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If you work in software or system development, you have heard of Agile software used to track materials and products. If your company bases their development cycle around customer input and funding, then you likely know about the Agile Scrum process, an up-and-coming method designed to speed releases and enhance customer satisfaction.
In his quick start guide, Graffius clears up basic questions such as, When to use Agile Scrum (three criteria), How the roles of the Scrum Master and Product Owner differ (by focus and tasks), and What and how long is a typical Sprint (two week development cycle). The major objective of the book is to help a company employ Agile Scrum. To achieve this, the author makes good use of a graphic overview of the Scrum cycle. Each area of the cycle is outlined with red lines, linking it to the following section. For example, the Product Release Backlog near the start of the Scrum cycle is addressed in Section 4 using subheads with bulleted content. Icons within a section reference key words defined in the appendices, such as Product Owner.
As for step-by-step instructions, you will be well-pleased to find that Graffius has first broken down the Scrum method process-by-process and only then added Steps. The ten steps in Section 4 for assigning a user story clearly demonstrate how to estimate time requirements for completing products in the release backlog. While the overview graphic of the Scrum cycle is extremely helpful, the use of large icons within sections is distracting. A digital version of the book could link text to the appropriate appendix entry. The glossary and appendices contain information necessary to employ the process. Some content should have been delivered in the Introduction. Method comparison charts might be better grouped in a separate appendix. This is an overall useful guide to the process.
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