Agile project management is becoming a key skill within the software industry. As more businesses adopt agile, they are seeking dedicated agile project management methods to help them. Individuals with agile certifications in project management can therefore command a premium in the jobs market. Read on to find out more about agile and project management and professional certification.

1. Agile Resources
e-book
Phone: +44 (0)207 148 5985
Email: info@knowledgetrain.co.uk

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Agile project management
Agile principles: An illustrated guide
Agile project management certification
The Agile Manifesto: An illustrated guide
Certification for Agile Business Analysts
Agile business analyst – a growing role
How to write a user story
The top 15 agile books you should read
The 4 Kanban principles: A visual guide

3. Agile project management
Agile project management is becoming a key skill within the
software industry. As more businesses adopt agile, they are
seeking dedicated agile project management methods to help
them. Individuals with agile certifications in project management
can therefore command a premium in the jobs market.
Read on to find out more about agile and project management and
professional certification.
Delivery methods
The term ‘agile’ means a lot of different things to different people.
Agile methods originated in the software industry, not as project
management methods, but as project delivery methods.
“ A project delivery method is a system used … for organizing
and financing design, construction, operations, and maintenance
services … by entering into legal agreements with one or more
entities or parties
Wikipedia [1]

4. Projects deliver outputs
The above definition covers both “construction” and “operations
and maintenance”. Construction refers to any activities required to
design and build a product or service and these take place as part
of a project. Projects which are temporary in nature deliver outputs
(products or services).
Business as usual
Operations and maintenance, however, are what are normally
referred to as “business as usual” (BAU) i.e. the ongoing, everyday
activities which take place in an organization. It’s usually projects
which deliver products at the end of the projects, and these are
often maintained by staff who work in BAU.
For example, on an IT project in a large organization, it is often the
IT department which operates and maintains the IT system after
it’s been delivered by the project.
Agile Manifesto
Agile is now an umbrella term underneath which lots of different
agile delivery methods, concepts, behaviours and techniques are
placed. The closest definition of what agile is can be found in the
Agile Manifesto created in 2001 by a group of leading agile
thinkers. This is what the Agile Manifesto says:
“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing
it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Responding to change over following a plan.
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the
items on the left more.
Agile Manifesto [2]

5. Agile was a response to project problems
Agile delivery methods were developed to overcome many of the
problems which often plagued software projects. These problems
often meant projects were late, over budget and beset with quality
problems.
Agile has moved beyond the software industry
Although agile started in the software industry and a lot of its
terminology is directly related to I.T., there is now an
acknowledgement that agile delivery methods, behaviours,
principles and techniques can be used on any type of project.
Some people even replace the word ‘software’ found in the Agile
Manifesto with words such as ‘product’ or ‘service’.
Agile delivery methods are for teams
One common feature of almost all agile delivery methods is that
they tend to focus at the team level e.g. how to make teams more
efficient and better able to deliver what the customer needs on
time using a variety of agile techniques. Agile delivery methods do
not focus on project management (PM) because they were not
designed for that purpose.
Must understand ‘why?’
However, on any project there is a need to understand why the
project is required. This is the most important question of all. A
lack of clarity here could mean a lot of time and money is wasted
developing products which are not required by the business. This
question is answered usually on a project by its business sponsor
often known as a project sponsor or executive.
Historically, project management (PM) has focused on the top 2
levels shown in the diagram above, whilst leaving the methods to
be used at the bottom for the teams themselves to specify.
Ensuring the project gives value for money
Project management methodologies such as PRINCE2 are clear
about the business sponsor role. It is to ensure that the project

6. gives value for money, that it fits in with corporate strategies and
that it can be funded. It is also to ensure that the project delivers a
product which in turn, will achieve the forecasted benefits i.e. the
positive things which will result as a return for the investment.
Directing projects
Often projects have steering committees or project boards which
bring together the major business, user and supplier stakeholders,
so that there is unified direction given to the project. The people on
these boards are, by their very nature, senior people. They commit
the necessary resources and approve plans.
Managing projects
Sitting in between the teams and a project board is a project
manager. The project manager’s traditional role is to manage the
project day to day. This involves agreeing work with teams,
managing issues and risks, creating and updating plans and
reporting progress to the project board.
Delivering products
The teams on a project are responsible for delivering in a timely
manner those products which the customer needs. Agile teams
now have a variety of agile delivery methods to choose from:
Extreme Programming, Kanban, DSDM, Lean Startup and Scrum
– the latter being the most well-known. These agile delivery
methods are able to maximize the productivity of their team
members by applying the principles defined in the Agile Manifesto.
Iterative versus waterfall - click here to see infographic
https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/agile/agile-project-management
Waterfall methods
Before agile delivery methods began to dominate the software
industry, the delivery methods employed on projects were often
referred to as “waterfall methods”. These typically relied on lots of
documentation to be produced, had predefined sequential phases
to go through (requirements analysis, design, build, test,
deployment) and each phase required signoff before proceeding to

