Software in 30 Days: How Agile Managers Beat the Odds, Delight Their Customers, And Leave Competitors In the Dust [Paperback]

Ken Schwaber (Author), Jeff Sutherland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | ISBN-10: 1118206665 | ISBN-13: 978-1118206669 | Edition: 1

A radical approach to getting IT projects done faster and cheaper than anyone thinks possible

Software in 30 Days summarizes the Agile and Scrum software development method, which allows creation of game-changing software, in just 30 days. Projects that use it are three times more successful than those that don't. Software in 30 Days is for the business manager, the entrepreneur, the product development manager, or IT manager who wants to develop software better and faster than they now believe possible. Learn how this unorthodox process works, how to get started, and how to succeed. Control risk, manage projects, and have your people succeed with simple but profound shifts in the thinking.

The authors explain powerful concepts such as the art of the possible, bottom-up intelligence, and why it's good to fail early—all with no risk greater than thirty days.

• The productivity gain vs traditional "waterfall" methods has been over 100% on many projects
• Author Ken Schwaber is a co-founder of the Agile software movement, 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 and business owners who use software in their organizations or in their products and want to stop the cycle of slow, expensive software development. Programmers will want to buy copies for their managers and their customers so they will know how to collaborate to get the best work possible.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

SOFTWARE IN 30 DAYS

A Radical Approach to Fast, Valuable, and Low-Risk Software Development

Software development doesn't have to be slow and expensive anymore. The Agile and Scrum software development method allows creation of the game-changing software you need to grow your business—in 30 days or less. Projects that use it are three times more successful than those that don't, and the productivity gain versus traditional "waterfall" methods has been over 100 percent on many projects.

For the business manager, the entrepreneur, or IT manager, Software in 30 Days explains how this unorthodox process works, how to get started, and how to succeed. Learn powerful concepts such as the "art of the possible," "bottom-up intelligence," and why it's good to fail early. With simple but profound shifts in thinking, you will be able to control risk, manage projects, and deliver your best work possible, faster and cheaper than ever before.

About the Author

Ken Schwaber is a cofounder of the worldwide Agile software movement and cocreator, with Jeff Sutherland, of the "Scrum" technique for building software in 30 days. He is president of Scrum.org, a software consulting firm, and led the process management product revolution of the early 1990s. Jeff Sutherland is the cocreator of Scrum, and was cosigner of the Agile Manifesto, which marked the start of the Agile movement. He has served as vice president of engineering or CTO at eleven software companies, managing the last seven entirely using Scrum, and achieved industry-leading, hyper-productive results. Jeff is the CEO of Scrum Inc., a consulting and training company.

Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118206665
• ISBN-13: 978-1118206669
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Management > Project Management > PMP Exam

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a book to enlighten managers May 21, 2012

By Richard Hundhausen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've read a lot of books on Scrum. Most focus on the framework. Some focus on how to make it work efficiently. Some talk about how to make it scale in complex environments. A few will contain an obligatory chapter or two on introducing Scrum and its capabilities. I've yet to find a book that provides the complete, compelling story on why to adopt Scrum ... until now.

Ken and Jeff's latest book nails it. It starts off with a very real case study involving the FBI and their wasting of millions of dollars in failed software development efforts. The authors then present the why and the how the management team chose and adopted Scrum, getting the product to code complete.

After reading the book, any intellectually honest manager will see the value of empiricism and be crazy not to put Scrum to work on their next or current project.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, targeted and perfect for senior management May 23, 2012

By Richard Banks

Format:Paperback

If you're a manager then you probably don't have that much spare time on your hands so you'll be pleased to know that this is a short, concise read. While you don't need to understand the intricacies of software development, you do need to have experienced frustration with the results; that the cost of getting software developed doesn't stack up to the return you get from it , that the quality produced is inexplicably poor and sometimes the functionality misses the mark completely.

If you're in just such a situation then this book is perfect for you. Software in 30 Days explains the root causes of your problems and ways to address those problems. It also includes practical steps on how to transition your organisation's approach to software development so that you can end the pain and start getting genuine value from your software development efforts.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for managers to catch up on the Agile process May 14, 2013

By Rex

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book to help me with the scrum exam, but I am hooked on to reading it again and again. Very clear explanation of the process, and very detailed analysis to help the reader think of parallels at his/her work. The book is a great read for managers who want to understand the big-picture view of Agile and the Scrum process.

This is not a book you want to borrow, this is a book you want to own.