Learning Agile audiobook cover - Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban

Learning Agile

Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban

Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene

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Management & LeadershipCorporate Culture

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Learning Agile
Traditional Methods (Waterfall)+
Iterative Process+
The Agile Mindset+
Value and Responsiveness+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6
What fundamental problem in product development does Agile primarily aim to solve?
  • A. Hardware development moving much faster than software development.
  • B. Customers not knowing exactly what they want or need from the start.
  • C. Teams failing to utilize modern coding languages and tools.
  • D. Project managers lacking sufficient authority over software developers.
Question 2 of 6
According to the text, what is the primary flaw of the 'waterfall process' in software development?
  • A. It relies entirely on continuous customer feedback, severely delaying the initial design phase.
  • B. It requires too many developers, making projects too expensive to complete on time.
  • C. It defines all requirements at the outset, leaving no room to adapt to changing market needs.
  • D. It forces teams to release unfinished, buggy software to the public too early.
Question 3 of 6
Why is releasing imperfect software early considered a crucial practice in Agile development?
  • A. It allows developers to quickly move on to new projects and maximize company profits.
  • B. It puts the product into users' hands, creating a feedback loop that clarifies actual customer needs.
  • C. It lowers the overall cost of development by allowing the team to skip the quality assurance phase.
  • D. It proves to stakeholders that the development team is working faster than their competitors.
Question 4 of 6
How do the authors suggest developers should handle the frustration of a customer changing project requirements halfway through?
  • A. By adopting an empathetic mindset and realizing the customer is likely just as frustrated by the mistake.
  • B. By rigidly enforcing the original contract to ensure the team's hard work isn't wasted.
  • C. By charging the customer extra fees to discourage them from making future changes.
  • D. By assigning blame to the project manager so the development team can maintain high morale.
Question 5 of 6
In the agile e-book reader example, what was a direct benefit of working in one-month 'sprints'?
  • A. The team was able to completely finish the hardware design before starting on the software.
  • B. The team could easily replace underperforming developers at the end of each month.
  • C. The team was able to adapt to a newly emerged industry standard format during development.
  • D. The team could avoid interacting with stakeholders until the final product was completely perfect.
Question 6 of 6
According to the final summary, what are the two core principles that every Agile approach rests upon?
  • A. Strict adherence to initial budgets and maintaining minimal team sizes.
  • B. Responsiveness through early testing and accepting that there is no perfect plan.
  • C. Using Scrum methodologies exclusively and eliminating all project managers.
  • D. Flawless initial execution and rigorous final testing before any public release.

Learning Agile — Full Chapter Overview

Learning Agile Summary & Overview

Learning Agile (2015) is a no-nonsense guide to an often misunderstood concept – agile. The reason for that misunderstanding is simple: all too often, agile is bandied about as a one-size-fits-all solution to every conceivable organizational difficulty. Longtime agile practitioners Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene don’t see it that way. For them, agile is a great tool, but you have to know how – and when and why – to use it. And that starts with getting a grasp on agile’s underlying principles. 

Who Should Listen to Learning Agile?

  • Software developers
  • Team leaders 
  • Project managers

About the Author: Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene

Andrew Stellman is a developer, architect, speaker, project manager, and agile coach. He has over two decades of experience in the software industry. His clients include companies, corporations, and schools, like Microsoft, Bank of America, and MIT. 

Jennifer Greene is development manager, business analyst, project manager, agile coach, and all-around expert on software engineering. Greene has worked across multiple industries such as media, finance, and IT consulting. 

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