7. the next. These methods found it difficult to respond to customers’
changes.
Waterfall projects often failed
Research conducted by the Standish Group of projects conducted
between 2002 and 2010 reported that: “Software applications
developed through the agile process have three times the success
rate of the traditional waterfall method and a much lower
percentage of time and cost overruns” [3]
. Success in the report
was defined as on time, on budget, and with all planned features.
Little ‘design up front’
One of the features of agile delivery methods is the lack of focus
on “design up front” when compared with waterfall approaches.
The latter utilizes a design phase in which software architectures
and high-level designs are produced. The construction of the
software proceeds after the design phase has been signed off.
Agile enables fast delivery
Agile methods work in a series of iterations, each iteration
producing a workable and incremental piece of software. During
these iterations, design (and re-design) is done bit by bit, not all at
once as in waterfall.
Agile is therefore a good choice for projects which need to quickly
bring software to market e.g. a website or web-based tool or
service.
Hybrid methods enable more robust systems
It is less good at producing long-lasting and well-engineered
systems. Can you imagine the control software for a nuclear power
station being developed with no up-front design?
This problem was highlighted in the 2014 CRASH Report [3]
, which
showed that enterprise software built using a mixture of agile and
waterfall methods – with an up-front emphasis on architectural
quality and design – will result in more robust and secure

8. applications than those built using either agile or waterfall methods
alone.
Agile project management
Agile methods don’t define a ‘project manager’ role
Even if your project is using agile delivery methods you still need
project management. That’s because agile delivery methods were
never designed as project management methodologies. The fact is
that none of the different agile approaches define a ‘project
manager’ role.
Project management strengths
One of the strengths of project management methodologies such
as PRINCE2 is that they have developed over a long time. They
have been developed by experienced project managers managing
many different types of projects over many years and as such are
based upon best practices.
Combining agile with project management
The strengths of project management methodologies such as
PRINCE2 lie in their focus on giving direction and management on
a project. PRINCE2 and other PM standards or methodologies do
not, however, provide any focus in the area of product delivery.
Agile delivery methods focus almost entirely at the product delivery
level, and do not concern themselves with the project direction or
management. So, agile project management is a way of providing
project management and direction to a project which uses agile
methods at the team level.
Agile project management (agile PM), however, is more than just a
marriage between project management methodologies and agile
delivery methods. It’s also about applying agile principles to both
the project management and delivery methods.

9. Agile project management certification
Boost your career
If you work either as a project manager, or work as part of an agile
team using something like Scrum or XP, you can boost your career
by gaining professional certification. That’s because having
professional certification shows employers that you have the
knowledge to complement and boost your experience in the field.
Most popular certification
In the UK the most popular agile PM certification is AgilePM®
-
offered by the APMG. Announced in 2010, this qualification
scheme was developed in conjunction with the Agile Business
Consortium (formerly the DSDM Consortium).
The syllabus for the certification is based upon DSDM, which was
the world’s first agile PM methodology when it launched in 1995.
The DSDM Consortium was a signatory to the original Agile
Manifesto in 2001.
The latest version – the DSDM Agile Project Framework (AgilePF)
– was launched in 2014 and is documented in the Agile Project
Management Handbook v2.0.
AgilePM®
certification
AgilePM®
certification is available at two levels – Foundation and
Practitioner. You can obtain these certifications by studying either
3 or 4 days of agile PM training.
These courses were designed to help students develop both the
knowledge and skills required to work on an agile project and
develop the understanding to apply the guidance on an agile
project.
Growth of AgilePM®
certification - to see table click
here:https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/agile/agile-project-
management

10. Conclusion
If you either work on projects developing products or manage
projects which use an agile approach you will find using a
dedicated agile project management approach extremely useful.
Agile PM combines the flexibility of agile with the control of project
management. It enables rapid delivery and fast response to
customer’s changing requirements by using agile principles, whilst
at the same time providing an understanding of why the project is
required and how it fits in with organisational strategies.
Gaining professional certification can set you apart from many
competitors in the jobs market because the qualifications are
relatively new and therefore haven’t yet reached the saturation
levels which some other professional certifications have.
Gaining agile PM certification is therefore a sensible choice for
professionals in 2019.
References
[1]
Wikipedia. (2018). Project delivery
method. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_delivery_method.
Last accessed: 26 Nov 2018.
[2]
Mike Beedle et al. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software
Development. http://www.agilemanifesto.org/. Last accessed: 26
Nov 2018.
[3]
The Standish Group. 2011. The CHAOS Report, page
25. https://www.standishgroup.com/
[4]
CAST Software Inc. (2017). The CRASH Report
2017. https://www.castsoftware.com/research-labs/crash-reports.
Last accessed: 26 Nov 2018.

