Review By: D. André Dhondt
06/14/2008Probably the most difficult aspect of agile software development is in figuring out how to apply the various principles and practices to our own daily work. In his book, The Enterprise and Scrum, Ken Schwaber attacks this problem by providing a clear roadmap to applying Scrum in the enterprise and further clarifies, with many anecdotes, on how various companies have implemented Scrum. At the same time, this book is an accessible, quick read -- and is perfect for high-level executives or those commissioned by them to roll out Scrum to a larger part of the enterprise. Readers need only a cursory introduction to Scrum before beginning this book, and, for more information, they can refer to the appendixes. This is an excellent resource guide that I'd recommend to any medium to large group adopting Scrum.

This book is too brief to cover many topics in detail, but instead provides a roadmap for anyone overwhelmed with the task of rolling out Scrum. From a discussion of how to begin the transition today, to being a change agent, to common roadblocks and their fixes, this book is a springboard for improved organizational efficiency. It is well-organized for quick retrieval of key advice, and uses well-known agile terminology to make it easier to search online for more information.

The Enterprise and Scrum is written with an upbeat, yet humble attitude. The author does not claim to know all the answers to our problems but instead shows time and time again how simple practices like delegating to "self-organizing teams" can be more effective than top-down (or consultant-led) decision-making. Other advice includes discussion on team work, management, removing the problem of information silos/scarce resources by integrating them into the whole team, compensation, hiring and firing, the vicious cycle of quality/release/code rot, scaling strategies (multi-layer systems vs. vertical functionality slices), and brutal honesty despite bad news. Throughout the discussion of what to do, the author also integrates common pitfalls in the adoption of Scrum and lays out a timeline of key phases for the first two months and throughout the first year.

For those not familiar with Scrum, this book includes three sections in the appendix for review of the key concepts of the framework that cover: key elements, terminology, a list of more books to read, and some advanced topics.

For those who are ready to start rolling out Scrum after this book but still feel overwhelmed, the appendix provides yet more -- including an initial transition team’s to-do list (product backlog) and a sample kickoff meeting agenda. This book is an excellent way to get started with Scrum today!