The Agile Mind-Set
The Agile Mind-Set

Author: Gil Broza

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-07-21

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9781514769331

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Are you frustrated or disenchanted by the results of your Agile approach? Does Agile sound like a good idea, but you're not sure how to explain it beyond roles, practices, and meetings? Is your team going through the motions, but it's still business as usual? The missing piece is the Agile mind-set -- the thinking that makes Agile processes work. This book is your compass for the Agile journey. Without prescribing any process, practice, or tool, it will show you how practitioners approach: Deciding what to work on Planning and doing the work Engaging people and performing as teams Working better Pragmatic and dogma-free, this book will help you understand what it means to be Agile and how to bring others along. I want to give this book to every executive and manager who asks why the transition is taking so long. I also recommend it for all Agile practitioners as a valuable source of insight beyond the processes and techniques described in other books. -Roger Brown, Agile Coach, Agile Crossing Gil Broza is a kindred spirit to the pioneers of the Agile movement. He reminds us of the core values, principles, and behaviors of this enduring effort to bring joy and delight to producing software. To those new to the pursuit, he brings a lantern for the journey. -Rich Sheridan, CEO, Menlo Innovations The book's forewords are by Jim Highsmith and Linda Rising. Gil Broza, founder and principal mentor at 3P Vantage, has been supporting Agile leaders and their teams since 2004. Gil's guidance helps professionals adopt effective, humane, and responsible approaches to software development. His previous book was The Human Side of Agile.

Doing Agile Right
Doing Agile Right

Author: Darrell Rigby

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Published: 2020-05-26

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1633698718

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Agile has the power to transform work--but only if it's implemented the right way. For decades business leaders have been painfully aware of a huge chasm: They aspire to create nimble, flexible enterprises. But their day-to-day reality is silos, sluggish processes, and stalled innovation. Today, agile is hailed as the essential bridge across this chasm, with the potential to transform a company and catapult it to the head of the pack. Not so fast. In this clear-eyed, indispensable book, Bain & Company thought leader Darrell Rigby and his colleagues Sarah Elk and Steve Berez provide a much-needed reality check. They dispel the myths and misconceptions that have accompanied agile's rise to prominence--the idea that it can reshape an organization all at once, for instance, or that it should be used in every function and for all types of work. They illustrate that agile teams can indeed be powerful, making people's jobs more rewarding and turbocharging innovation, but such results are possible only if the method is fully understood and implemented the right way. The key, they argue, is balance. Every organization must optimize and tightly control some of its operations, and at the same time innovate. Agile, done well, enables vigorous innovation without sacrificing the efficiency and reliability essential to traditional operations. The authors break down how agile really works, show what not to do, and explain the crucial importance of scaling agile properly in order to reap its full benefit. They then lay out a road map for leading the transition to a truly agile enterprise. Agile isn't a goal in itself; it's a means to becoming a high-performance operation. Doing Agile Right is a must-have guide for any company trying to make the transition--or trying to sustain high agility.

Beyond Requirements
Beyond Requirements

Author: Kent J. McDonald

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Published: 2015-08-29

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 0133039854

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Satisfy Stakeholders by Solving the Right Problems, in the Right Ways In Beyond Requirements, Kent J. McDonald shows how applying analysis techniques with an agile mindset can radically transform analysis from merely “gathering and documenting requirements” to an important activity teams use to build shared understanding. First, McDonald discusses the unique agile mindset, reviews the key principles underlying it, and shows how these principles link to effective analysis. Next, he puts these principles to work in four wide-ranging and thought-provoking case studies. Finally, he drills down on a full set of techniques for effective agile analysis, using examples to show how, why, and when they work. McDonald’s strategies will teach you how to understand stakeholders’ needs, identify the best solution for satisfying those needs, and build a shared understanding of your solution that persists throughout the product lifecycle. He also demonstrates how to iterate your analysis, taking advantage of what you learn throughout development, testing, and deployment so that you can continuously adapt, refine, and improve. Whether you’re an analysis practitioner or you perform analysis tasks as a developer, manager, or tester, McDonald’s techniques will help your team consistently find and deliver better solutions. Coverage includes Core concepts for analysis: needs/ solutions, outcome/output, discovery/delivery Adapting Lean Startup ideas for IT projects: customer delivery, build–measure–learn, and metrics Structuring decisions, recognizing differences between options and commitments, and overcoming cognitive biases Focusing on value: feature injection, minimum viable products, and minimum marketable features Understanding how analysis flows alongside your project’s lifecycle Analyzing users: mapping stakeholders, gauging commitment, and creating personas Understanding context: performing strategy (enterprise) analysis Clarifying needs: applying decision filters, assessing project opportunities, stating problems Investigating solutions: impact and story mapping, collaborative modeling, and acceptance criteria definition Kent J. McDonald uncovers better ways of delivering value. His experience includes work in business analysis, strategic planning, project management, and product development in the financial services, health insurance, performance marketing, human services, nonprofit, and automotive industries. He has a BS in industrial engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Kent State University. He is coauthor of Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility (Addison-Wesley, 2009).