11. Agile principles: An illustrated
guide
The 12 agile principles underpin every successful agile project and
can inspire even non-agile teams. They form a core part of
any agile project management course. Below is our beautifully
illustrated infographic detailing the agile principles. Perfect for
anyone working on agile projects!
Download and print your free poster here. Put it on the wall in your
workplace to help your team learn the 12 agile principles.
Feel free to use either of these graphics on your website, but
please link back to this page so others can enjoy our free
resources.

13. Agile project management
certification
Agile project management certifications are gaining popularity fast!
Whilst agile development methods and certifications such as Scum
dominate the software industry, they are gaining popularity in other
industries too.
As more businesses adopt agile, they are seeking agile project
management methods to help them. People with agile project
management certification can therefore command a premium in
the jobs market.
Read on to find out more about the growing Agile Project
Management certification (Agile PM) from APMG and the Agile
Business Consortium.
Agile PM certification
The AgilePM certification scheme announced by the APM Group
(APMG) in 2010 was developed in conjunction with the Agile
Business Consortium (formerly the DSDM Consortium). Since its
launch in 2010, AgilePM has fast established itself as the leading
agile project management certification and framework.

14. Agile Project Management courses are popular with professionals
eager to add agile project management certification to their CV.
In December 2018, the APMG announced that the total number
of AgilePM examinations sat worldwide had reached 100,000.
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Total
AgilePM Foundation 612 1,677 3,032 6,481 8,986 12,104 16,851 n/a n/a
AgilePM Practitioner 540 1,308 2,114 3,791 4,864 6,130 7,850 n/a n/a
Total 1,152 2,985 5,146 10,272 13,850 18,234 24,701 n/a 100,000
% year on year
increase
n/a 159% 72% 100% 35% 32% 35% 31% n/a
By the end of 2018, approximately 65,000 AgilePM Foundation
exams and over 35,000 AgilePM Practitioner exams have been sat
worldwide. As more and more professionals learn about the new
qualifications scheme, these numbers are set to rise.
In 2017, approximately one third of AgilePM Foundation exams
taken were sat in the UK.
Global pass rates in 2018 for the Foundation exam were 98.5%
and 94.7% for Practitioner.
Why is AgilePM so popular?
There are 6 key factors why AgilePM is proving to be popular as
the premier agile project management certification.
It provides governance and agility
Based upon the Agile Project Framework (APF) which was
established over 20 years ago, AgilePM blends both corporate
governance aspects with key agile concepts and is specifically

15. aimed at project managers. The authors of the APF were the ones
who developed DSDM, one of the founding signatories to the agile
manifesto.
Never compromise quality
Never compromising quality is an underlying principle of AgilePM.
This is helped by agreeing high-level acceptance criteria
throughout the full project lifecycle.
Risk management
A starting point in AgilePM for understanding risks is the Project
Approach Questionnaire. This enables a shared understanding of
project risks and how to mitigate them.
Goes beyond product development approaches
Whereas common agile methods such as Scrum offer product
development approaches, they do not address project
management. AgilePM goes further than Scrum by offering an
agile project management approach.
Clear roles and responsibilities
AgilePM assigns clear roles and responsibilities to individuals from
the business, user, technical and management areas so that
effective stakeholder collaboration can be achieved.
Incorporates popular agile practices
Key agile practices such as MoSCoW, timeboxing and iterative
development are incorporated into AgilePM to support effective
product development.
Who should get Agile Project Management
certification?
APMG’s AgilePM qualifications are aimed at professionals working
in an agile environment who want some of the discipline which
more structured project management approaches can offer.

16. With the demands on businesses ever increasing, there is
pressure on project managers to deliver products faster, cheaper
and more efficiently than ever before.
Traditional project management
Requirements
Falsely, traditional project management approaches assume that
requirements are well known at the start.
Such methods use the commonly understood ‘project triangle’ of
time, cost and scope whereby the scope is fixed at the start of the
project and both time and cost are varied as the project continues.
This is one reason why many such projects suffer from time and
cost overruns.
Bureaucratic
Traditional project management methods are often seen as
bureaucratic and heavy on documentation, managed in a top-down
‘command and control’ type of way. How such methods are seen
and how they are used are two entirely different things however.
Not designed for agile
Traditional project management methods such as PRINCE2 can
be adapted to suit the needs of agile projects, but they were never
designed from the ground up to do so.
Agile delivers product releases iteratively
Changing requirements
Agile approaches recognize that users often don’t fully know their
requirements when projects start and therefore they will likely
change during the project. Whilst changing requirements can often
be problematic in more traditional project management
approaches, agile approaches embrace changes in requirements.
On agile projects time and cost are normally the fixed elements but
the requirements and scope of the project are variable. Agile

