Using Agile In A Quality Driven Environment

This book documents a business analyst's experience with agile projects; Scrum in particular. It describes activities performed outside of the sprint cycle and identifies the benefits and quality that they bring to the implementation of a deliverable product. These activities are captured within a process named Quality With Agile, or QWAP for short. This book documents the QWAP process and how it is applied to Scrum, SAFe and Kanban.

This book documents a business analyst's experience with agile projects; Scrum in particular. It describes activities performed outside of the sprint cycle and identifies the benefits and quality that they bring to the implementation of a deliverable product.These activities are captured within a process named Quality With Agile, or QWAP for short. This book documents the QWAP process and how it is applied to Scrum, SAFe and Kanban.

This book is written by testers for testers. In ten chapters, the authors provide answers to key questions in agile projects. They deal with cultural change processes for agile testing, with questions regarding the approach and organization of software testing, with the use of methods, techniques and tools, especially test automation, and with the redefined role of the tester in agile projects. The first chapter describes the cultural change brought about by agile development. In the second chapter, which addresses agile process models such as Scrum and Kanban, the authors focus on the role of quality assurance in agile development projects. The third chapter deals with the agile test organization and the positioning of testing in an agile team. Chapter 4 discusses the question of whether an agile tester should be a generalist or a specialist. In Chapter 5, the authors turn to the methods and techniques of agile testing, emphasizing the differences from traditional, phase-oriented testing. In Chapter 6, they describe which documents testers still need to create in an agile project. Next, Chapter 7 explains the efficient use of test automation, which is particularly important in agile development, as it is the main instrument for project acceleration and is necessary to support state-of-the-art DevOps approaches and Continuous Integration. Chapter 8 then adds examples from test tool practice extending test automation to include test management functionality. Chapter 9 is dedicated to training and its importance, emphasizing the role of employee training in getting started with agile development. Finally, Chapter 10 summarizes the results of the agile journey in general with a special focus on testing. To make the aspects described even more tangible, the specific topics of this book are accompanied by the description of experiences from concrete software development projects of various organizations. The examples demonstrate that different approaches can lead to solutions that meet the specific challenges of agile projects.

Flex your project management muscle Agile project management is a fast and flexible approach to managing all projects, not just software development. By learning the principles and techniques in this book, you'll be able to create a product roadmap, schedule projects, and prepare for product launches with the ease of Agile software developers. You'll discover how to manage scope, time, and cost, as well as team dynamics, quality, and risk of every project. As mobile and web technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there is added pressure to develop and implement software projects in weeks instead of months—and Agile Project Management For Dummies can help you do just that. Providing a simple, step-by-step guide to Agile project management approaches, tools, and techniques, it shows product and project managers how to complete and implement projects more quickly than ever. Complete projects in weeks instead of months Reduce risk and leverage core benefits for projects Turn Agile theory into practice for all industries Effectively create an Agile environment Get ready to grasp and apply Agile principles for faster, more accurate development.

Getting quality right in Agile software development is hard. The principles and values provide little guidance, and the practical frameworks tend to gloss over the questions of quality. * How is a transition to Agile managed without sacrificing quality? * How is testing done in an Agile environment? * How is quality monitored and managed in the Agile environment? * Where do QA managers and testers test engineers fit in an Agile team? * How can Agile team members improve and expand their testing skills?* What to look for when hiring an Agile tester? * How are bugs managed in an Agile environment?Agile Quality is a practical guide, providing guidance and advice that can be put into action quickly and easily. It contains solutions to quality related questions that come up before or during an Agile transition. It guides you on how to manage quality in Agile, and how to monitor the process and keep improving it. This knowledge is presented simply, with context and case-studies that come from a wealth of experience in the practical applications of software quality processes.AudienceThis book reflects the spirit of simplicity, which is the best way to influence and touch the reader with the hope that he will gain value from my words. If you are familiar with my blog, you will find this book similar to the spirit I represent there. The writing is mostly practical and aimed towards the reader, with some sense of humor and examples from my own world. This book is suitable for anyone starting a journey in the world of Agile, but also for those who have experience and need to expand their knowledge, skills and to try to use a spirit that goes beyond the boundaries of the existing rules. In addition, the book focuses on quality in the Agile world. It will be great for anyone coming from this world (e.g. software testers, developers, architects) that wants to understand how to adapt to the Agile environment and meet the challenges they are likely to encounter. The first few volumes of this book are about Agile and specifically about Scrum, these volumes are the basis for the rest of the book, including the advanced volumes that concentrate on quality and testing. Therefore, I suggest you read this book in order.

When software development teams move to agile methods, experienced project managers often struggle—doubtful about the new approach and uncertain about their new roles and responsibilities. In this book, two long-time certified Project Management Professionals (PMPRs) and Scrum trainers have built a bridge to this dynamic new paradigm. They show experienced project managers how to successfully transition to agile by refocusing on facilitation and collaboration, not “command and control.” The authors begin by explaining how agile works: how it differs from traditional “plan-driven” methodologies, the benefits it promises, and the real-world results it delivers. Next, they systematically map the Project Management Institute’s classic, methodology-independent techniques and terminology to agile practices. They cover both process and project lifecycles and carefully address vital issues ranging from scope and time to cost management and stakeholder communication. Finally, drawing on their own extensive personal experience, they put a human face on your personal transition to agile--covering the emotional challenges, personal values, and key leadership traits you’ll need to succeed. Coverage includes Relating the PMBOKR Guide ideals to agile practices: similarities, overlaps, and differences Understanding the role and value of agile techniques such as iteration/release planning and retrospectives Using agile techniques to systematically and continually reduce risk Implementing quality assurance (QA) where it belongs: in analysis, design, defect prevention, and continuous improvement Learning to trust your teams and listen for their discoveries Procuring, purchasing, and contracting for software in agile, collaborative environments Avoiding the common mistakes software teams make in transitioning to agile Coordinating with project management offices and non-agile teams “Selling” agile within your teams and throughout your organization For every project manager who wants to become more agile. Part I An Agile Overview 7 Chapter 1 What is "Agile"? 9 Chapter 2 Mapping from the PMBOKR Guide to Agile 25 Chapter 3 The Agile Project Lifecycle in Detail 37 Part II The Bridge: Relating PMBOKR Guide Practices to Agile Practices 49 Chapter 4 Integration Management 51 Chapter 5 Scope Management 67 Chapter 6 Time Management 83 Chapter 7 Cost Management 111 Chapter 8 Quality Management 129 Chapter 9 Human Resources Management 143 Chapter 10 Communications Management 159 Chapter 11 Risk Management 177 Chapter 12 Procurement Management 197 Part III Crossing the Bridge to Agile 215 Chapter 13 How Will My Responsibilities Change? 217 Chapter 14 How Will I Work with Other Teams Who Aren't Agile? 233 Chapter 15 How Can a Project Management Office Support Agile? 249 Chapter 16 Selling the Benefits of Agile 265 Chapter 17 Common Mistakes 285 Appendix A Agile Methodologies 295 Appendix B Agile Artifacts 301 Glossary 321 Bibliography 327 Index 333

THIS EBOOK PLANTS ONE TREE An Agile Life Project Management: Crucial Agile Leadership Methodologies to Manage Projects, Achieve Goals, & Guarantee ROI Create the Perfect Environment for ALL Your Teams to Thrive, Achieve Results, & Drive ROI Through the Roof with this Agile Project Management Guide! Are you looking for proven, sustainable, and easy-to-follow leadership tools that cultivate the perfect agile environment for independent, high-performing teams to thrive? You came to the right place! In today’s fast-paced environment, traditional tools have proven to be inadequate when trying to catch up to complex, fast-changing markets. Similarly, merely leaving individual teams to their own devices presents multiple downsides. The perfect middle ground can be found with the help of proven Agile Project Management methodologies. Using these practices provides any modern organization a chance to facilitate team ownership and accelerate team learning, create ideal environments that help teams learn, grow, and thrive for the long term, make bigger changes faster, get timely feedback everyone can use to improve, and more! So, how do you cultivate an agile environment for your teams? SIMPLE — add “Agile Project Management” by Vishal K. Wadhwani to your toolkit! This guide seeks to teach you all the crucial agile leadership methodologies that help manage procrastination, achieve collective goals, and guarantee Return of Investment in no time! With the help of this game-changing book, you and your team will: Create permanent positive change in small sustainable doses, versus huge disruptive deviations that do more harm than good Learn all the field-tested tips to maximize daily meetings and ensure that every team member efficiently performs tasks and reaches goals Maximize on the benefits of servant leadership in terms of boosting performance, creating value, and achieving great results And so much more! Agile methodologies, when done right, have provided organizations with a realistic but aggressive project management framework that allowed them to increase each team member’s performance and drive Return of Investment through the roof! Make the move to put your organization on the map NOW! Scroll up, Click on “Buy Now with 1-Click”, and Boost Your Team’s Efficiency & Performance Today!

“In my opinion, this is the handbook for Agile teams. I have been wishing for this book since we implemented Agile several years ago. In many Agile process books, the team aspect of Agile has been glossed over in favor of the technical aspects; this book is a welcome change.” --Sarah Edrie, Director of Quality Engineering, Harvard Business School “Cloud Computing, Distributed Architecture, Test Driven Development...these are simple to master compared to building an agile, efficient, and top-performing team. The path from skilled developer/tester to successful manager, team leader, and beyond is now more easily attainable with the insights, knowledge, and guidance provided by Ken Howard and Barry Rogers in Individuals and Interactions: An Agile Guide.” --R.L. Bogetti, www.RLBogetti.com, Lead System Designer, Baxter Healthcare “This book provides fantastic insight on how individuals act and relate as a team. Ken and Barry give great examples and exercises to help the reader understand behaviors of each individual and use this knowledge to perform better as a team.” --Lisa Shoop, Director Product Development, Sabre-Holdings “Individuals and Interactions is a masterfully crafted must-read for anyone who is serious about understanding and applying the human-centered values of Agile development. It is like Patrick Lencioni meets the Poppendiecks to write ‘Agile through the Looking-Glass.’ Here the ‘Looking-Glass’ is the powerful DISC framework, and we see it used to enable different kind of TDD (Team-Driven Development) through the use of stories, examples, models, and guidance.” --Brad Appleton, Agile coach/consultant in a Fortune 100 telecom company; coauthor of Software Configuration Management Patterns “This book is essential reading for any engineering team that’s serious about Agile development. Its chapters on team dynamics and development lay the foundation for learning all of the factors that enable a team to transform itself into an Agile success story.” --Bernard Farrell, Consultant Software Engineer at EMC Corporation Great emphasis is typically placed on the “mechanics” of agile development--its processes and tools. It’s easy to forget that the Agile Manifesto values individuals and interactions ahead of processes and tools. You can gain powerful benefits by refocusing on the people side of agile development. This book will show you how. It’s your practical user’s guide to solving the problems agile teams encounter, packed with stories, best practices, exercises, and tips you can actually use. Step by step, you’ll learn how to get teams to truly work as teams, not as disconnected individuals. Along the way, you’ll find profoundly realistic advice on communication, motivation, collaboration, change, group dynamics, and much more. Whether you are an agile project manager, ScrumMaster, product owner, developer, trainer, or consultant, this book will help you make your agile environment more productive, more effective, and more personally fulfilling.