IntroductionPerceptive readers will note that I have departed from my usual header claiming a "review" of the book under examination. There are two reasons for this: (a) This book is not about project management per se, though it is frequently encountered in a project environment, and (b) I am neither qualified nor experienced in the art of software development. But when I was offered the opportunity to comment on this book: "Introduction to Disciplined Agile Delivery" 2nd Edition by Mark Lines & Scott Ambler, I jumped at the chance to learn about a new capability. But what is the big deal? Well, the fact is it seems that wherever you look these days every promotion for any form of effort appears to include the term "Agile" in its title. Take gardening for example. You no longer just "do gardening in your back yard", you do "Agile Landscape (and Garden) Development" because "gardening" is an iterative process with continuous improvements — just like in software development. But, what does "agile" mean in the context of this software development? We are about to find out. But first, let us be clear on what the term "Agile" means in so many different contexts? In fact it should be quite simple — in its general sense it means: "moving nimbly, briskly and actively".[1] So, although the book is not specific in its title, the objective of the authors is to convey how software development should be done effectively and efficiently. The target audience for this handy book is obviously for those who already have some experience in creating software co‑operatively. About the authors[2] Mark Lines is Vice President, Disciplined Agile at the Project Management Institute (PMI). He is co‑creator of the Disciplined Agile tool kit with Scott W. Ambler and co-author of several books on Disciplined Agile (DA). Mark has over 25 years of experience helping organizations around the world to be successful with project delivery using Agile, Lean, Traditional, and Hybrid approaches. He has a record of successfully transforming entire organizations to business agility so that they can rapidly and continuously deliver value to their customers and other stakeholders. Mark is a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences worldwide. You can follow him on Twitter via @mark_lines. Scott W. Ambler is Vice President, Chief Scientist of Disciplined Agile at Project Management Institute. Scott leads the evolution of the Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit and is an international keynote speaker. Scott is the (co‑)creator of the Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit as well as the Agile Modeling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methodologies. He is the (co‑)author of several books, including Choose Your WoW!, An Executive's Guide to the Disciplined Agile Framework, Refactoring Databases, Agile Modeling, and The Object Primer 3rd Edition. Scott blogs regularly at ProjectManagement.com and he can be contacted via pmi.org.
1. In Introduction to Disciplined Agile Delivery [DAD], 2nd Edition, by Mark Lines & Scott W Ambler. This may be taken to mean that the intent is to cut out all unnecessary documentation and bureaucracy. However, purists may well argue about what is necessary and what is not!
2. See Introduction to Disciplined Agile Delivery, 2nd Edition, 2020, p87.
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