17. therefore is better at delivering on time than more traditional
project management approaches.
Agile approaches focus on incremental and iterative releases of
products to users and customers, each iteration or incremental
release giving the user yet more functionality. Agile can therefore
deliver products early to users and this helps users better
understand and refine their requirements after a period of use.
Agile is branching out
Although agile methods developed in the software industry, the
agile philosophy has moved beyond its initial beginnings and has
started to be used in other industries – particularly digital media
and marketing.
How to become an agile-certified project
manager
To gain Agile PM certification requires you to pass one of the two
Agile PM exams: Foundation and Practitioner.
Usually, students either attend a classroom Agile Project
Management course or an online Agile Project Management
course. Classroom Foundation courses last 3 days with a further
day for the Practitioner part.
AgilePM Foundation online courses can be completed in 20 hours
including exam.
AgilePM examinations
Both examinations are in multiple-choice formats with a pass mark
of 50%. The Foundation examination contains 60 questions to be
answered in one hour. This exam is closed-book and tests
students’ ability to recognise and distinguish between the main
elements of the AgilePM approach.
Agile project management training courses at Foundation level are
aimed at people who are already practising agile project managers,
or members of agile project teams who are seeking to step up into
agile project management.

18. The Practitioner exam paper contains 4 questions with 15 marks
available for each question. It’s an open book exam lasting two
hours and tests students’ ability to apply and tailor
the AgilePM guidance to a given project scenario. It is designed to
test a candidate’s competence to begin working as an Agile
Project Manager on a non-complex project.
AgilePM pre-requisites
The pre-requisites for taking the AgilePM Practitioner
examination is passing either the AgilePM Foundation certificate
(above), or either the DSDM Atern Foundation or Practitioner
certificate.
Summary
Agile Project Management certification, along with the framework
learned on an AgilePM course, can be an extremely valuable asset
to project managers wanting to manage projects in an agile way.
Whilst the number of professionals with Agile PM certification
remains far less than the number of PRINCE2 certified
practitioners, this is an advantage for those professionals willing to
put the work in to get their Agile PM certification.
Having Agile PM certification is a great way to stand out from
competitors in the jobs market when applying for agile project
manager roles.

19. The Agile Manifesto: An
illustrated guide
Discover the key values of the Agile Manifesto with
this colourful infographic! If you're an agile project manager, or a
developer on projects, the manifesto will inform the way you work.
Download and print a free poster version. Put it on the wall in your
workplace to help your team learn the four values of the Manifesto
for Agile Software Development. Ideal for anyone working on agile
projects!
Feel free to use this graphic on your website, but please link back
to this page so others can enjoy our free resources.

20. Certification for Agile
Business Analysts
Agile business analysts
Many organisations today are employing agile business analysts.
They are business analysts who typically work in an agile project
environment (whether software or other).
Agile business analysis course
APMG International developed, in partnership with the Agile
Business Consortium, the AgileBA®
certification (Agile Business
Analysis). These training courses will help develop your skills to
become a competent business analyst in an agile project team.
Other associations offer certified agile business analysis like BCS
and IIBA®
.
APMG’s certification scheme for agile business analyst
course (Agile BA) comes in two levels:
 Foundation;
 Practitioner.

21. AgileBA®
Foundation course
The AgileBA Foundation course offers delegates common agile
principles suitable for a business analyst. In addition, you will learn
about agile business analysis techniques.
The agile business analysis book is called: AgileBA®
Agile
Business Analysis Handbook. The Scrum Framework is not
covered by this course.
This course is for:
 Current business analysts;
 Agile team members wanting to become agile business
analysts;
 Product owners and managers;
 Individuals studying towards the AgileBA Practitioner
certificate.
There are no prerequisites for entering this course. The
Foundation course will cover the following topics:
The role of the business analyst in an agile world;
 Agile fundamentals and agile business analysis;
 The agile business case;
 Stakeholders in an agile project;
 Requirements and user stories;
 Prioritisation;
 Workshops;
 Modelling;
 Timeboxing and iterative development;
 Requirements planning and estimating throughout the
lifecycle;
 The requirements lifecycle in an agile project;
 Making the transition to agile business analysis;
After the course, you may sit the AgileBA Foundation exam. The
exam format is as follows:
 Multiple choice questions;
 50 questions per paper;
 25 marks required to pass (out of 50 available) – 50%;
 40-minute duration;
 Closed book.

