Steve McConnell is one of the best writers about software practices in our generation. Over decades, each of his books pushes the field forward, and each new book updates his thought with oodles of new data. This book, an evidence-based look at Agile, is no exception. Agile has become a catch-all term for a lot of software practices, but McConnell recenters his study about Agile on what’s most important in a business – getting results.
His book addresses many layers of an organization: teams, work, and organization-wide dynamics. Again, he’s grounded not in the latest fads but in a historical approach to software development. In previous books, he’s looked a bit wary of Agile methodologies, but this book represents a full embrace. He’s no purist, though, in search of a universally applicable perfect form of Agile. He’s focused on getting practical results for any business. That combination makes this book excellent.
I especially appreciate the bibliography at the end of each chapter and have found a few new books to add onto my reading list. Agile techniques have transformed the software industry, yet many elements remain incompletely adopted. McConnell seeks to complete the system so that the business can benefit fully from Agile’s innovations. He wants to bring adoption rates even higher so that businesses will move from partial adoption to fuller implementation of Agile’s benefits.
I recommend this book to anyone involved in leading software efforts or ambitious to lead such efforts in the future. Like the rest of McConnell’s literary corpus, this book represents one of the key works that leaders should read in order to lead their businesses effectively. It should stand as a seminal work in the field for a generation and thus deserves attention by software leaders.
More Effective Agile: A Roadmap for Software Leaders
By Steve McConnell
Copyright (c) 2019
Construx Press
ISBN13 9781733518215
Page Count: 348
Genre: Software Engineering
www.amazon.com