is wonderful in its presentation and the illustrations are quite wonderful. A high quality produced book that took careful consideration in its publication. One warning (as given by the author) is that I could not get the book to read on my Kindle but on my iPad - which was of little surprise when I saw the quality of the images used in the book.
My main observation is that this is not so much a starter book since it does not explain the origins of scrum or how it differs from older software development methods such as the waterfall method - instead it is more of a book companion for scrum with marvelous illustrations to guide the reader. A good book that anyone wanting to know scrum a bit better should thoroughly enjoy
I attended an Agile Scrum training course over 2 years ago and wanted a refresher. This book is wonderful in its presentation and the illustrations are quite wonderful. A high quality produced book that took careful consideration in its publication. One warning (as given by the author) is that I could not get the book to read on my Kindle but on my iPad - which was of little surprise when I saw the quality of the images used in the book.
My main observation is that this is not so much a starter book since it does not explain the origins of scrum or how it differs from older software development methods such as the waterfall method - instead it is more of a book companion for scrum with marvelous illustrations to guide the reader. A good book that anyone wanting to know scrum a bit better should thoroughly enjoy
November 7, 2016
AGILE SCRUM: YOUR QUICK START GUIDE WITH STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Scott M. Graffius
CreateSpace (2016)
ISBN 9781533370242
Reviewed by Josh Cramer for Reader Views (10/16)
Imagine that you are in charge of a project. You have been asked to create App X that accomplishes Y. This is your first project and you want to do it right. You have heard good things about using Agile Scrum, but don’t know anyone else who has used it successfully. You are strong-willed, though, so you do it. While searching for resources, you come across “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-By-Step Instructions” by Scott M. Graffius and decide to give it a shot. You find that by just using the guide alone, there are sections that confuse you. Why is that?
If you are an experienced project manager, you’ve probably heard of or used Agile Scrum before. Many project managers use it on a daily basis as a method for completing projects in an organized, effective way. For people who have used Agile Scrum and simply need a refresher or a place to grab a needed piece of information, this guide may work well for you.
On the other hand, if you, like our imaginary protagonist, are approaching Agile Scrum for the first time, you are probably looking for a way to jump right in so you can get started. In this case, you may find that the author takes this very complicated process and consolidates it into 10 easy to read sections with lots of pictures and few words. Depending on your Agile Scrum experience level, however, this could be a problem.
One may think that since there are lots of pictures with few words that this would make the process easier to understand. As a new Agile Scrum user myself, the steps seem to be laid out in a way that is easy to understand; however, as I read and tried to understand the directions, I felt something was missing. There seemed to be a small piece of the puzzle that I just was not getting. Finally, it clicked for me as I read the Agile Manifesto in the Appendix - I needed context for using this method.
If you have this book and are new to Agile Scrum, the Appendix will be a lifesaver for you. It contains a brief history of how Agile Scrum developed and its purpose. You will learn the purposes of Agile Scrum and in small ways why it functions as it does. You will learn a little of the difference between Agile Scrum and the traditional method of project management, but don’t expect the author to fill in the gaps—he expects you to have a strong understanding of what that traditional method is in order to understand the comparison. As noted in the title, the book functions as a quick reference guide. If you want more information, you must use the Appendix.
As far as the depth of information in the guide, I will use the “Story Points” game as an example. In section 4B, Graffius describes the Story Points game. From what I can tell, this seems like an important aspect of the Scrum process. Here is how the author describes it: “For planning, the Product Owner obtains high-level initial estimate of the complexity of items in the product backlog. That information helps to inform decisions on priorities” (p. 33). If you are looking for how you may use the information derived from this game, you will have to look elsewhere—the author focuses solely on the process, leaving exactly how this might benefit you to your imagination.
That said, if you are new to Agile Scrum, you will need to review the Appendix first to really learn what each section means. Without this information, Agile Scrum just doesn’t make sense. Additionally, the appendix provides more detailed Agile Objectives and an Overview that will better help newbies like me to understand the purpose of Agile Scrum. The book itself is exactly what it claims to be on the cover. It is simply step-by-step instructions for using Agile Scrum.
