Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from $16.03

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (Paperback)

by Esther Derby (Author), Diana Larsen (Author), Ken Schwaber (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

List Price: $29.95
Price: $19.77 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

28 new from $16.03 11 used from $16.03

Best Value

Buy Applied Software Project Management and get Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

Applied Software Project Management + Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great
Buy Together Today: $54.23

Show availability and shipping details

  • Applied Software Project Management

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • This item: Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)

Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)

by Mike Cohn
4.7 out of 5 stars (49)  $44.45
User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

by Mike Cohn
4.8 out of 5 stars (44)  $44.99
Collaboration Explained: Facilitation Skills for Software Project Leaders (Agile Software Development Series)

Collaboration Explained: Facilitation Skills for Software Project Leaders (Agile Software Development Series)

by Jean Tabaka
4.4 out of 5 stars (9)  $46.47
The Enterprise and Scrum

The Enterprise and Scrum

by Ken Schwaber
3.7 out of 5 stars (9)  $26.39
Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World (Pragmatic Programmers)

Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World (Pragmatic Programmers)

by Venkat Subramaniam
4.5 out of 5 stars (32)  $19.77
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
See how to mine the experience of your software development team continually throughout the life of the project. The tools and recipes in this book will help you uncover and solve hidden (and not-so-hidden) problems with your technology, your methodology, and those difficult "people" issues on your team.

Project retrospectives help teams examine what went right and what went wrong on a project. But traditionally, retrospectives (also known as "post-mortems") are only helpful at the end of the project--too late to help. You need agile retrospectives that are iterative and incremental. You need to accurately find and fix problems to help the team today.

Now, Derby and Larsen show you the tools, tricks, and tips you need to fix the problems you face on a software development project on an on-going basis. You'll see how to architect retrospectives in general, how to design them specifically for your team and organization, how to run them effectively, how to make the needed changes, and how to scale these techniques up. You'll learn how to deal with problems, and implement solutions effectively throughout the project--not just at the end.

With regular tune-ups, your team will hum like a precise, world-class orchestra.



About the Author
Esther Derby is one of the rare breed of consultants who blends the technical and managerial issues with the people-side issues. She is well known for her work helping teams grow to new levels of productivity and is recognized as one of the world's leaders in retrospective facilitation. Esther's articles have appeared in Better Software (formerly STQE), Software Development, Cutter IT Journal, and CrossTalk. She writes regular columns for stickyminds.com, and Computerworld.com, and publishes the quarterly newsletter, insights. Esther is also a host and session leader at the Amplifying Your Effectiveness (AYE) conference.

Diana Larsen partners with leaders of software development projects to improve project performance, support and sustain change, and build collaborative workplaces. Diana serves on the boards of Agile Alliance and the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, participates in planning for the XP 200x and Agile 200x conferences, and speaks at several software conferences every year. She's written articles for Software Development, At Work, Cutter IT Journal, and Cutter's Executive Update and e-Advisor series. Diana is a founder of the Annual International Retrospective Facilitators Gathering.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf; illustrated edition edition (July 26, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0977616649
  • ISBN-13: 978-0977616640
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,039 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #20 in  Books > Computers & Internet > Project Management > PMP Exam
    #76 in  Books > Business & Investing > Organizational Behavior > Workplace

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Reality Check, March 5, 2007
By R. Williams "code slubber" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
After the first 100 pages, I was ready to give this book a single star. Then it made its way back by producing some stimulus in the center of the book, basically talking about some techniques for eliciting and then analyzing feedback (made it back to a 4, 5 is ludicrous just from the content perspective, this thing is thin in every sense of the word). But then, it fell back to a 3 because ultimately the many examples are laid out as if they were patterns, but there is little to no structure. Finally, the conclusion section goes back to some of the silliness of the beginning. What I am referring to as silliness is the constant enveloping of process suggestions with new agey psychobabble. I found that 80% of the time, this additional stuff was noise.

Ultimately, I was left convinced (as probably all who have done iterative could easily be) that retrospectives are a good thing, but a strong conviction that they could be done better than what is being espoused here. There are a few good ideas, and the overall presentation is good. That's all.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's not hype; their advice works., September 18, 2006
Diana and Esther tell us how to make good teams great. It's not hype; their advice works!

From the first few pages we know the authors are speaking from their vast experience, sharing knowledge on how to install iterative retrospectives in a team's process. Their book is written in an easy-to-read manner and leaves nothing out: it includes examples from real retrospectives, a theory of iterative retrospective design as well as a number of carefully designed exercises.