Agility Shift
Agility Shift

Author: Pamela Meyer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-11-03

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 1351862405

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As contrary as it sounds, "planning" -- as we traditionally understand the term--can be the worst thing a company can do. Consider that volatile weather events disrupt trusted supply chains, markets, and promised delivery schedules. Ever-shifting geo-political tensions, as well as internal political upheaval within U.S. and global governments, derail long-planned new ventures. Technology failures block opportunities. Competitors suddenly change their product or release date; your team cannot meet the pace of innovations in your market niche, leaving you sidelined. There are myriad ways in the current business environment for a company's well-considered business plans to go awry. Most business schools continue to prepare managers to be effective in stable and predictable environments, conditions that, if they ever existed at all, are long gone. The Agility Shift shows business leaders exactly how to make the radical mindset and strategy shift necessary to create an agile, entrepreneurial organization that can innovate and thrive in complex, ever-changing contexts. As author Pamela Meyer explains, there is much more involved than a reconfiguration of the org chart and job descriptions. It requires relinquishing the illusion of control at the very foundation of most management training and business practice. Despite most leaders' approaches, "Agility is not simply accelerated planning." Unlike many agility books on the market, The Agility Shift provides specific, actionable strategies and tactics for leaders at all levels of the organization to put into practice immediately to improve agility and achieve results.

The Agile Mind
The Agile Mind

Author: Estanislao Bachrach

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2016-05-26

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 0753551713

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A publishing sensation in Argentina that has sold over 200,000 copies and topped the bestseller charts for a record-breaking two years, now available in English for the first time! The Agile Mind is about the most precious mental talent we have: the ability to imagine things which have never existed and to create new ideas. This book demystifies the preconceptions we often have about how our brains function to show how creativity really works, and how we can make it work even better. We used to think that creativity diminished through the lifespan, but we now know this is not the case. The brain can regenerate and continue learning until the last days of our lives. We can all become more creative if we use the right methods and techniques to stimulate our brains and broaden our minds. Join us on a fun and amazing journey into the deepest reaches of your brain and discover an incredible range of tips and tools to be more creative and happier in all parts of your life.

The Agile Learner
The Agile Learner

Author: James Anderson

Publisher:

Published: 2021-01-08

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9781951075873

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Empower your students to become confident learners in a world of constant change. In The Agile Learner, author James Anderson draws from ample research to detail the dispositions, skills, and behaviors every student needs for lifelong success. Use this resource to boost teacher and student efficacy and enhance learners' 21st century skills. Use this resource to guide students to push beyond their personal best and actively build their own potential: Understand the concept of the agile learner as it relates to complementary research on growth mindset, habits of mind, and practice. Explore the many external mindset movers that may push one's mindset along the continuum of fixed versus growth. Recognize the role of teachers' mindsets in student learning and instruction. Study the four rules of talent: (1) choice, (2) practice, (3) effort, and (4) unlimited growth. Consider new ideas about talent and achievement. Contents: Acknowledgements Table of Contents About the Author Chapter 1: The Agile Learner Chapter 2: Why Mindset is Important Chapter 3: The Mindset Continuum and Mindset Movers Chapter 4: Teacher Mindset Chapter 5: How Do We Achieve Growth? Chapter 6: The Rule of Choice Chapter 7: The Rule of Practice Chapter 8: The Rule of Effort Chapter 9: The Rule of Unlimited Growth Chapter 10: New Ideas About Talent References and Resources Index

