From best-selling author and noted teacher and speaker Yehuda Berg comes a thought-provoking call to action on our current global crisis. Positing that our collective abdication of responsibility — in every facet of our lives, including business and the economy, the environment, government and politics, healthcare, education, and religion — has contributed to the problems and challenges we face, Berg asserts that taking responsibility for our actions (or lack thereof) and their consequences is the key to achieving change for the better. Berg urges readers to access the power within each of us, using the principles of Kabbalah, in order to create the consciousness shift required for lasting positive change.

This guide will help readers learn how to employ the significant power of use cases to their software development efforts. It provides a practical methodology, presenting key use case concepts.

Use case analysis is a methodology for defining the outward features of a software system from the user's point of view. Applying Use Cases, Second Edition, offers a clear and practical introduction to this cutting-edge software development technique. Using numerous realistic examples and a detailed case study, you are guided through the application of use case analysis in the development of software systems. This new edition has been updated and expanded to reflect the Unified Modeling Language (UML) version 1.3. It also includes more complex and precise examples, descriptions of the pros and cons of various use case documentation techniques, and discussions on how other modeling approaches relate to use cases. Applying Use Cases, Second Edition, walks you through the software development process, demonstrating how use cases apply to project inception, requirements and risk analysis, system architecture, scheduling, review and testing, and documentation. Key topics include: Identifying use cases and describing actors Writing the flow of events, including basic and alternative paths Reviewing use cases for completeness and correctness Diagramming use cases with activity diagrams and sequence diagrams Incorporating user interface description and data description documents Testing architectural patterns and designs with use cases Applying use cases to project planning, prototyping, and estimating Identifying and diagramming analysis classes from use cases Applying use cases to user guides, test cases, and training material An entire section of the book is devoted to identifying common mistakes and describing their solutions. Also featured is a handy collection of documentation templates and an abbreviated guide to UML notation. You will come away from this book with a solid understanding of use cases, along with the skills you need to put use case analysis to work.

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.

Thoroughly reviewed and eagerly anticipated by the agile community, User Stories Applied offers a requirements process that saves time, eliminates rework, and leads directly to better software. The best way to build software that meets users' needs is to begin with "user stories": simple, clear, brief descriptions of functionality that will be valuable to real users. In User Stories Applied, Mike Cohn provides you with a front-to-back blueprint for writing these user stories and weaving them into your development lifecycle. You'll learn what makes a great user story, and what makes a bad one. You'll discover practical ways to gather user stories, even when you can't speak with your users. Then, once you've compiled your user stories, Cohn shows how to organize them, prioritize them, and use them for planning, management, and testing. User role modeling: understanding what users have in common, and where they differ Gathering stories: user interviewing, questionnaires, observation, and workshops Working with managers, trainers, salespeople and other "proxies" Writing user stories for acceptance testing Using stories to prioritize, set schedules, and estimate release costs Includes end-of-chapter practice questions and exercises User Stories Applied will be invaluable to every software developer, tester, analyst, and manager working with any agile method: XP, Scrum... or even your own home-grown approach.

Summary Specification by Example is an emerging practice for creating software based on realistic examples, bridging the communication gap between business stakeholders and the dev teams building the software. In this book, author Gojko Adzic distills interviews with successful teams worldwide, sharing how they specify, develop, and deliver software, without defects, in short iterative delivery cycles. About the Technology Specification by Example is a collaborative method for specifying requirements and tests. Seven patterns, fully explored in this book, are key to making the method effective. The method has four main benefits: it produces living, reliable documentation; it defines expectations clearly and makes validation efficient; it reduces rework; and, above all, it assures delivery teams and business stakeholders that the software that's built is right for its purpose. About the Book This book distills from the experience of leading teams worldwide effective ways to specify, test, and deliver software in short, iterative delivery cycles. Case studies in this book range from small web startups to large financial institutions, working in many processes including XP, Scrum, and Kanban. This book is written for developers, testers, analysts, and business people working together to build great software. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book. What's Inside Common process patterns How to avoid bad practices Fitting SBE in your process 50+ case studies =============================================== Table of Contents Part 1 Getting started Part 2 Key process patterns Part 3 Case studies Key benefits Key process patterns Living documentation Initiating the changes Deriving scope from goals Specifying collaboratively Illustrating using examples Refining the specification Automating validation without changing specifications Validating frequently Evolving a documentation system uSwitch RainStor Iowa Student Loan Sabre Airline Solutions ePlan Services Songkick Concluding thoughts