22. If you pass the Foundation exam, you would be eligible to sit
the AgileBA Practitioner exam.
AgileBA®
Practitioner course
The AgileBA Practitioner course is for delegates who want to
put AgileBA theory into practice. Since you have the knowledge
from the Foundation course, you will now learn how to apply it in
your organisation.
The topics you will study in this course are:
 The philosophy and principles of the DSDM Agile Project
Framework;
 Agile practices in a project like: Facilitated
workshops, MoSCoW Prioritisation, iterative development and
modelling;
 Testing, estimating and evaluating the benefits delivery in an
agile project;
 The mechanisms for facilitation and support within an agile
project;
 The agile approach to managing and prioritising requirements.
After the course, you may sit the AgileBA Practitioner exam. The
exam format is as follows:
 Complex multiple-choice questions;
 4 questions per paper with 20 marks available per questions;
 40 marks required to pass (out of 80 available) - 50%;
 2.5-hour duration;
 Open book (AgileBA Handbook only).
Certified Agile Business Analyst
When you pass each exam, you can claim a digital badge
representing your certificates from APMG. It can be embedded on
your email signature, website, social media or digital resume.
This is proof from APMG that you have a certified agile business
analyst. It will show your organisation or employers that you are
confident in the subject of agile business analysis.

23. Statements:
IIBA®
is a registered trademark owned by International Institute of
Business Analysis.

24. Agile business analyst – a
growing role
Business analysts have worked on projects for many years. Agile
business analyst roles are becoming more widely advertised. So,
what’s the difference, and how can you become an agile business
analyst?
What is an agile business analyst?
An agile business analyst (Agile BA) is a business analyst who
works on projects using agile methodologies. These
methodologies are based upon:
 Adaptive planning;
 Early delivery;
 Responding to change quickly and easily;
 Empowerment of people at the right levels;
 Continuous improvement.
Agile business analysts require certain attributes such as:
 Business-oriented;
 Eagerness;
 Empathy;

25.  Flexibility;
 Goal-oriented;
 Innovation;
 Leadership.
How to become an agile business analyst
The steps in becoming an agile business analyst are similar to the
steps in becoming a business analyst. In addition you need to
develop a range of agile business analyst skills.
Agile business analyst skills
To become an Agile BA you need to develop the skills below or
enhance them by extra training:
 The ability to see the big picture and identify possible
solutions;
 An understanding of the agile development process;
 Outstanding verbal and non-verbal communication skills;
 An understanding of the industry involving the project;
 The ability to accept changes throughout the project;
 Team-building skills;
 Multi-tasking skills.
Agile business analyst certification
A training course in agile business analysis, like AgileBA®
,
combines both business analysis techniques and agile
methodologies in one Agile Business Analysis qualification
Agile business analysis is a growing area as more
companies utilise the benefits of agile development methods on
their projects.
Getting a qualification such as the AgileBA®
can help enhance your
resume/CV and distinguish yourself in the job market.

26. How to write a user story
Writing user stories takes a bit of practice when you are new to
agile. That’s why we have developed this simple guide and handy
graphic to get you started! They are covered in the popular Agile
Project Management course.
If you think this guide will give others a good start to writing user
stories, feel free to link to it from your blog or share it with your
networks.
What is a user story in agile?
A user story is a simple description of a requirement and is a
popular agile method to capture user requirements. It serves as a
guide for the team about a user requirement. User stories are one
of the many agile technique or methods which you will learn on
the Agile Project Management courses.
User stories provide context and clarity of expectations, without
focusing on technical details. Defining technical details too early
can discourage alternative design options and changes. Being
purposely vague, user stories provide room for creativity and
interpretation.

27. A user story speaks from the end user perspective and follows this
format:
As a ….. I want to ….. so that …..
User stories encourage team conversation which may uncover
hidden assumptions and requirements. They are to be kept brief
and should always meet the allocated acceptance criteria or
definition of “Done”.