I'm not surprised that the authors could make clear such a difficult topic, blending insight from a number of fields and writing specifically for software teams. For more than a decade, Esther and Diana have been teaching the techniques and helping leading edge companies from all over the world implement retrospectives.

This is a must read book for anyone serious about making the Agile approach work, and then work better and better. Why? Because an Agile approach deployed right out of the book or course is likely to be a poor fit for your specific environment. Agile needs to be fine-tuned for your teams strengths, skills, challenges and goals. The iterative retrospective is the widely proven technique to make these crucial adjustments. There is no better book on the topic.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Take your team to a new level with this book!, August 1, 2006
By Lisa Crispin (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
My agile team has used retrospectives for years and thought we were pretty good at them. The activities and ideas in this well-written, well-organized book take our retrospectives to a whole new level. Now if we can't remember what we did in the previous two weeks (it's surprising how poor our memories can be!), or are stumped for ideas on how to address a prickly issue, we can just turn to the book for a way to jump-start a beneficial change.

I had no idea there were so many different approaches to getting value via retrospectives. The activities are all simple, and illustrated with many figures and examples. Even if you're not very experienced at leading these types of meetings, the book will give you confidence.

The authors also explain when and why to do different types of retrospectives. For example, I hadn't thought of having project retrospectives for our agile team, since we already have iteration retrospectives, but now I can see how they can be managed for good effect. Most importantly, the book explains how to use the information and ideas produced in a retrospective to effect real change. It's easy to get complacent and not strive to do better, and this book will help your team be proactive.

The book's organization makes it a good reference guide too. Anytime your team is in a rut or having a problem, you could pick an activity out of this book to kick start things. I love user-friendly books such as this one.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference for retrospective activities
I am a fan of The Pragmatic Progammers series of books. They have mostly good material and I like the company's publishing methods. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Abney

2.0 out of 5 stars Read the 1st chapter ...
Based on the first chapter I raced through the rest of the book. I was not nearly as impressed with the remainder of the book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Joel C. Themmen

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of really practical and fun advice
This is one of those "common sense" books. It's full of really obvious practical advice. The difference I found however is in the multitude of simple and practical exercises it... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Carl Joseph

1.0 out of 5 stars About emotional perception not enhancing the development of software...
I have read at least 10 books of the Pragmatic Series and this is the first one I couldn't finish because it was so terrible (I actually threw it out). Read more
Published 14 months ago by Amazon User

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for any scrum master
This is a really useful book. Most practical. Being into scrum (sort of) for 3 months, we've tried to change our retrospective meeting agenda applying methods from this book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Andrey Taranov

4.0 out of 5 stars If only for the examples, this is worth reading
This year, I found myself leading an agile development team. While I've been in the software industry for several decades, I'm new to agile. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Steven List

5.0 out of 5 stars Use it every retrospective
I refer to the activities in the book all the time. It really gives a fresh look at the retrospective and keeps the team engaged. Read more
Published on May 6, 2007 by Aaron E. Sanders

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Helpful
This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to lead a retrospective with their team. I am impressed with how much valuable information it conveys in a short,... Read more
Published on January 16, 2007 by M. Lamoreux

5.0 out of 5 stars Project-oriented programmers must have this.
Project retrospectives can help educate a team by providing a clear review of what went right or wrong on a project, and why - but usually they are held at the end of a project... Read more
Published on October 14, 2006 by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice for those desiring more frequent, shorter, better retrospectives
One of the challenges facing an agile team that holds a retrospective at the end of each one- to four-week iteration is how to keep the meetings fresh. Read more
Published on September 24, 2006 by Michael Cohn

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)



Look for Similar Items by Category


Shop in a Box with Power-Tool Combo Packs

Shop for combo packs
Expand your tool collection with a versatile combo pack. Our extensive line of combo packs includes air tools and convenient cordless power tools.

Shop combo packs

 

Best Books of 2008

Best of 2008
Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.
 

Dive into Summer Reading

Summer Reading for Kids and Teens
Don't even think about hitting the beach without browsing the books in our Summer Reading Store. Discover bestsellers, paperback picks, beach reads, and more terrific titles all summer long.
 

Remodel Your Bathroom

Shop for Bathroom Remodeling Products
Transform one of the most essential rooms in your home. Browse functional and attractive bathroom faucets, sinks, and accessories.

Shop for bathroom products

 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
Glenn Beck's Common Sense
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates