Agile Estimating and Planning

One only has to read all the comments from the leaders of agile thinking to know that this is an excellent book. It's definitely in my top 10, probably in my top 5 list of essential 'agile' reading. This book takes the agilist into areas often neglected; those topics traditionally dealt with by the Business Analyst; the person who shapes the product being produced, who has his finger on the pulse with respect to value and desirability of all the possible features that may be incorporated in a product; the person who knows which products should be prioritised for development. It brings to this person a toolbox of modern techniques that allow him to interact with a modern product development team. With a good few years experience in BA-like roles, this book taught me quite a few things that I should already have known but did not. However, this book is not just for BAs and their ilk; as other reviewers have stated, it is also very instructive for developers and project managers. Mike's style is very accessible without skimping on technical detail; this is a reasonably easy read for those who do cover-to-cover, and also a great book for those who want a desktop reference.

I bought this book because I'm generally rubbish at estimating (I usually under estimate). Also, although we have the technical elements of agile (source control, unit tests, continuous integration, etc) sorted, my agile project management is not all it could be. Agile Estimating and Planning may be as close as I ever get to a silver bullet. To be honest I expected to be let down and that the scenarios described in the book would not match the situations I find myself in. I was not let down at all. The book covers both planning when features are important and planning when a deadline is important. It taught me that it was wrong to break stories into tasks when release planning and to leave that for iteration planning. The book discusses the use of both story points and ideal days in estimating, what they both are, the differences between them and then suggests you should use story points. It described what release and iteration planning are and when to use them. It also discusses how to predict, where necessary, and how to measure velocity in order to calculate the duration of projects. One of the most important things covered from my point of view was how, when and with what to report to the product owner and stake holders. The book finishes with a 60 page case study. I was tempted not to bother reading this as it goes over the main points covered in the rest of the book again. I was glad I read it and if you buy this book you should read the case study if you read nothing else. It helps put in context how estimating should be done and describes the processes surrounding it. All I have to do now is write a distilled version for my team, including the project managers, product owners and stakeholder and put it into practice.

If you want a book full of useful practical techniques for software project management that actually work, then this is the book for you. It doesn't prescribe a rigid methodology (the one-size-fits-nobody approach); instead, within the generic Agile framework, it presents a number of tools and ideas that have been proven in the industry, and shows how they can be used and combined to improve software project planning, and help with accurate tracking and predictability of delivery. The pace is slightly inconsistent; some sections don't seem to add much, others are invaluable core knowledge. But whether you're new to Agile processes, or an experienced software project manager wanting to learn more, this book will be helpful and informative. The only part of the book I felt didn't work was the case-study at the end. It is too over-simplified and superficial; a dumbed-down summary of the rest of the book. The main part of the book makes the point eloquently enough, and the case-study just unnecessarily over-states the obvious. Given that the book is aimed at intelligent, competent, software development managers, the tone of the case study just seems inappropriate, and is the reason I give the book four stars rather than five.

Great

Mike Cohn’s knowledge and expertise shines through every page of this book. Even though story points and velocity might be considered by some to no longer be a good way of estimating, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand Agile. Couldn’t recommend it enough.

If you are doing Agile Software Development or want to, then buy this book. It contains stuff in it that you just won't find any where else. Mike knows his stuff. He's worked on many agile projects and his experience comes through in his writing. I helped review this book and (although I haven't recieved my paper copy yet) I am impressed at how easy it was to read, despite the complexity of the subject.

Well written and easily understandable, also far more interesting than I expected it to be.

This is a very comprehensive planning manual. It teaches you every agile planning methodology. This book doesn't teach you about agile development, just agile planning methods. If you are new to agile development and agile planning, then this book can be a bit overwhelming. But if you are already in the process of implementing agile development, even if you are just starting, the could be the guide for you.

A good purchase for anyone new to the discipline or looking to refresh or get back on track.

É uma a leitura bastante agradável e didática. Entretanto, se você achava que não precisava de gestão de projetos é um soco no estômago. Não que seja adotado um modelo de gestão de projetos tradicional, mas, no meu entender, nos desilude quanto o tempo necessário para acompanhar o projeto. É um overhead muito grande de trabalho para gerir/acompanhar o projeto. Quando se imaginava que não precisaria de um nível de gestão de projetos tão grande. São atividades conhecidas no Scrum (burndown, por exemplo), mas feito tanto para a sprint quanto para a release ou até mesmo todo o projeto. Eu imagino uma sobrecarga muito grande para o Product Owner. Acaba sobrado pra ele, no meu entender. Enfim, o livro é muito bom e deve ser lido mais de uma vez para aceitar certas orientações. Se já leram e conhecem outro livro melhor neste assunto, não esqueçam de recomendar!

At last, a pragmatic and insightful book on Agile Planning

Very good and comprehensive book to learn in depth on Agile Estimation and planning

Ein gutes Buch zur Prüfungsvorbereitung