Scrum

Jeff Sutherland started thinking systematically as a Vietnam fighter pilot. Ever since, he has looked for ways to do things better in software development, and across all fields. His co-author and son, J.J. Sutherland, is a war correspondent and writer, so it's no surprise that they draw heavily on military metaphors throughout their lively manual on the agile project management method Scrum. This entertaining, engaging how-to guidebook uses vibrant examples and eye-popping statistics to provide compelling reasons for adopting Scrum. With clearly worded instructions, the authors explain Scrum as used across industries, professions and geographies.

Scrum involves quick “Sprints” of project development, followed by customer reviews and subsequent revisions. The Sutherlands explain that it avoids the kind of extensive up-front planning that can lead either to cost and time overruns or to complete failure. Scrum aligns how people and teams work. It assumes that things seldom go according to plan. By avoiding start-to-finish plans, Scrum allows for inspiration and creativity.