Filled with advice distilled from the authors' experience in the creation and use of object-oriented technology, Succeeding with Objects is an invaluable guide to the decision processes inherent in successful software development using object-oriented technology. The focus of the book is on you - the developer, project manager, or IS executive.

Discusses how to define and organize use cases that model the user requirements of a software application. The approach focuses on identifying all the parties who will be using the system, then writing detailed use case descriptions and structuring the use case model. An ATM example runs throughout the book. The authors work at Rational Software. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Organizations can make data science a repeatable, predictable tool, which business professionals use to get more value from their data Enterprise data and AI projects are often scattershot, underbaked, siloed, and not adaptable to predictable business changes. As a result, the vast majority fail. These expensive quagmires can be avoided, and this book explains precisely how. Data science is emerging as a hands-on tool for not just data scientists, but business professionals as well. Managers, directors, IT leaders, and analysts must expand their use of data science capabilities for the organization to stay competitive. Smarter Data Science helps them achieve their enterprise-grade data projects and AI goals. It serves as a guide to building a robust and comprehensive information architecture program that enables sustainable and scalable AI deployments. When an organization manages its data effectively, its data science program becomes a fully scalable function that’s both prescriptive and repeatable. With an understanding of data science principles, practitioners are also empowered to lead their organizations in establishing and deploying viable AI. They employ the tools of machine learning, deep learning, and AI to extract greater value from data for the benefit of the enterprise. By following a ladder framework that promotes prescriptive capabilities, organizations can make data science accessible to a range of team members, democratizing data science throughout the organization. Companies that collect, organize, and analyze data can move forward to additional data science achievements: Improving time-to-value with infused AI models for common use cases Optimizing knowledge work and business processes Utilizing AI-based business intelligence and data visualization Establishing a data topology to support general or highly specialized needs Successfully completing AI projects in a predictable manner Coordinating the use of AI from any compute node. From inner edges to outer edges: cloud, fog, and mist computing When they climb the ladder presented in this book, businesspeople and data scientists alike will be able to improve and foster repeatable capabilities. They will have the knowledge to maximize their AI and data assets for the benefit of their organizations.

The Practical, Start-to-Finish Guide to Planning and Leading Iterative Software Projects Iterative processes have gained widespread acceptance because they help software developers reduce risk and cost, manage change, improve productivity, and deliver more effective, timely solutions. But conventional project management techniques don’t work well in iterative projects, and newer iterative management techniques have been poorly documented. Managing Iterative Software Development Projects is the solution: a relentlessly practical guide to planning, organizing, estimating, staffing, and managing any iterative project, from start to finish. Leading iterative development experts Kurt Bittner and Ian Spence introduce a proven, scalable approach that improves both agility and control at the same time, satisfying the needs of developers, managers, and the business alike. Their techniques are easy to understand, and easy to use with any iterative methodology, from Rational Unified Process to Extreme Programming to the Microsoft Solutions Framework. Whatever your role–team leader, program manager, project manager, developer, sponsor, or user representative–this book will help you Understand the key drivers of success in iterative projects Leverage “time boxing” to define project lifecycles and measure results Use Unified Process phases to facilitate controlled iterative development Master core concepts of iterative project management, including layering and evolution Create project roadmaps, including release plans Discover key patterns of risk management, estimation, organization, and iteration planning Understand what must be controlled centrally, and what you can safely delegate Transition smoothly to iterative processes Scale iterative project management from the smallest to the largest projects Align software investments with the needs of the business Whether you are interested in software development using RUP, OpenUP, or other agile processes, this book will help you reduce the anxiety and cost associated with software improvement by providing an easy, non-intrusive path toward improved results–without overwhelming you and your team.