Agile in a Flash: Speed-Learning Agile Software Development

by Jeff Langr, Tim Ottinger

Real agilists don't weigh themselves down with libraries of books, they keep their important information handy with them at all times. Jeff and Tim pack over two decades of experience coaching and doing agile into Agile in a Flash, a unique deck of index cards that fit neatly in your pocket and tack easily onto the wall. Agile in a Flash cards run the gamut of agile, covering customer, planning, team, and developer concepts to help you succeed on agile projects. You can use cards from the deck in many ways: as references, reminders, teaching tools, and conversation pieces. Why not get sets for your entire team or organization?

This comprehensive set of cards is an indispensable resource for agile teams. The deck of Agile in a Flash cards teaches leadership, teamwork, clean programming, agile approaches to problem solving, and tips for coaching agile teams. Team members can use the cards as reference material, ice breakers for conversations, reminders (taped to a wall or monitor), and sources of useful tips and hard-won wisdom. The cards are:

Bite-sized! Read one practice or aspect at a time in a couple of minutes.

Smart! Each card has years of practical experience behind it.

Portable! Cards fit easily in your pocket or backpack.

An indispensable tool for any agile team, and a must-have for every agile coach or Scrum Master.

The Agile in a Flash deck is broken into four areas: planning, team, coding, and agile concepts. The front of each card is a quick list - a summary of the things you want to know and remember. The back provides further detail on each of the bullet points, and offers sage nuggets of knowledge based on extensive professional experience. Tape the cards to your wall, stick them on your monitor, and get agile fast.

Genres: Reference, Management, Nonfiction, Software

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2011

Reviews

[Tim Ottinger]

I wrote it, so my opinion is probably not worth as much as a casual reader. I wrote it because I needed the content for my own work, though, so I can say it's useful. If you end up using the cards in your software practice, please give us a review on Amazon.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to keep agile concepts and ideas fresh in your mind and even begin learning things you didn't know yet. It really is a stack if flash cards. Test you knowledge and learn.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

My team used to read one of these cards each day before stand up. They're a great source of talking points for the day and the collection is an easy, quick read.

[Ben Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, cute, exact, accurate, useful and honest. I loved this as both a refresher and an ongoing reference. If Agile is part of your business life, you should own this.

[Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beside content, what I like the most of this "book" is its format. These index-size cards are provides concise content and are easy to carry and to share. Very useful for experienced and newcomers to Agile software development.

[Skyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and concise guide to Agile. Explains the basics in easy-to-understand English and references additional readings to dive deep if needed.

Every person involved in software development needs this

[Jeff Langr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it. I love it. I hope it brings a shift in how we think about reference material, particularly in software development shops.