Agile From First Principles

Agile exists as both a collection of practices and the principles that underlie those practices. Teams need both. But practices change over time—today’s state of the art is passé tomorrow. And while agile practices may change, the principles never do. That’s what makes this book so valuable. Lynda and Simon provide plenty of time-proven practical advice—specific things you can begin doing immediately. But practices are always presented with a helpful dose of principles. You’ll finish this book knowing what to do today and how to adapt those practices in the future. -- Mike Cohn, Mountain Goat Software, Co-Founder of the Agile Alliance and the Scrum Alliance
'First Principles’ are regularly overlooked when people start with Agile, and also seemingly forgotten by many who profess to be experienced with Agile. This book delivers both a fantastic introduction and very insightful reminders as to why these first principles are essential to 'being Agile', all supported with real experience and insightful research. Essential reading. -- Julian Holmes, Principal Transformation Consultant, Thoughtworks
Agile from First Principles is an essential compendium for delivery professionals, intuitively weaving together concepts from agile, lean and product development disciplines. It provides accessible expertise for teams starting their journey, insights into the daily challenges of working in rapidly changing environments, the spectrum of practices available to experienced Scrum Masters, and a library of nuanced learnings, grounded in the fundamentals of modern product delivery that will resonate with leaders. A highly recommended addition to an agile coach’s toolkit. -- Tom Hoyland (Expert Coach), Principal Agile and DevOps Consultant, That Agile
This book is essential reading for anyone practising in an agile context. The authors share their vast experience and knowledge in a compelling and accessible way starting at first principles. Along the way they summarise key concepts, techniques and ‘antipatterns’ (warning signs). The book is written in a refreshingly hands-on, practical way which cuts through the buzzwords and gets straight to the point. Highly recommended! -- Adrian Reed, Business Analyst at Blackmetric Business Solutions, Author of ‘Business Analyst’ (BCS)
This is a convincing commentary on successful Agile methods. ‘Agile from First Principles’ gets to the heart of what being Agile really means: a focus on people and practical solutions. It explains why the Agile Manifesto and the principles behind it matter so much. An excellent orientation for beginners which will help avoid common pitfalls. For experienced hands, a fundamental study of wide application, Agile leadership and culture. -- Toby Jones, founder of the Accelerated Capability Environment (the government’s innovation engine)
This is an excellent book for both people starting their Agile journey and those experienced practitioners who are looking to either deepen their knowledge or in need of a little reminder of the core principles that make Agile such powerful and effective delivery approach. The book has a great blend of background context and practical examples, demonstrating why Agile is so effective in today’s information and technology-based world. -- James Burton, Director Consulting Expert & UK Career Champion for Agile at CGI
‘Agile from First Principles’ is the guide for advancing your agile journey. The book, as its name implies, goes from principles to specific techniques in a framework-agnostic manner making it a valuable resource irrespective of whether you use Scrum, Kanban, XP or any of the scaling models. This book is highly recommended for both agile beginners and experts. -- David Bulkin, Managing Director, Grow-Lean LLC
Some books can’t be written until most other books on the subject already have been written. ‘Agile from First Principles’ is such a book. In an easy-to-understand way, the book presents the journey Agile has taken from its first stumbling steps to where it is today, having penetrated much of industry and academia. ‘Now this is not the end’, as Churchill might have said, but we are at a point in time where an elegant summary of the mess in which Agile is will help us to successfully move forward to a better future. And the book points to this future with discussions on leadership, the challenges of scaling and a subject closer to my own heart, Essence. -- Dr Ivar Jacobson, Chairman and CEO, Ivar Jacobson International
‘Agile from First Principles’ is the perfect guide to understanding Agile and what is truly different about Agile approaches. The in-depth explanation of values and principles is far from theoretical. Lynda and Simon use loads of examples, as well as common traps and anti-patterns, to help you understand what it really means in practice, going far beyond the usual applications and methods (they do an excellent job covering them too by the way). This book has already changed how I teach Agile! -- Joakim Sundén, Agile Transformation Coach/Specialist, Co-creator of the ‘Spotify Model’, Co-author of ‘Kanban In Action’
As the title promises, Lynda and Simon introduce the underlying principles and values of agile, emphasising the benefits of adopting an agile mindset and attitude, alongside a straightforward guide to popular agile methods and tools used within software development. Anti-patterns identified throughout the book help challenge common attitudes and behaviours that can limit and sabotage our ability to be agile. The book invites the reader to reflect on what we need to do more of, but also what we need to do less of, and stop doing to improve our agility! An easy-to-read guide for anyone interested in understanding the fundamentals of agile and identifying ways to improve their own agility personally, within their team, and as a leader. -- Belinda Waldock, Being Agile, Author of ‘Being Agile in Business’
An expertly crafted go-to manual for both seasoned professionals and those just starting out in the world of Agile. An easy read, full of practical hints and tips that will empower you to overcome the issues that hinder so many agile teams. Well written and full of rich examples, it is sure to become your primary Agile reference book. -- Martin Maya, Founder, Amatis Training Ltd
Finally, everything is in one place. ‘Agile from First Principles’ has quickly become my go-to agile resource book. I have long been a fan of Lynda and Simon’s work and their endless comprehensive knowledge of agile models, frameworks, values, principles, examples and thought leaders. As expected, this book does not disappoint. This book is well structured and pitched perfectly for anyone entering an agile environment or those who are experienced and looking to refresh and expand their knowledge. -- Kylie Yearsley, Director, Agile Games Ltd
As the Agile movement enters its third decade, it has grown and moved into dimensions and directions never thought of by the writers of the Agile Manifesto. The success of Agile as a business has often corrupted the original ideas behind Agile, imposing it in domains where its application is not the optimal solution to the problems at hand. The questions of where Agile practices and techniques make sense, where they are out of place, and where and how they might be altered and extended are valid questions that require reflection on the original ideas and intent of the Agile founders. This book, written by two knowledgeable and experienced Agilists, provides the foundation for self-reflection on the basic principles and the what and why of Agile, to help ensure that future advancements maintain both the word and the spirit of the Agile Manifesto. -- Joseph Pelrine, Agile Psychologist
This timely book exposes many stubborn myths around agile and highlights the potential dysfunctions when seeking to achieve greater agility. In jargon-free language, it outlines a path for leaders and practitioners alike to thrive in an ever more turbulent climate. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to move beyond tools, and to understand the true spirit of the agile movement. -- Karim Harbott, Co-Founder, Agile Centre, Author of ‘The 6 Enablers of Business Agility’
Agile principles can seem simple and common sense, but they are not so easy to understand nor to implement. Lynda and Simon Girvan take the complex and create understanding, bringing the reader along with examples and digestible explanations to facilitate learning. As a Professor teaching PMP processes and certification of which the exam is 40% Agile, I was struggling to find a comprehensive Agile text which take the learner from the beginning to mastery of Agile; the history, roles, Agile mindset, methodologies, Agile leadership et al. Agile from First Principles delivers as a go-to source for all on their Agile journey. -- Lisa McCaffrey-Smith MBA PMP ACP SPC CSM, Pamplin School of Business, University of Portland