Part 1 Agile fundamentals and a supporting case study

1 Moving to agile: 1.1 Is Agile just another process?; 1.2 A paradigm shift from a plan-driven mentality; 1.3 Agile and the bottom line; 1.4 How this book will help you become more agile; 1.5 Key points to remember; 1.6 Looking ahead
2 The story of Acme Media: 2.1 Case study background and circumstances; 2.2 About the Acme Media teams; 2.3 About the individuals; 2.4 What does it look like when a team “becomes agile”?; 2.5 Key points to remember; 2.6 Looking ahead

Part 2 Getting started

3 Are you ready for agile?: 3.1 What areas will you become more agile in?; 3.2 The different flavors of agile; 3.3 Create your own flavor to become agile within your constraints; 3.4 Key points to remember; 3.5 Looking ahead
4 The fitness test: all about readiness assessments: 4.1 The importance of readiness assessments; 4.2 Reducing the risks of agile adoption using assessments; 4.3 Increasing productivity during transitions; 4.4 Getting executive buy-in for agile adoption using readiness assessments; 4.5 Conducting readiness assessments; 4.6 Key points; 4.7 Looking ahead
5 The importance of obtaining executive support: 5.1 Why should we pursue agile?; 5.2 The cost of migrating; 5.3 The risks in migrating; 5.4 Rewards for the executives; 5.5 Communicating frequently with your executive team; 5.6 The role of the sponsor; 5.7 Following Acme Media as the company obtains a sponsor; 5.8 Key points; 5.9 Looking forward
6 Improving buy-in by creating a core team: 6.1 Who should be in the core team?; 6.2 Choosing the core team at Acme Media; 6.3 The kickoff meeting; 6.4 Key points; 6.5 Looking forward
7 The mindset of an agile leader: 7.1 The role of an agile coach; 7.2 Agile management: more shepherding, less directing; 7.3 Creating a team with an agile mindset; 7.4 Key points; 7.5 Looking forward
8 Injecting agility into your current process: 8.1 Understanding your current process; 8.2 Enhancing the existing process; 8.3 Key points; 8.4 Looking forward
9 Selecting a pilot project: 9.1 Characteristics of a good pilot; 9.2 Evaluating projects at Acme Media; 9.3 Key points; 9.4 Looking forward

Part 3 Kicking off

10 Feasibility: is this project viable?: 10.1 Feasibility in the big picture; 10.2 Selecting a feasibility team; 10.3 Introducing the known requirements to the feasibility team; 10.4 The go/no go decision; 10.5 Alternate feasibility paths; 10.6 Key points; 10.7 Looking forward
11 Aligning the pilot team with the project: 11.1 Identifying the pilot team; 11.2 Preparing the pilot team; 11.3 Envisioning the product; 11.4 The tradeoff matrix; 11.5 Project worksheet; 11.5 Key points; 11.6 Looking forward

Part 4 Populating the product backlog

12 Feature cards: a tool for “just enough” planning: 12.1 The structure of a feature card; 12.2 A team approach to creating feature cards; 12.3 Feature cards compared to…; 12.4 Limitations in using feature cards; 12.5 Hard-copy cards vs. electronic cards; 12.6 Key points; 12.7 Looking forward
13 Prioritizing the backlog: 13.1 The art of prioritizing, sequencing, and grouping features; 13.2 Prioritizing the backlog at Acme Media; 13.3 Other ways to prioritize features; 13.4 Key points; 13.5 Looking forward
14 Estimating at the right level with the right people: 14.1 Contrasting traditional and agile estimation techniques; 14.2 The importance of whole-team estimation; 14.3 A step toward agility: estimating size, not effort; 14.4 Estimating story points at Acme Media; 14.5 Key points; 14.6 Looking forward

Part 5 Enough information for scheduling

15 Release planning: envisioning the overall schedule: 15.1 Defining the pieces of a release plan; 15.2 Completing the release plan by assigning features to iterations; 15.3 Communicating the release plan with a kickoff meeting; 15.4 Key points; 15.5 Looking forward
16 Iteration planning: the nitty-gritty details: 16.1 Clearly defining the goals: what is “feature complete”?; 16.2 Using feature modeling to identify and estimate tasks; 16.3 Identifying and estimating tasks; 16.4 Determining the hours available in an iteration; 16.5 Bringing estimates and capacity together to complete the plan; 16.6 Making status visible; 16.7 Key points; 16.8 Looking forward

Part 6 Building the product

17 Start your engines: iteration 0: 17.1 Initial vision for the architecture; 17.2 Completing contracts with third parties; 17.3 Preparing environments and support tools; 17.4 Obtaining funding; 17.5 Finalizing and dedicating the project team; 17.6 Cheating: starting the work early; 17.7 Key points; 17.8 Looking forward
18 Delivering working software: 18.1 Supporting the agile principles during development and testing; 18.2 Where to begin?; 18.3 Completing a feature; 18.4 Key points; 18.5 Looking forward
19 Testing: did you do it right?: 19.1 Unit testing; 19.2 Integration testing; 19.3 Functional testing; 19.4 Exploratory testing; 19.5 Test automation; 19.6 Key points; 19.7 Looking forward

Part 7 Embracing change

20 Adapting: reacting positively to change: 20.1 Common reasons for adapting; 20.2 Adapting during an iteration; 20.3 Three ways Acme Media adapted during its first iteration; 20.4 Adapting at the end of an iteration; 20.5 How Acme Media adapts during adapt week; 20.6 User Acceptance Testing; 20.7 Changes in the business climate; 20.8 Reviewing the findings and revising the plan for the next iteration; 20.9 Key points; 20.10 Looking forward
21 Delivery: bringing it all together: 21.1 When to release; 21.2 Final testing; 21.3 Preparing support groups and processes; 21.4 Communication and training; 21.5 Ready to release; 21.6 Enough planning; let’s deploy; 21.7 Key points; 21.8 Looking forward
22 The retrospective: working together to improve: 22.1 Setting expectations for the retrospective; 22.2 Time to digest: a survey in advance; 22.3 Conducting the retrospective meeting; 22.4 What to expect during the meeting; 22.5 Converting the feedback into action; 22.6 Key points; 22.7 Looking forward

Part 8 Moving forward

23 Extending the new process across your company: 23.1 Common findings after a pilot; 23.2 What the Acme Media team learned from their pilot; 23.3 Next steps; 23.4 Key points; 23.5 Conclusion