A pocket-sized overview of roles, artifacts and the sprint cycle, adapted from the bestseller The Elements of Scrum by Chris Sims & Hillary Louise Johnson

    Through four years of groundbreaking research, Dr. Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim set out to find a way to measure software delivery performance—and what drives it—using rigorous statistical methods. This book presents both the findings and the science behind that research. Readers will discover how to measure the performance of their teams, and what capabilities they should invest in to drive higher performance.

    Written by the world’s foremost PowerPivot blogger and practitioner, the book’s concepts and approach are introduced in a simple, step-by-step manner tailored to the learning style of Excel users everywhere. The techniques presented allow users to produce, in hours or even minutes, results that formerly would have taken entire teams weeks or months to produce. It includes lessons on the difference between calculated columns and measures; how formulas can be reused across reports of completely different shapes; how to merge disjointed sets of data into unified reports; how to make certain columns in a pivot behave as if the pivot were filtered while other columns do not; and how to create time-intelligent calculations in pivot tables such as “Year over Year” and “Moving Averages” whether they use a standard, fiscal, or a complete custom calendar. The “pattern-like” techniques and best practices contained in this book have been developed and refined over two years of onsite training with Excel users around the world, and the key lessons from those seminars costing thousands of dollars per day are now available to within the pages of this easy-to-follow guide. This updated second edition covers new features introduced with Office 2015.

    This helps to ensure proper metrics are developed so that organizations can successfully manage large and complex programs.

    In this book, Agile Alliance cofounder Mike Cohn discusses the philosophy of agile estimating and planning and shows you exactly how to get the job done, with real-world examples and case studies.Concepts are clearly illustrated and readers are guided, step by step, toward how to answer the following questions: What will we build? How big will it be? When must it be done? How much can I really complete by then? You will first learn what makes a good plan-and then what makes it agile.Using the techniques in Agile Estimating and Planning , you can stay agile from start to finish, saving time, conserving resources, and accomplishing more. Highlights include:Why conventional prescriptive planning fails and why agile planning works How to estimate feature size using story points and ideal days--and when to use each How and when to re-estimate How to prioritize features using both financial and nonfinancial approaches How to split large features into smaller, more manageable ones How to plan iterations and predict your team's initial rate of progress How to schedule projects that have unusually high uncertainty or schedule-related risk How to estimate projects that will be worked on by multiple teams Agile Estimating and Planning supports any agile, semiagile, or iterative process, including Scrum, XP, Feature-Driven Development, Crystal, Adaptive Software Development, DSDM, Unified Process, and many more. It will be an indispensable resource for every development manager, team leader, and team member.

    ―Jacob Boudreau CTO of Stord | Forbes 30 Under 30 Joel's book and show provide incredible insights for young startup developers and fellow CTOs alike. Joel offers a human perspective and real practical advice on the challenges and opportunities facing every Modern CTO. ― Christian Saucier | Entrepreneur and P2P Systems Architect I've really come to respect what Joel is doing in the community. His podcast and book are filling a much needed hole and I'm excited to see what else the future has in store. ― Don Pawlowski Chief Technology Officer at University Tees Modern CTO Everything you need to know to be a Modern CTO. Developers are not CTOs, but developers can learn how to be CTOs. In Modern CTO, Joel Beasley provides readers with an in-depth road map on how to successfully navigate the unexplored and jagged transition between these two roles. Drawing from personal experience, Joel gives a refreshing take on the challenges, lessons, and things to avoid on this journey.Readers will learn how Modern CTOs: Manage deadlines Speak up Know when to abandon ship and build a better one Deal with poor code Avoid getting lost in the product and know what UX mistakes to watch out for Manage people and create momentum … plus much more Modern CTO is the ultimate book when making the leap from developer to CTO. Update: Kindle Formatting issues resolved 5/13/18. Thank you for the feedback.

    Womack, Chairman and Founder, Lean Enterprise Institute. This game-changing book puts you behind the curtain of Toyota, providing new insight into the legendary automaker's management practices and offering practical guidance for leading and developing people in a way that makes the best use of their brainpower. Drawing on six years of research into Toyota's employee-management routines, Toyota Kata examines and elucidates, for the first time, the company's organizational routines--called kata--that power its success with continuous improvement and adaptation. The book also reaches beyond Toyota to explain issues of human behavior in organizations and provide specific answers to questions such as: How can we make improvement and adaptation part of everyday work throughout the organization? How can we develop and utilize the capability of everyone in the organization to repeatedly work toward and achieve new levels of performance? How can we give an organization the power to handle dynamic, unpredictable situations and keep satisfying customers? Mike Rother explains how to improve our prevailing management approach through the use of two kata: Improvement Kata--a repeating routine of establishing challenging target conditions, working step-by-step through obstacles, and always learning from the problems we encounter; and Coaching Kata: a pattern of teaching the improvement kata to employees at every level to ensure it motivates their ways of thinking and acting. With clear detail, an abundance of practical examples, and a cohesive explanation from start to finish, Toyota Kata gives executives and managers at any level actionable routines of thought and behavior that produce superior results and sustained competitive advantage.

