Andrew Pham’s book is an answer to the prayers of newbies to Agile/Scrum. Right from assessment techniques for your project/enterprise for agility, to guidance on implementing it—he has included, not only theoretical aspect, but also human and practical aspects. Simply put, for all the impediments he and his team faced over years he has put together a learning guide and answered for us most of the questions which we might face to start with Agile transformation. A great tool for any team trying to explore the Agile path!
Sameer Bendre, Certified ScrumMaster, PMP
3i Infotech Consulting
I have known Andrew Pham for many years and always enjoyed learning something new from him, starting from the time I was still working under his direction at AT&T (formerly known as SBC).
Andrew Pham was particularly clear then in explaining Agile and Architecture Vision to us, something he has done again with this book.
For a technical book, this is a very interesting book with new ideas to look at project management or software development process in general. Very well written and a must-read for those that must improve on current way of doing things and a good reference book for all in IT.
Ben Oguntona, MBA
Senior Systems Manager, AT&T
Andrew Pham takes a different look at Scrum in this book and helps shed light on many of the questions project teams face when beginning to adopt Scrum. Andrew describes many good project management techniques on how to get the most from your project teams. Andrew also bridges the gaps between many Scrum and project management books by addressing how to communicate with executives using financial terms, how to use an objective estimation technique in lieu of the common “poker estimation”, and where software architecture fits into Scrum.
A good, quick read to prepare project managers on how to successfully implement Scrum.
Scott Booth, MCP, Manager
Pariveda Solutions, Dallas, Texas
The book was a concise presentation of the steps and concepts that an organization should be aware of when adopting Scrum. The company I work for is currently in our 3rd Sprint of our very first Scrum project. I can’t wait for the final version of this book to be released so that I can share it with the rest of my team. In many ways it was good confirmation that we are on the right track and it was a great reminder of the things that we still need to work on. The chapter on what makes a good Product Owner described almost exactly the person who is filling that role in our company. I haven’t had the chance to complete the Certified ScrumMaster training yet, so reading about how the ScrumMaster and Product Owner work together to manage the team provided some key insight for me.
Dennis Palmer
Product Manager / ScrumMaster
Esquire Innovations, Inc.
Andrew Pham’s book is a very concise reference for Agile and Scrum and is written more on a practical term than just academics. It is an easy read for the novice and advance project managers alike. The language of the book lends itself to showing the fact that Agile and Scrum are absolutely a more natural way of looking at project management.
As Andrew Pham and I had successfully led the first successful PeopleSoft package implementation at Computer City many years ago, I can recognize in this book many Scrum elements he was using then. Essentially, they were to build a good and frequent collaboration with the users, to empower the team while ensuring that they deliver on short demonstrable increments.
The book definitely puts this natural progression in a more formal framework while highlighting the building flexibilities in the process. As a Senior Software Specialist having worked on small and large projects, I feel that this book is a great asset to the project managers regardless of the size and extent of the projects.
Anwar Bardai, Senior Software Specialist
CompuCom, Inc.
I found Andrew Pham and Phuong-Van Pham’s book to be immensely practical. It answers in a concise manner what is the minimum I need to do. Of course you can read the entire book, and it is well worth it. But today, many feel they don’t have the time to read a book, they just want the answer. And a book is way too general, containing things that are not pertinent to you. But each team’s situation is different. This book is the answer. Given your situation, it tells you which chapters should be read. Just look down the list of situations, pick yours, write down the chapters to read, and now the book is customized to your situation.
Other books on Agile/Scrum I’ve read typically gloss over the complaints or shortcomings of Agile/Scrum that are usually given when a company might initially consider Agile/Scrum. Andrew addresses these questions or difficulties head on, and gives practical advice on what your options might be and how to implement them to help assure a successful project.
Dennis Simpson, Systems Crisis Resolution, MBA, MS, CCP
Andrew and Phuong-Van Pham’s book is a clear, concise presentation of Agile and Scrum concepts for professionals and executives who are wondering whether their IT projects can benefit from them. While it provides excellent technical advice on project management and business analysis issues, it also has the rare virtue of addressing financial and human resource issues that affect business management. If one book can make Agile work for an organization, this is it.
Harold Thomas, CBAP
Ohio State Department of Job & Family Services