28. Who can write a user story?
Users are the ideal people to write user stories. If you’re using
Scrum, it’s the Product Owner’s job to keep the Product Backlog
full of user stories. The highest priority stories are pulled from the
backlog to work on during a Scrum sprint.
How to write a user story
The key to writing an effective user story is to determine the who,
what and why. Ensure that your user stories follow the I.N.V.E.S.T.
standard – independent, negotiable, valuable estimable, small and
testable.
1. Define your end user
The first thing to do when writing your story is to define your end
user. Who is the person that will be using your product? A helpful
way to visualise your user is to make them a persona profile. Give
the person a name and find them a photo. Add their relevant
attributes, attitudes and behaviours. Finally, give them a goal. The
following example is a user definition for a smart baby monitor.
Example:
As a [parent]
2. Specify what your end user wants
For this part you’ll need to think about the solution your product is
offering. What does your end user want from your product? Refer
to the “goal” section of your persona profile, then add a brief
description of this to your story. The following example shows what
the end user wants from using a smart baby monitor.
Example:
As a [parent], I want to [check up on my sleeping baby without
going into their room]
3. Describe the benefit of your product
Imagine that you are the end user speaking to the product
developer. Tell the developer the benefit you will gain from using

29. this product. The following example shows how the end user will
benefit from using a smart baby monitor.
Example:
As a [parent], I want to [check up on my sleeping baby without
going into their room], so I can [ensure their safety without
disturbing them].
4. Add acceptance criteria
In agile, teams are required to deliver products that are potentially
shippable. Acceptance criteria is the clearest and quickest way to
determine whether a user story is done or not-done.
Each user story should have at least one acceptance criteria but
try not to list too many. You can use S.M.A.R.T objectives to
ensure your criteria are measurable. Always remember to write
from your end user’s perspective and not confuse acceptance
criteria with a to-do list.
Example:
As a [parent], I want to [check up on my sleeping baby without
going into their room], so I can [ensure their safety without
disturbing them].
- Night camera installed on baby’s cot monitor
- Baby temperature and breathing monitor function
- Data sent to parent’s smartphone
- Parent alert sent to smartphone if problem occurs
Start building your backlog
Once you have written your user story, you can add it to the
backlog. Once you have a bunch of user stories, you can work on
prioritizing and estimating the effort.
Embracing change is all part of the agile ethos, so product
requirements may change during a sprint and you can refine your
user stories as you progress. If you find that your user story is
becoming complicated or undoable, you can break it into smaller
user stories. That way, the stories are less likely to be left not-done
at the end of a sprint.

30. The top 15 agile books you
should read
This list of books is ideal for those of you interested in agile, Scrum
or Lean! We created this list by noting the books mentioned most
in online project management communities. We also scoured
Amazon reviews and totted up star ratings to build our ultimate list
of agile books. Many of the concepts descibed in these books form
the basis of the increasingly popular agile project management
courses which provides guidance for project managers on agile
projects.
Click this link to see
graphic: https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/agile/top-agile-books
Our list of the top 15 best agile books are as follows (best at
the top).
1 – ‘Running Lean’ by Ash Maurya
Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works. Ash
Maurya (2012). O'Reilly Media. ISBN-13: 978-1449305178
An ideal tool for business managers, CEOs, small business
owners, developers and programmers, and anyone who’s
interested in starting a business project.

31. 2 – ‘Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half
the Time’ by Jeff Sutherland
Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time. Jeff
Sutherland (2015). Random House Business. ISBN-13: 978-
1847941107
Filled with practical examples relevant to any organisation. It will
make you re-think the fundamentals of successful management,
plus show you how to get both ambitious and everyday tasks done,
however large or small your organisation is.
3 – ‘The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps,
and Helping Your Business Win’ by Gene Kim, Kevin
Behr and George Spafford
The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your
Business Win. Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford (2016).
Random House Business. ISBN-13: 978-0988262508
An entertaining fictional story that follows an IT manager in a
company with a troubled project, capturing the dilemmas and
offering real-world solutions that the reader can learn from.
4 – ‘The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation
Creates Radically Successful Businesses’ by Eric
Ries
The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically
Successful Businesses. Eric Ries (2011). Portfolio Penguin. ISBN-
13: 978-0670921607
Most new business failures are preventable. Now is the time to
think Lean. This author highlights the importance of learning what
your customer wants and adapting before it’s too late. A must for
innovative managers and entrepreneurs.

32. 5 – ‘Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most
Popular Agile Process’ by Kenneth Rubin
Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile
Process. Kenneth S. Rubin (2012). Addison Wesley. ISBN-
13: 978-0137043293
An enjoyable read with visual icon language used to create the
diagrams. Nice glossary for buzz word reference. Great for
beginners and for Scrum Masters’ team training.
6 – ‘Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile
Introduction’ by Chris Sims and Hillary Johnson
Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction. Chris Sims
and Hillary Louise Johnson (2012). Dymaxicon. ISBN-13: 978-
1937965044
A perfect, pocket-sized overview of the bare essentials of Agile
development and Scrum. Good reference for the experienced and
a brief but effective primer for beginners.
7 – ‘The Scrum Field Guide: Agile Advice for Your
First Year’ by Mitch Lacey
The Scrum Field Guide: Agile Advice for Your First Year. Mitch
Lacey (2012). Addison Wesley. ISBN-13: 978-0321554154
Are you having day-to-day problems implementing Scrum? When
they arise, pick up this handbook. Flick to the chapter you need
and discover how the author has been in exactly the same
situation as you! Less theory, more practical every-day advice.
8 – ‘Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup
Faster’ by Alistair Croll & Benjamin Yoskovitz
Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster. Alistair
Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz (2013). O'Reilly Media. ISBN-
13: 978-1449335670