    Vaughn Vernon couples guided approaches to implementation with modern architectures, highlighting the importance and value of focusing on the business domain while balancing technical considerations.Building on Eric Evans’ seminal book, Domain-Driven Design, the author presents practical DDD techniques through examples from familiar domains. Each principle is backed up by realistic Java examples–all applicable to C# developers–and all content is tied together by a single case study: the delivery of a large-scale Scrum-based SaaS system for a multitenant environment.The author takes you far beyond “DDD-lite” approaches that embrace DDD solely as a technical toolset, and shows you how to fully leverage DDD’s “strategic design patterns” using Bounded Context, Context Maps, and the Ubiquitous Language. Using these techniques and examples, you can reduce time to market and improve quality, as you build software that is more flexible, more scalable, and more tightly aligned to business goals.

    It's possible to see the results of great management, but it's not easy to see how managers achieve those results. Great management happens in one-on-one meetings and with other managers---all in private. It's hard to learn management by example when you can't see it.You can learn to be a better manager---even a great manager---with this guide. You'll follow along as Sam, a manager just brought on board, learns the ropes and deals with his new team over the course of his first eight weeks on the job. From scheduling and managing resources to helping team members grow and prosper, you'll be there as Sam makes it happen. You'll find powerful tips covering:Delegating effectively Using feedback and goal-setting Developing influence Handling one-on-one meetings Coaching and mentoring Deciding what work to do---and what not to do ...and more. Full of tips and practical advice on the most important aspects of management, this is one of those books that can make a lasting and immediate impact on your career.

    If you are seriously interested in understanding how you and your team can start down the path of improvement with XP, you must read this book."-- Francesco Cirillo, Chief Executive Officer, XPLabs S.R.L. "The first edition of this book told us what XP was--it changed the way many of us think about software development. This second edition takes it farther and gives us a lot more of the 'why' of XP, the motivations and the principles behind the practices. This is great stuff. Armed with the 'what' and the 'why, ' we can now all set out to confidently work on the 'how' how to run our projects better, and how to get agile techniques adopted in our organizations."-- Dave Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmers LLC "This book is dynamite! It was revolutionary when it first appeared a few years ago, and this new edition is equally profound. For those who insist on cookbook checklists, there's an excellent chapter on 'primary practices, ' but I urge you to begin by truly contemplating the meaning of the opening sentence in the first chapter of Kent Beck's book: 'XP is about social change.' You should do whatever it takes to ensure that every IT professional and every IT manager--all the way up to the CIO--has a copy of Extreme Programming Explained on his or her desk."-- Ed Yourdon, author and consultant "XP is a powerful set of concepts for simplifying the process of software design, development, and testing. It is about minimalism and incrementalism, which are especially useful principles when tackling complex problems that require a balance of creativity and discipline."-- Michael A. Cusumano, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of The Business of Software " Extreme Programming Explained is the work of a talented and passionate craftsman. Kent Beck has brought together a compelling collection of ideas about programming and management that deserves your full attention. My only beef is that our profession has gotten to a point where such common-sense ideas are labeled 'extreme.'..."-- Lou Mazzucchelli, Fellow, Cutter Business Technology Council "If your organization is ready for a change in the way it develops software, there's the slow incremental approach, fixing things one by one, or the fast track, jumping feet first into Extreme Programming. Do not be frightened by the name, it is not that extreme at all. It is mostly good old recipes and common sense, nicely integrated together, getting rid of all the fat that has accumulated over the years."-- Philippe Kruchten, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia "Sometimes revolutionaries get left behind as the movement they started takes on a life of its own. In this book, Kent Beck shows that he remains ahead of the curve, leading XP to its next level. Incorporating five years of feedback, this book takes a fresh look at what it takes to develop better software in less time and for less money. There are no silver bullets here, just a set of practical principles that, when used wisely, can lead to dramatic improvements in software development productivity."-- Mary Poppendieck, author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit "Kent Beck has revised his classic book based on five more years of applying and teaching XP. He shows how the path to XP is both

