We live in a world where agile has become table stakes for software development. When polled, web developers are more likely to be working in an agile way than just about any other project management style. Agile is the new normal. On the other hand, while agile is widespread agile masters are spread thin. People and companies claim agile, agility, scrum, XP, Scaled Agile Frameworks, and Large Scale Scrum and they probably suffered through a few days of corporate training. Scrum mastery is a certificate. Agile coaches are created on the weekend.
Too few seek out and find agile mastery. Here are three books that define and explain key concepts, value systems, and mindsets for those seeking agile mastery.
Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
- Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
- By: Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland
Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of scrum and agile manifesto, describes how Scrum came to be. Sutherland describes the conditions that led to Scrum. Notably, he provides critical insight into source materials, including The Toyota Production System or TPS, Air Force fighter pilot training, and Kata. Sutherland defines waste, flow, and discipline. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time provides a baseline understanding for anyone interested in Scrum. It’s an easy read as Sutherland does not deep dive into any source materials while also describing them well. Sutherland points to The Toyota Way as a critical source of many of the ideas and values promoted by Scrum. W. Edwards Deming is also cited here as he is in The Toyota Way. Sutherland’s book is a starting point and an opportunity to hear Scrum described from the horse’s mouth. If you are interested in agile and Scrum and have not read this book, you should.
The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership
- The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development
- By: Jeffrey Liker and Gary L. Convis
Foundational reading for those seeking agile mastery The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership provides much-needed descriptions and definitions in many agile frameworks, including Scrum. The book describes the Toyota Production System or TPS and includes detail not found in most consumer-grade agile books like “The Elements of Scrum.”
For agile masters, this is a must-read. TPS better describes agile values and addresses root causes and resolutions of common agile issues. TPS importantly defines discipline and kata in detail. The concept of the “Andon Cord” is also a key concept described in TPS. Encapsulated in the Andon Cord description are definitions of innovation and the team’s role in identifying breakdowns in the process.
The role of the manager is also a missing concept in many Scrum or kanban books. If you ever wondered why agile values emphasize servant leadership and do not define a manager within a Scrum team, much of the answer is contained in The Toyota Production System. For example, the “roles and responsibilities” value system clearly defines a value for those closest to the problem providing the fix. For example, top-down-driven change initiatives are antithetical to the values of TPS.
Likewise, Kaizen is better defined as a core value within The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership. Most agile books do not cover this concept in sufficient detail. Again here, this concept is core to agile frameworks, including Scrum and kanban. Kaizen is about raising the bar with the goal of perfection. “Every process is still full of waste and rife with opportunities to improve.”
The Goal
- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement – 30th Anniversary Edition
- By: Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
The Goal is a go-to textbook as a novel for anyone seeking to understand operations. More specifically, for agile masters, The Goal provides foundational source material for understanding lean concepts. The Theory of Constraints is an incredibly influential work that mathematically describes why lean systems fail and why they don’t have to. Goldratt describes several key concepts using analogies and a Socratic Method. By asking the protagonist a series of leading questions and thought experiments, Goldratt defines how buffer management is key to successfully handling flow. This book provides otherwise missing detail for anyone interested in “the why” of lean, Scrum, or kanban’s focus on throughput and buffers.
Goldratt’s Five Focusing Steps:
- Identify the system’s constraints
- Exploit the constraint
- Subordinate everything else to the constraint
- Elevate the constraint
- Prevent Inertia
The Five Focusing Steps are still the best advice one may provide a struggling agile team. Have you ever wondered how to address process issues within your agile teams? Do you think your agile teams should be working faster and delivering more working software? The Goal provides much-needed clarity into how to address common blockers and improve throughput.
Do you have a suggestion for a book agile master’s must-read? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Credit: “Envenenamiento de M. Gustavo Fougnies, por M. de Bocarmé. ‘M. de Bocarmé.'” by Biblioteca Rector Machado y Nuñez is marked with CC PDM 1.0
