Sprint Your Way to Scrum

by Bonsy Yelsangi, Valerio Zanini

Scrum is the most widely adopted Agile framework in the world. It is easy to understand and yet, difficult to master. Having trained thousands of professionals across the world and helped them implement Scrum in their organizations, the authors provide practical, succinct, and effective answers to 50 of the most common questions about Scrum. This book is for Scrum practitioners, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile Coaches who want to refine their expertise and to take Scrum to the next level.

Includes an interview with Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum

Sprint Your Way to Scrum will do the following:

● Provide expert advice on the practical application of Scrum.
● Enable you to explain/teach Scrum elements in a very easy and effective way to peers
● Allow you to understand the usual problems teams face when implementing Scrum
● Debunk day-to-day myths about Scrum
● Help you identify the gap between Knowing About Scrum and Mastering Scrum

188 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2021

Reviews

[Tom Mellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fair to say I've read a several dozen books on agility over the last 17 years. I admire people who take the time and effort to write a book. Though I have never done it, I know it's hard. Given that, I think a review of a book should be honest and not an advertisement for it. Many people endorse a book and praise it to promote it. A person who examines a work critically should do so honestly and objectively.

On the positive side, I admire that the book makes actual recommendations and offers "case studies" that, presuming they are accurate and actual, offer insights into actual outcomes of some of those recommendations. Recommendations can often come across as prescriptions, and I didn't sense that in the case of this book. Answers to most of the 50 "problems" provide different perspectives and suggestions. Some come across as dictatorial, but that doesn't seem to be the rule. Some come across as equivocations in my opinion, but that can be debated.

I took issue with a few of the 50. In #13, I opine that the Product Owner is, indeed, a member of the Scrum Team and should always be at the Sprint Retrospective. With #17, I think having stakeholders present at Product Backlog Refinement can add immense value and, therefore, is important. We invited them at my work and their input was important. I think Vision and Goal are synonymous, though we can argue over the minutiae of the semantics. The 2017 guide had the following: "The increment is a step toward a vision or goal." The word vision was removed in the 2020 version to place emphasis on "goal" and provide clarity, but it arguably did not distinguish between vision and goal. For #23, I detest the word "slacking" - it is pejorative and disrespectful. I never witnessed any person or team slack in 17 years of using Scrum. "Velocity" is an equally detestable word and I stay away from it. Traditional development approaches used no similar concept and its use has become contemptable. For #25, I have always recommended doing away with the royalty term, "SMEs." Knowledgeable people should always be Scrum Team members and those outside the Team with great knowledge should share that with people on the Team so that the knowledge is evenly distributed. Regarding #30, I would have appreciated more of distinction between Scrum and agile. They are not at all the same and using Scrum doesn't mean an organization is agile being agile doesn't mean using solely Scrum or any other empirical approach. Agile organizations fully appreciate that there are instances when Scrum is appropriate and others where a defined approach is appropriate. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development never mentioned any approach to work and the modern perspective of the agile organization extends well beyond software. Finally, #44 mentions "Business Analyst." This suggest a segregated role on the Scrum Team - a "SME" role of sorts. There are no business analysts on a Scrum Team; there are people who may have business analysis skills, but they are considered Developers on a Scrum Team with other cross functional skills.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It has sound advice for many challenges and issues. It could be better, but that is the case with many "how to" manuscripts. The authors put a lot of thought and experience into its composition and they deserve to be commended. Despite my criticisms, I recommend the book for those who are journeying through Scrum with the caveat that it shouldn't supplant or substitute for critical thought.

[Kimberly Poremski · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first saw Sprint Your Way to Scrum my initial thought was "I can't believe it has taken so long for someone to write this book!" The book's premise is so simple that it is genius - compile a list of the most commonly asked questions about Scrum and answer them clearly, succinctly and illustratively. The authors, Valerio Zanini and Bonsy Yelsangi have managed to strike a perfect balance between simplicity in design and richness of content. Their responses to the 50 questions in the book are thoughtful and substantial without being overly wordy or complex.