As far as recommending “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-By-Step Instructions” by Scott M. Graffius, if you are already familiar with Agile Scrum, but need a quick reference, this book may be of help to you. If you are not familiar with Agile Scrum, I recommend that you seek out one of the many books that go into much more detail on what Agile Scrum is and how to properly implement it into your workplace. This may make a good companion piece to one of those.
Scott M. Graffius
CreateSpace (2016)
ISBN 9781533370242
Reviewed by Josh Cramer for Reader Views (10/16)
Imagine that you are in charge of a project. You have been asked to create App X that accomplishes Y. This is your first project and you want to do it right. You have heard good things about using Agile Scrum, but don’t know anyone else who has used it successfully. You are strong-willed, though, so you do it. While searching for resources, you come across “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-By-Step Instructions” by Scott M. Graffius and decide to give it a shot. You find that by just using the guide alone, there are sections that confuse you. Why is that?
If you are an experienced project manager, you’ve probably heard of or used Agile Scrum before. Many project managers use it on a daily basis as a method for completing projects in an organized, effective way. For people who have used Agile Scrum and simply need a refresher or a place to grab a needed piece of information, this guide may work well for you.
On the other hand, if you, like our imaginary protagonist, are approaching Agile Scrum for the first time, you are probably looking for a way to jump right in so you can get started. In this case, you may find that the author takes this very complicated process and consolidates it into 10 easy to read sections with lots of pictures and few words. Depending on your Agile Scrum experience level, however, this could be a problem.
One may think that since there are lots of pictures with few words that this would make the process easier to understand. As a new Agile Scrum user myself, the steps seem to be laid out in a way that is easy to understand; however, as I read and tried to understand the directions, I felt something was missing. There seemed to be a small piece of the puzzle that I just was not getting. Finally, it clicked for me as I read the Agile Manifesto in the Appendix - I needed context for using this method.
If you have this book and are new to Agile Scrum, the Appendix will be a lifesaver for you. It contains a brief history of how Agile Scrum developed and its purpose. You will learn the purposes of Agile Scrum and in small ways why it functions as it does. You will learn a little of the difference between Agile Scrum and the traditional method of project management, but don’t expect the author to fill in the gaps—he expects you to have a strong understanding of what that traditional method is in order to understand the comparison. As noted in the title, the book functions as a quick reference guide. If you want more information, you must use the Appendix.
As far as the depth of information in the guide, I will use the “Story Points” game as an example. In section 4B, Graffius describes the Story Points game. From what I can tell, this seems like an important aspect of the Scrum process. Here is how the author describes it: “For planning, the Product Owner obtains high-level initial estimate of the complexity of items in the product backlog. That information helps to inform decisions on priorities” (p. 33). If you are looking for how you may use the information derived from this game, you will have to look elsewhere—the author focuses solely on the process, leaving exactly how this might benefit you to your imagination.
That said, if you are new to Agile Scrum, you will need to review the Appendix first to really learn what each section means. Without this information, Agile Scrum just doesn’t make sense. Additionally, the appendix provides more detailed Agile Objectives and an Overview that will better help newbies like me to understand the purpose of Agile Scrum. The book itself is exactly what it claims to be on the cover. It is simply step-by-step instructions for using Agile Scrum.
As far as recommending “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-By-Step Instructions” by Scott M. Graffius, if you are already familiar with Agile Scrum, but need a quick reference, this book may be of help to you. If you are not familiar with Agile Scrum, I recommend that you seek out one of the many books that go into much more detail on what Agile Scrum is and how to properly implement it into your workplace. This may make a good companion piece to one of those.
October 29, 2016
Agile Scrum is a project management and delivery framework used for product development, redesign, and trouble shooting. The format begins with a description of agile scrum cycle. The proposal is supported with numerous graphics, flowcharts, templates, and phases. The author presents a high-level systematic way to implement the program. The plan does not provide a detailed way to troubleshoot production or performance problems. While the author does include information on cost management, it is minimal. Overall is provides this is a good introduction and provide enough information for a novice to use the templates provided.
September 19, 2017
We are proud to announce that AGILE SCRUM by Scott M. Graffius is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews