An impossible deadline. A runaway project. And then you get the 5:30 a.m. phone call... what could possibly be wrong?
Rolling Rocks Downhill is a fast, fun and often funny read. It's a business novel, just like Eli Goldratt's classic The Goal, where you sit on the characters' shoulders, watching them fight to save their jobs and their baby - a large software-intensive project, called FPP, that has been running late since day 1, but now, suddenly, needs to launch on an impossibly early date, or else. You feel their pain, and their joy, as they battle problem after problem until, slowly, torturously, they rediscover the few - but fundamental - principles underlying successful commercial software development.
Sometimes you're a step ahead. Sometimes a step behind. Sometimes it feels like you're sitting in the room with them...
"Clarke is an amazing author and his book is a great resource for understanding what and how agile works in a real world setting of an organization (which is oddly close to one that I work in!)." - Audible.com review
"Great book, written well, as an agile coach and team leader this hit all the points using non technical language. Great examples of getting to a Minimal Viable Product that can get in front of the customer. If you're in an agile team already, then this will help you understand the 'big picture' away from the daily practices, and remind you of why the practices are there. Go read it, deploy the concepts and have a brighter future." - Amazon.com review
"Buy 2 copies. And give one to your boss. A great way to explain what agile is by discussing the problems and solutions without using any of the buzzwords that have been tainted by certification. If you want your team to go agile, instead of Agile(™) read this." - Amazon.co.uk review
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Johanna Rothman, author of Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management: Maybe one of your teammates or someone in management has the bright idea that maybe transitioning to agile or lean will help. Maybe it does in some small way. But, it’s not enough. You’re on a death march, iteration by iteration. Or, with your board, you can see that you are making progress, but you’re not working “fast enough.”
Or, you’re not delivering what your customers need. You’re still trying to “do it all.” Why? Because it takes you forever to release anything.
You know there’s another piece to this. You just don’t know what.
You need to read Clarke Ching’s Rolling Rocks Downhill.
Rolling Rocks Downhill is a fast, fun and often funny read. It's a business novel, just like Eli Goldratt's classic The Goal, where you sit on the characters' shoulders, watching them fight to save their jobs and their baby - a large software-intensive project, called FPP, that has been running late since day 1, but now, suddenly, needs to launch on an impossibly early date, or else. You feel their pain, and their joy, as they battle problem after problem until, slowly, torturously, they rediscover the few - but fundamental - principles underlying successful commercial software development.
Sometimes you're a step ahead. Sometimes a step behind. Sometimes it feels like you're sitting in the room with them...
"Clarke is an amazing author and his book is a great resource for understanding what and how agile works in a real world setting of an organization (which is oddly close to one that I work in!)." - Audible.com review
"Great book, written well, as an agile coach and team leader this hit all the points using non technical language. Great examples of getting to a Minimal Viable Product that can get in front of the customer. If you're in an agile team already, then this will help you understand the 'big picture' away from the daily practices, and remind you of why the practices are there. Go read it, deploy the concepts and have a brighter future." - Amazon.com review
"Buy 2 copies. And give one to your boss. A great way to explain what agile is by discussing the problems and solutions without using any of the buzzwords that have been tainted by certification. If you want your team to go agile, instead of Agile(™) read this." - Amazon.co.uk review
---
Johanna Rothman, author of Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management: Maybe one of your teammates or someone in management has the bright idea that maybe transitioning to agile or lean will help. Maybe it does in some small way. But, it’s not enough. You’re on a death march, iteration by iteration. Or, with your board, you can see that you are making progress, but you’re not working “fast enough.”
Or, you’re not delivering what your customers need. You’re still trying to “do it all.” Why? Because it takes you forever to release anything.
You know there’s another piece to this. You just don’t know what.
You need to read Clarke Ching’s Rolling Rocks Downhill.