33. A staple book for the hands of those in a Lean startup. Learn
which metrics matter according to your business type, model and
the stage in which you are at, in a non-daunting way. Measuring
progress of a new startup has never been easier!
9 – ‘Impact Mapping: Making a Big Impact with
Software Products and Projects’ by Gojko Adzic
Impact Mapping: Making a Big Impact with Software Products and
Projects. Gojko Adzic (2012). Provoking Thoughts. ISBN-13: 978-
0955683640
Impact mapping helps to create better plans and roadmaps that
ensure alignment of business and delivery, and are easily
adaptable. This book aims to help ensure software products and
projects don’t die a slow death without making any impact.
10 – ‘Succeeding with Agile: Software Development
Using Scrum’ by Mike Cohn
Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum. Mike
Cohn (2009). Addison Wesley. ISBN-13: 978-0321579362
Ideal for those who are spreading Scrum into an organization. It
covers every stage of the transition from getting started, helping
individuals into new roles, structuring teams, scaling up, working
with a distributed team, to implementing effective metrics and
continuous improvement.
11 – ‘Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating
Products that Customers Love’ by Roman Pichler
Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating Products that
Customers Love. Roman Pichler (2010). Addison-Wesley
Professional. ISBN-13: 978-0321605788
A fundamental book for current or prospective product owners, as
well as executives and coaches interested in establishing agile
product management. Understand the role and practices, and how
to avoid and overcome the common challenges.

34. 12 – ‘Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns,
and Practices’ by Robert C. Martin
Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and
Practices. Robert C. Martin (2002). Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-
0135974445
For Software Engineers, Programmers, and Analysts who want to
understand how to design object-oriented software with state-of-
the-art methods.
13 – ‘Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative
Products (Agile Software Development)’ by Jim
Highsmith
Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (Agile
Software Development). Jim Highsmith (2009). Addison Wesley.
ISBN-13: 978-0321658395
An exploration into the best practices for managing projects in
agile environments. The author has over 30 years’ experience as
an IT manager, product manager, project manager, consultant,
and software developer. Ideal for project leaders, managers, and
executives at all levels.
14 – ‘Scrum: A revolutionary approach to building
teams, beating deadlines, and boosting productivity’
by Jeff Sutherland
Scrum: A revolutionary approach to building teams, beating
deadlines, and boosting productivity. Jeff Sutherland (2014).
Random House Business Books. ISBN-13: 978-1847941091
Written by one of the Scrum founders, this book delves into the
origins and evolution of Scrum, referencing real world examples
with autobiographical elements. Not so much a practical book, but
useful for explaining the “whats” and the “whys” about Scrum.

35. 15 – ‘Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams’ by
Tom Demarco
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams Tom Demarco (1988).
John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 978-0932633057
A great insight into team development and what makes a company
succeed. Statistical evidence and humour is used to point out that
the manager’s function is not to make people work, but make it
possible for them to work.
Which agile books are for you?
If you’re just getting up to speed with agile, then we hope the list of
books above will help you. If you need further help in
understanding agile project management or Scrum in particular,
then we have courses to help you.
If you just want to learn on your own and you’re an agile amateur,
then check out ‘Scrum: A Breathtakingly Brief and Agile
Introduction’.
Are you leading an agile team? Well, if you agree with the notion
that many project problems are sociological, not technological,
best-seller ‘Peopleware’ by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister will help
you tighten your team. ‘Succeeding with Agile’ by Mike Cohn will
benefit those who are leading an agile transition within an
organization.
If you’re having day-to-day issues implementing Scrum, we’d
recommend keeping ‘The Scrum Field Guide’ by Mitch Lacey
handy. As its always best to hear things straight from the horse’s
mouth, both titles of ‘Scrum’, written by one of Scrum’s founders,
Jeff Sutherland, also come highly recommended for anyone using
Scrum.
If you’re a product owner, ‘Agile Product Management with Scrum’
by Roman Pichler clarifies the role and responsibilities of the
Scrum product owner.

