A radical approach to getting IT projects done faster andcheaper than anyone thinks possible Software in 30 Days summarizes the Agile and Scrumsoftware development method, which allows creation of game-changingsoftware, in just 30 days. Projects that use it are three timesmore successful than those that don't. Software in 30 Daysis for the business manager, the entrepreneur, the productdevelopment manager, or IT manager who wants to develop softwarebetter and faster than they now believe possible. Learn how thisunorthodox process works, how to get started, and how to succeed.Control risk, manage projects, and have your people succeed withsimple but profound shifts in the thinking. The authors explain powerful concepts such as the art of thepossible, bottom-up intelligence, and why it's good to failearly—all with no risk greater than thirty days. The productivity gain vs traditional "waterfall" methods hasbeen over 100% on many projects Author Ken Schwaber is a co-founder of the Agile softwaremovement, and co-creator, with Jeff Sutherland, of the "Scrum"technique for building software in 30 days Coauthor Jeff Sutherland was cosigner of the Agile Manifesto,which marked the start of the Agile movement Software in 30 Days is a must-read for all managers andbusiness owners who use software in their organizations or in theirproducts and want to stop the cycle of slow, expensive softwaredevelopment. Programmers will want to buy copies for their managersand their customers so they will know how to collaborate to get thebest work possible.

A guide to the Agile Results system, a systematic way to achieve both short- and long-term results that can be applied to all aspects of life.

Kanban is a simple and elegant Agile framework that helps to control and improve development processes. Originating in traditional 20th century manufacturing in Japan, Kanban has a renewed relevance today, being a crucial methodology in the world of software development. This book explores the key features of Kanban, and demonstrates how to put it into practice through exercises that will help you make the most of this unique approach to managing collaboration and production. Designed as a 30 day action plan, this book will help you understand and implement Kanban – and start seeing results – in a month. Analyze your current situation and define your goals and wider strategic aims, and begin developing a plan to help you and your team confidently work towards achieving them. Involve your team to drive cultural change, learn how to prioritize and organize tasks and projects to efficiently use your time and resources. Create your own value stream map to better understand your processes and identify improvement areas, and adapt and use the features tips and examples to overcome challenges you may face when implementing Kanban. Pick up this book and experience the full results of this vital Agile methodology – fast.

The rules and practices for Scrum—a simple process for managing complex projects—are few, straightforward, and easy to learn. But Scrum’s simplicity itself—its lack of prescription—can be disarming, and new practitioners often find themselves reverting to old project management habits and tools and yielding lesser results. In this illuminating series of case studies, Scrum co-creator and evangelist Ken Schwaber identifies the real-world lessons—the successes and failures—culled from his years of experience coaching companies in agile project management. Through them, you’ll understand how to use Scrum to solve complex problems and drive better results—delivering more valuable software faster. Gain the foundation in Scrum theory—and practice—you need to: Rein in even the most complex, unwieldy projects Effectively manage unknown or changing product requirements Simplify the chain of command with self-managing development teams Receive clearer specifications—and feedback—from customers Greatly reduce project planning time and required tools Build—and release—products in 30-day cycles so clients get deliverables earlier Avoid missteps by regularly inspecting, reporting on, and fine-tuning projects Support multiple teams working on a large-scale project from many geographic locations Maximize return on investment!

Based on more than 100 actual commercial projects, this book explains how to run an agile software development project that delivers high-quality, high-value solutions to business clients. It concentrates on the practical, social, business, and management aspects as well as the technical issues involved. Holcombe connects readers with the wave of "Agile 2.0" concepts that take the techniques of agile development and place them in the service of business goals.

Describes Agile Modeling Driven Design (AMDD) and Test-Driven Design (TDD) approaches, database refactoring, database encapsulation strategies, and tools that support evolutionary techniques Agile software developers often use object and relational database (RDB) technology together and as a result must overcome the impedance mismatch The author covers techniques for mapping objects to RDBs and for implementing concurrency control, referential integrity, shared business logic, security access control, reports, and XML An agile foundation describes fundamental skills that all agile software developers require, particularly Agile DBAs Includes object modeling, UML data modeling, data normalization, class normalization, and how to deal with legacy databases Scott W. Ambler is author of Agile Modeling (0471202827), a contributing editor with Software Development (www.sdmagazine.com), and a featured speaker at software conferences worldwide

