The Trouble With Agile

by David Cornwell

Overview

This book is not a detailed plan of how to introduce Agile but more of an executive summary of what can go wrong and aspects you need to consider when trying to make the agile methodology work in the real world.

 

I was the founder and CEO of a successful British software company, which converted to the Agile methodology with an existing development and test team - and an existing code base. The transition was extremely painful and resulted in a significant productivity hit. The constant velocity promised emerged as a sedate stroll rather than the sprint we had anticipated.

 

I ended up stepping in personally to work out what had gone wrong and how to put it right. I interviewed technical management, all developers and all testers to understand the issues and asked them how they thought we could regain the lost productivity. This book covers my learnings from that experience and what can go wrong if you follow a purist approach. Agile has advantages and disadvantages. It is certainly not a panacea which will solve all your problems.

 

Please note: Much of the material in this book is contained in my more comprehensive book: Software Company – Advice on how to start, grow and exit a software company.  A couple of people complimented me on the Agile section in Software Company (telling me it matched their experience) so I thought I would make it available as a separate targeted book.
 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940165250446
Publisher:	David Cornwell
Publication date:	02/05/2021
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

My name is David Cornwell. I started my career as a Mechancial Engineer before doing an MBA and discovering software. In 1994 I started my first company which eventually sold its software around the world having raised £11million in venture capital on the way. You can read all about it in The CDC Story which is a free download from my website: www.softwarecompanybook.com.

I then went on to establish PleaseTech - which also sold its software around the world. The difference was this time it was organically grown with no external investors - a somewhat different experience! The PleaseTech Story is also a free download from the website.

My book, Software Company, gives advice on how to start, grow and exit a software company. My advice is based on over 23 years of starting, running and exiting two very successful international software companies – the aforementioned CDC and PleaseTech.

The book covers set-up, first steps, hiring, firing, growth, culture, development culture, the Agile Methodology, offshoring development, selling to the USA, selling to Europe, software licensing, patent trolls, marketing, sales, partnerships, venture capital investors, bootstrapping, the analyst game, professional advisors and the exit process. In short, it’s a brain dump which I hope some people will find useful and which will support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In addition to the complete book, individual sections/chapters are available via cheaper 'booklets'. These mean that you do not have to purchase the whole book if you just want to read my thoughts on, for example, marketing.

Please visit my website (www.softwarecompanybook.com) there is some additional background and where I share the tips, thoughts and advice I wasn't able to include in the book due to space limitations. It also gives you the opportunity to download the book's appendices.

These days, in addition to publishing and promoting my book, I have several other interests which are listed on my LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrcornwell).

PS: For your viewing pleasure, may I recommend my post exit interview with ICON Corporate Finance which is conveniently on YouTube (https://youtu.be/N7SVtA5sSG8).