36. For those who are involved in starting a business project, make
sure to add ‘Running Lean’ by Ash Maurya, ‘Lean Analytics’ by
Alistair Croll & Benjamin Yoskovitz and ‘The Lean Startup’ by Eric
Ries to your reading list.
Software developers need look no further than ‘Agile Software
Development’ by Robert C Martin for good design practice, and
‘Impact Mapping’ by Gojko Adzic and Marjory Bisset for creating
better plans and roadmaps.
If you prefer fiction over theory, ‘The Phoenix Project’ by Gene Kim
and Kevin Behr cleverly tells the tale of an IT project, taking the
reader through its successes and failures.
Last but not least, delve into ‘Agile Project Management’ by Jim
Highsmith for an integration of the best project management,
product management, and software development practices.
We hope you find these top agile books list useful. Feel free to
share or link back to this page so others can benefit from it. Don’t
forget to pin the graphic to your Pinterest board for easy
reference!

37. The 4 Kanban principles: A visual
guide
We have developed this visual guide to help you understand how
Kanban method works and whether it will be useful for
your organisation. Kanban is such a flexible agile method that it
can be used on all types of work and different types of projects, as
long as the 4 principles are followed.
Kanban is discussed on many agile courses, including Agile
Project Management (AgilePM) courses.
What is Kanban?
Developed by Toyota
Kanban is a highly visual work management method, developed in
Japan in the late 1940’s by Toyota engineers. The word Kanban
roughly translates in Japanese as “visual card”.
Limiting waste
By displaying cards on a board, a team can easily display a
workflow to everybody involved in the team. The fundamental

38. benefit of working in this way is that any disruptions to workflow
are easily identified, and team members can collaborate to rectify
issues before they get out of control.
The approach also limits the amount of work in progress,
thereby minimising any build-up of tasks which wastes time and
money.
Pulling work
Kanban is based on a pull rather than a push system. This means
that team members only start work when they have capacity,
rather than work being pushed to them with the potential of getting
piled up. Kanban can be a valuable tool when managing projects
that require deliverables frequently and is also a popular choice for
software development teams.
The graphic below was created to help you get a basic
understanding of the 4 principles of Kanban. If you like it, please
show your appreciation by linking back to this page.

40. The 4 principles of Kanban
1. Visualize workflow
Visualize your work on a board with cards to represent user stories
(work) in your product backlog (inventory). Use colours to
represent the theme of your user stories. For a simple Kanban
board, label one column “TO-DO” and another “DONE”. Label
columns in between “TO-DO” and “DONE” to represent either the
type of work or whoever is responsible for undertaking it. Split
these columns into two and label “Doing” and “Done”. Place the
cards into columns depending on their workflow status. Doing this
enables the whole team to view work in progress, work that has
been completed and work to be started next. As work gets
completed, move your cards from left to right.
Top tip: Keep your column labels simple and intuitive.
2. Limit work in progress (WIP)
Set a limit on how much work can be in progress at one time in
each column. In other words, how many cards can be in each
column at a given time. This ensures that cards are moving
smoothly across the board as and when the team are ready for
them.
Do the top priority work first
Your “TO-DO” column should be filled with top priority work from
your product backlog. When you have a space in your “TO-DO”
column, you can fill it with another user story from your product
backlog.
By setting work in progress limits (WIP limits), the entire team can
quickly see if there is a blockage and collaborate to fix it. Setting
WIP limits eliminates multi-tasking, which is the ultimate
productivity killer.
Top tip: Teams can assist other teams when bottlenecks are
identified, regardless of expertise.

41. 3. Focus on flow
By now, your work should flow freely through the Kanban system.
It might even feel very easy! Make sure that you keep a lookout for
any interruptions in flow and use these as opportunities for
improvement. Workflow should run smoothly and not stop and start.
Choose some flow metrics to track and analyse them. Which ones
you choose are entirely up to you, but here are some helpful
examples:
 Lead time - how long does it take for a card to move from “TO-
DO” to “DONE”?
 Cycle time - how long does it take for a card to move from
“Doing” to “Done”?
 Number of items not started - are you struggling with your
workload?
 Number of items that are WIP - are you staying within your
WIP limits?
 Blockage areas - do you see any areas where cards build up,
causing a blockage in flow?
Top tip: Smooth flow = creating value
4. Continuous improvement
Remember that even after implementing Kanban, the work is
never truly finished. Part of the Kanban method is to continuously
improve your processes. Monitor your Kanban system and make
improvements on an ongoing basis.
Conclusion
By following these 4 principles, you should have enough of an
overview to get yourself started with a Kanban board and some
cards to represent your user stories.
For some teams, Kanban may be all they need to effectively
manage their day-to-day development. Kanban ensures that there
is a seamless flow to your production line regardless of the type of
work you do. However, you might like to use Kanban alongside a
good Scrum framework, which will provide even more structure
and organisational improvements.