Whether to continue using traditional cost and benefit analysis methods such as systems and software engineering standards or to use a relatively new family of software development processes known as Agile methods is one of most prevalent questions within the information technology field today. Since each family of methods has its strengths and weaknesses, the question being raised by a growing number of executives and practitioners is: Which family of methods provides the greater business value and return on investment (ROI)? Whereas traditional methods have been in use for many decades, Agile methods are still a new phenomenon and, until now, very little literature has existed on how to quantify the business value of Agile methods in economic terms, such as ROI and net present value (NPV). Using cost of quality, total cost of ownership, and total life cycle cost parameters, The Business Value of Agile Software Methods offers a comprehensive methodology and introduces the industry's initial top-down parametric models for quantifying the costs and benefits of using Agile methods to create innovative software products. Based on real-world data, it illustrates the first simple-to-use parametric models of Real Options for estimating the business value of Agile methods since the inception of the Nobel prize winning Black-Scholes formulas. Numerous examples on how to estimate the costs, benefits, ROI, NPV, and real options of the major types of Agile methods such as Scrum, Extreme Programming and Crystal Methods are also included. In addition, this reference provides the first comprehensive compilation of cost and benefit data on Agile methods from an analysis of hundreds of research studies.The Business Value of Agile Software Methods shatters key myths and misconceptions surrounding the modern-day phenomenon of Agile methods for creating innovative software products. It provides a complete business value comparison between traditional and Agile methods. The keys to maximizing the business value of any method are low costs and high benefits and the business value of Agile methods, when compared to traditional methods, proves to be very impressive. Agile methods are a new model of project management that can be used to improve the success, business value, and ROI of high-risk and highly complex IT projects in today's dynamic, turbulent, and highly uncertain marketplace. If you are an executive, manager, scholar, student, consultant or practitioner currently on the fence, you need to read this book!

Proven, 100% Practical Guidance for Making Scrum and Agile Work in Any Organization This is the definitive, realistic, actionable guide to starting fast with Scrum and agile-and then succeeding over the long haul. Leading agile consultant and practitioner Mike Cohn presents detailed recommendations, powerful tips, and real-world case studies drawn from his unparalleled experience helping hundreds of software organizations make Scrum and agile work. Succeeding with Agile is for pragmatic software professionals who want real answers to the most difficult challenges they face in implementing Scrum. Cohn covers every facet of the transition: getting started, helping individuals transition to new roles, structuring teams, scaling up, working with a distributed team, and finally, implementing effective metrics and continuous improvement. Throughout, Cohn presents "Things to Try Now" sections based on his most successful advice. Complementary "Objection" sections reproduce typical conversations with those resisting change and offer practical guidance for addressing their concerns. Coverage includes Practical ways to get started immediately-and "get good" fast Overcoming individual resistance to the changes Scrum requires Staffing Scrum projects and building effective teams Establishing "improvement communities" of people who are passionate about driving change Choosing which agile technical practices to use or experiment with Leading self-organizing teams Making the most of Scrum sprints, planning, and quality techniques Scaling Scrum to distributed, multiteam projects Using Scrum on projects with complex sequential processes or challenging compliance and governance requirements Understanding Scrum's impact on HR, facilities, and project management Whether you've completed a few sprints or multiple agile projects and whatever your role-manager, developer, coach, ScrumMaster, product owner, analyst, team lead, or project lead-this book will help you succeed with your very next project. Then, it will help you go much further: It will help you transform your entire development organization.

“In this user-friendly guide, Dr. Richard Carmona gives specific, practical advice about optimizing brain function based on the best scientific evidence. I recommend it.” (Andrew Weil, author of Healthy Aging and True Food). Synthesizing the cognitive science behind memory, sleep, stress, and addiction, Canyon Ranch’s 30 Days to a Better Brain is the definitive guide to caring for your brain during all stages of your life. Dr. Carmona and the experts at America’s leading wellness center guide you through the anatomy of the aging brain, how stress and toxins affect your mind, and the importance of sleep, laying out a thirty-day nutrition, exercise, and medical plan to help you achieve optimal brain health. You’ll also find answers to all your questions, including how your health is affecting your brain, what foods to eat and what to avoid, whether or not supplements are necessary, what important medical tests to ask your doctor about, and how best to challenge your brain. Also included are techniques for practicing mindfulness, meditation, and spiritual contemplation. The immense benefits of this thirty-day program include better memory, mood, and sleep; faster, sharper thinking; more energy; quicker reflexes; safer driving; improved attention span; and much more. Combining the best of traditional and alternative therapies, behavioral science, and exercise physiology, this indispensable guide from “one of the finest Surgeon Generals in our nation’s history” (New York Times bestselling author Dean Ornish) will help you maintain and enhance a strong, agile mind so that your body does not outlive your brain.