The Agility Mindset
The Agility Mindset

Author: Fiona Cannon

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-01-20

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 3319455192

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Shows how to unlock the massive efficiency savings and productivity gains by reframing the approach to flexible working by concentrating on workforce agility. We know that organizations don’t need the same number of workers 9-5, five days a week 52 weeks a year. We know that not all of the best talent will work when and where we want. We know that command and control Taylorism stifles innovation and creativity. So why do we keep thinking of flexible working as a cost to the organization? A simple mindset shift is all that is required to grasp the opportunity that smart organizations are already exploiting. Stop thinking about “flexible working” and start thinking about “workforce agility”. By creating win-win working practices you can attract the best talent by offering the flexibility they crave and secure the agile, just-in-time workforce that can get the job done. The Agile Future Forum, a business-to-business initiative started by 22 founder members – mostly CEOS of big employers including BT, Lloyds Banking Group, Cisco, Tesco, KPMG, HM Treasury and Ford – have conducted case studies and a collated best practice from world class organisations which show that a more agile approach to flexible working not only delivers better performance but can also save between 3 and 13% of personnel costs. The Agility Mindset blends the insights of scores of CEOs, along with the frontline experience of practising managers to create this very practical guide. Based on rigorous research, but packed with practical diagnostics and frameworks, the book shows you how to create a fit for purpose workplace in a world where only the agile will flourish.

A.G.I.L.E. Thinking Demystified
A.G.I.L.E. Thinking Demystified

Author: Frank Forte

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2020-10-05

Total Pages: 91

ISBN-13: 1631579045

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The word agile has moved far beyond its original meaning in helping to transform large organizations. We now know that agile is used as the tool to accelerate an organization’s ability to adapt and thrive in a world of accelerating change. This book provides the missing link of how to shift mindsets on how to work effectively. This shift requires an investigation of how we can move organizations in the way they think about work–especially work that does not easily conform to the traditional plan-driven approach. The author takes the reader on a journey to be able to think in an A.G.I.L.E way. The approach taken is reflective and allows time for the insight to understand how to think differently about teams, work, and even organizations. It is said that all organizations are technology organizations, if that is true it brings risks and opportunities that many organizations have not seen before. The framework of the book will help grow a new way of thinking and is anchored in: Adaptability Growth Improvement Leadership Experience In order to make the full transition to thinking in an A.G.I.L.E way you will need to challenge everything you think you know about leading and working in large organizations.

The Age of Agile
The Age of Agile

Author: Stephen Denning

Publisher: AMACOM

Published: 2018-02-08

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 0814439101

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An unstoppable business revolution is under way, and it is Agile. Sparking dramatic improvements in quality, innovation, and speed-to-market, the Agile movement has helped companies learn to connect everyone and everything…all the time. With rapidly evolving consumer needs and technology that is being updated quicker than ever before, businesses are recognizing how essential it is to adapt quickly. The Agile movement enables a team, unit, or enterprise to nimbly acclimate and upgrade products and services to meet these constantly changing needs. Filled with examples from every sector, The Age of Agile helps you: Master the three laws of Agile Management (team, customer, network) Embrace the new mindset Overcome constraints Employ meaningful metrics Make the entire organization Agile Companies don’t need to be born Agile. With the groundbreaking formulas laid out in The Age of Agile, even global giants can learn to act entrepreneurially. Your company’s future may depend on it!

Pursuing Timeless Agility
Pursuing Timeless Agility

Author: Jimmie Butler

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2019-04-23

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 9781092173704

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"This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations." - Sam Brilliant, Sr. Program Manager, Navy Federal Credit Union. Agile transformation is hard to achieve. It is especially difficult when the common notion of what that means is misconstrued. What many are calling Agile is not Agile, and they don't even know it. This misunderstanding leads to misapplication. The result is that true Agile transformation remains elusive. It's time to rethink your approach! What you do matters, but why you do it matters more. This book will help you learn from the mistakes of the "common wisdom" and discover a proven path to organizational agility where Mindset Transcends Methodology. "Jimmie has a knack for challenging the common wisdom and helping teams think differently about what success looks like." - John Laub, President, Gray Leaf Technology Consultants. To solve a problem, you must first understand the problem. The first half of the book contrasts the true meaning and intent of Agile with what most organizations are actually doing in order to help you understand where your organization sits within that spectrum. Armed with an understanding of the problem, the latter half of the book provides a tried and proven approach to moving teams and organizations toward a genuine Agile transformation, and ultimately a Timeless Agility. Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows you to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of methodology trends. To attain Timeless Agility, to reach for that elusive organizational agility, your entire organization needs to think differently. Agile transformation, therefore, is going to be more about transforming minds than practices. Your understanding impacts what you do and how you do it. What you believe and value is the foundation from which all else derives. How you do your work will change over time as you learn and grow, but why you do what you do transcends all of those changes. Very few organizations have actually achieved organization-wide transformation. Many are on the wrong path altogether. Perhaps the common approaches and thought processes taught are not necessarily what you should emulate. To get over that proverbial hump, it is time to look at this from a different perspective. This book will show you Agile from a different lens than you may be wearing right now. Embrace it and evaluate for yourself.