As a Scrum trainer, I always find myself wishing I had more time to respond to students' questions during class. While I strive to respond to as many questions as possible in the allotted time, I must balance this with ensuring that the learning objectives of the course are met. I am happy to be able to recommend this book to my future students as I am confident it will address many of the questions they have. The questions cover a broad range of topics including backlog prioritization and management, participation in and facilitation of Scrum events, Scrum roles and responsibilities, and stakeholder management.

As I read the book, I found myself answering each question in my head first. How would I, as an instructor, respond to this question if asked by one of the students in my class? I found that the answers were very on point and aligned with how I would personally respond, but at the same time, I obtained useful insights and perspectives.

This book is the perfect resource for both new Scrum professionals who need additional advice on practical application of Scrum as well as experienced Scrum professionals who question if they are truly leveraging the Scrum framework to its fullest potential. It can be read from cover to cover or used as a quick reference guide. I also appreciated the real-world stories and experiences that the authors shared. The book also provides a great overview of the Scrum framework and an informative interview with Jeff Sutherland, one of the co-creators of Scrum.

[Richard J · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a new Scrum Master, I've had so many questions about the nuances of how we operate within this framework. There's so much to learn about each ceremony and artifact. This book does a great job at providing a simple guide of each ceremony, role and artifact at a medium level of detail, and then provides insight into some of the biggest challenges that we face day to day, such as new items coming up mid sprint that throw off the entire backlog/plan. I also appreciate the emphasis of Scrum being a framework that can be sculpted to fit your needs. The authors seem to have intelligence and experience within their professional careers and their teaching. Highly recommend this book!

[Nirav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am newer to sprints and scrum, but the practical pieces laid out in this book make me know I will use this book at the different steps in my career So many roadblocks occur in practice that aren't talked about excessively. The author Bonsy Yelsangi and Valerio Zanini have managed to strike a perfect balance between simplicity in design and richness of content. Their responses to the 50 questions in the book are thoughtful and substantial without being overly wordy or complex. This book provides a clear framework supporting the Scrum Master as they get through a variety of conversations, situations, thoughts, and reiterating the Scrum Masters help build skills and improve the performance of both individuals and the team. This book will stay on your bookshelf as a tool for your career.

[Massimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to define this book with one adjective, I would use 'actionable'. The structure is very simple and straightforward: chapter title set as a question (situation/problem/dub/anti-pattern) and then the chapter unfolds through contextual explanations, possible solutions, hints and additional ideas. In my professional career around Scrum, I found myself facing almost all of the 50 questions in the book: some of my answers aligned with those provided by the authors, others did not. Just by reading the latter, I understood additional scenarios and feedback I could choose or give. Actions, indeed.

[Hemal Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, it gives in depth insights about working of scrum teams, challenges and how to solve those. The book is full with practical tips that can be used by most teams. I highly recommend this book.

[Frank Bordonaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sprint Your Way to Scrum is a compass for organizations to navigate the most effective implementation techniques within the Scrum Framework. As a product management and development leader, I found Sprint Your Way to Scrum pinpointed common challenges and offered insightful and practical suggestions, in an easy to read format, that will facilitate team collaboration to identify solutions leading to greater efficiency, productivity, and consistency. I recommend Sprint Your Way to Scrum as an essential tool for new Scrum teams looking to implement their best version of Scrum as well as a resource to anchor mature Scrum teams in best practices.

Frank Bordonaro, Chief Product Officer

[Rohan Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Book and Brilliant Content which is making my life and career go in the direction that was planned..

I have personally taken her class and got my certification. I was waiting for the book to be available and now it is. So its like a must have book in my collection.

The content has been very accurately selected and structured which helps learning and understanding much better.

I am very happy to have this book in my collection. It is a must buy to boost your Scrum Career.

[Prat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, I think scrum guide does provide ‘what and why’ but how part is always debatable. Indeed there is no one solution for all teams but sometimes it is also important to just have that idea on how to start with scrum way of working by knowing some best practices, especially when we start this Agile journey. So defined go for it - Read it!!

[Tejal Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idea & theme of the Scrum got Clear. It helped me to understand that Scrum also can be used effectively in Areas other than Software. Book is very Helpful for my Organisation.

Highly Recommended