     Those that have just set up their first blog and are now struggling with the next steps and where to go from here. It was written in response to feedback I received from my first book, which teaches the technical set up to complete beginners. I noticed patterns of what people were struggling with - often just even deciding what topic to focus on - and how blogging works in general. This book will take you by the hand and guide you through the next steps - the solid, basic techniques that every successful blogger started with. If you are looking for advanced techniques, this book will not be for you! - It is meant for Beginners. There is no magic pill to suddenly attract thousands of followers - although there are a few techniques that can speed things up and we will cover them. Another area that is often underestimated is learning the WRITING STYLE OF BLOGGING, including how to format your posts. This book goes into detail and provides resources for further training as that is obviously not something you will learn overnight. We will also look at the characteristics of Viral blog posts, but - once again - don't expect a magic pill! Blogging is hard work and becoming a good blogger - a good blog writer - takes training and time, even if you are already experienced in writing. People read blogs differently than books and unless you adjust to that, you will have a hard time attracting an audience - no matter how experienced a writer you are. Finally, we wil go over the basic monetization strategies that are available to bloggers. If you are new to blogging and are willing to put in the necessary work - and do so consistently - this book will give you a good basic start and take out much of the confusion new bloggers face. Of course, blogging also involves the powerful marketing techniques of SEO and Social Media and they are discussed in depth in part 3 and 4 of this series. I have personally found Kindle Publishing to be another great way to grow a blog following quickly - faster than any other technique actually - and so it is included as part 5 of this series. Once again - if you are looking for advanced techniques, this book will not be for you - it is specifically aimed at beginners who have just started their first blog. __________________________________________ STEP-BY-STEP: A Proven, Easy-to-Follow System for Taking your Blog form Zero to Successful You have started your blog, but don't know what to do next? You wonder how to attract readers and subscribers - and how to set up your blog for optimal conversion. You would also like to earn some money with your blog and promote your services and products. This book will teach you how to start a cool blog the smart way - no prior experience is necessary - and you might even have fun along the way…. Building a Foundation for Success This is what we'll cover: YOUR FREE GIFT - How to pick a Marketable Name for your Blog CHAPTER 1 - Finding a Blog Topic that People Actually Want to Read...

    Not any more. Wordpress makes it possible for anyone to create and run a professional looking website.While Wordpress is an amazing tool, the truth is it does have a steep learning curve, even if you have built websites before. Therefore, the goal of this book is to take anyone, even a complete beginner and get them building a professional looking website. I'll hold your hand, step-by-step, all the way. As I was planning this book, I made one decision early on. I wanted to use screenshots of everything, so the reader wasn't left looking for something on their screen that I was describing in text. This book has screenshots. I haven't counted them all, but it must be close to 300. These screenshots will help you find the things I am talking about. They'll help you check your settings and options against the screenshot of mine. No more doubt, no more wondering if you have it correct. Look, compare and move on to the next section.With so many screenshots, you may be worried that the text might be a little on the skimpy side. No need to worry there. I have described in the minutest detail, every step on your journey to a great looking website. In all, this book has over 35,000 words. This book will cut your learning curve associated with WordpressEvery chapter of the book ends with a "Tasks to Complete" section. By completing these tasks, you'll not only become proficient at using Wordpress, you'll become confident & enjoy using Wordpress.

    But when new Scrum practitioners attempt to apply Scrum theory and high-level approaches in actual projects, they often find it surprisingly difficult. In Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners, Scrum expert Ilan Goldstein helps you translate the Scrum framework into reality to meet the Scrum challenges your formal training never warned you about. Drawing on his extensive agile experience in a wide range of projects and environments, Goldstein presents thirty proven, flexible shortcuts for optimizing Scrum processes, actions, and outcomes. Each shortcut walks you through applying a Scrum approach to achieve a tangible output. These easy-to-digest, actionable patterns address a broad range of topics including getting started, quality and metrics, team members and roles, managing stakeholders, estimation, continuous improvement and much more. Whatever your role, Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners will help you take your Scrum skills to the next level and achieve better results in any project you participate in.

    Combining tools, core principles, and plenty of humor, The Agile Samurai gives you the tools and the attitude to deliver something of value every week, and make rolling software into production a non-event. You’ll see how agile software delivery really works and how to help your team get agile fast, while having fun along the way.

    From shopping sprees to pension plans, ISAs to investments, money plays a crucial role in our present and future comfort. We may not like to admit it, but diamonds – or cold, hard cash – really can be a girl's best friend.So why, when women have much to celebrate, are we reluctant to talk about it? Why, when we have more wealth in our own names than ever before, do women take less interest in money than men? And why do we still feel that demonstrating an interest in finance is somehow…unfeminine? Because let's face it – for most of us, Prince Charming and his bank balance just aren't coming. If we want to secure our futures we're going to have to do it ourselves.The good news is that it's not hard to do. Dealing with our personal finances is much, much easier than the financial industry would have us believe. Women tend to make better investors than men too – our instincts, so to speak, are on the money. All we need is a bit of know-how and the confidence to put it into practice.Combining years of financial expertise with a healthy dose of scepticism and an easy sense of humour, Merryn Somerset Webb's sharp, witty and appealing guide to personal wealth for sassy women provides the answers. Whether you're drowning in debt, negotiating a higher salary or tackling the thorny issue of a pre-nup, just one read through and you'll be in a position to sort your finances out for good, transforming them from a constant worry into a source of peace of mind.