Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
"This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations." - Sam Brilliant, Sr. Program Manager, Navy Federal Credit Union. Agile transformation is hard to achieve. It is especially difficult when the common notion of what that means is misconstrued. What many are calling Agile is not Agile, and they don't even know it. This misunderstanding leads to misapplication. The result is that true Agile transformation remains elusive. It's time to rethink your approach What you do matters, but why you do it matters more. This book will help you learn from the mistakes of the "common wisdom" and discover a proven path to organizational agility where Mindset Transcends Methodology. "Jimmie has a knack for challenging the common wisdom and helping teams think differently about what success looks like." - John Laub, President, Gray Leaf Technology Consultants. To solve a problem, you must first understand the problem. The first half of the book contrasts the true meaning and intent of Agile with what most organizations are actually doing in order to help you understand where your organization sits within that spectrum. Armed with an understanding of the problem, the latter half of the book provides a tried and proven approach to moving teams and organizations toward a genuine Agile transformation, and ultimately a Timeless Agility. Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows you to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of methodology trends. To attain Timeless Agility, to reach for that elusive organizational agility, your entire organization needs to think differently. Agile transformation, therefore, is going to be more about transforming minds than practices. Your understanding impacts what you do and how you do it. What you believe and value is the foundation from which all else derives. How you do your work will change over time as you learn and grow, but why you do what you do transcends all of those changes. Very few organizations have actually achieved organization-wide transformation. Many are on the wrong path altogether. Perhaps the common approaches and thought processes taught are not necessarily what you should emulate. To get over that proverbial hump, it is time to look at this from a different perspective. This book will show you Agile from a different lens than you may be wearing right now. Embrace it and evaluate for yourself.
Synopsis
What many are calling Agile is not Agile, and they don't even know it. Learn from the mistakes of "common wisdom" and discover a proven path to organizational agility. What you do matters, but "why" you do it matters more. When you pursue Timeless Agility, the path to lasting Agile transformation will have you challenging everything you know about Agile leadership and what success looks like in software project management. The first half of the book contrasts the true meaning and intent of Agile with what most organizations are actually doing in order to help you understand where your organization sits within that spectrum. Armed with an understanding of the problem, the latter half of the book provides a tried and proven approach to moving your organization toward a genuine Agile transformation, and ultimately a Timeless Agility. Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows you to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of methodology trends. To attain Timeless Agility, your entire enterprise needs to think differently. Agile transformation, therefore, is going to be more about scaling mindsets than practices. Your "why" impacts what you do and how you do it. How you do your work will change over time as you learn and grow, but why you do what you do transcends all of those changes. There are many Agile teams, but very few Agile organizations. Most Agile coaching focuses on Agile methodologies within software development teams. This book focuses more on the Agile management and leadership that is needed to reach true agility. You will see Agile from a different lens than you may be wearing right now. Embrace it and evaluate for yourself. "This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation in any organization."
Synopsis
Agile transformation is misunderstood. Common Agile coaching focuses on Agile project management and development tactics that fail to align with the true meaning and intent of Agile. Learn from the mistakes of "common wisdom" and discover a proven path to organizational agility. When you pursue Timeless Agility, the path to lasting Agile transformation will have you challenging everything you know about Agile leadership and what success looks like in software project management.
The first half of the book contrasts the true meaning and intent of Agile with what most organizations are actually doing in order to help you understand where your organization sits within that spectrum. Armed with an understanding of the problem, the latter half of the book provides a tried and proven approach to moving your organization toward a genuine Agile transformation, and ultimately a Timeless Agility.
Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows you to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of project management methodology trends. To attain Timeless Agility, your entire enterprise needs to think differently. What you do matters, but "why" you do it matters more. Agile transformation, therefore, is going to be more about scaling mindsets than practices. Your "why" impacts what you do and how you do it. How you do your work will change over time as you learn and grow, but why you do what you do transcends all of those changes.
There are many Agile teams, but very few Agile organizations. Most Agile coaching focuses on Agile methodologies within software development teams. This book focuses more on the Agile leadership that is needed to reach true agility across the enterprise. You will see Agile from a different lens than you may be wearing right now. Embrace it and evaluate for yourself.
"This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation in any organization."
Synopsis
Agile transformation is misunderstood. What many are calling Agile is not Agile. Leadership wants digital transformation but common Agile coaching and management often is focused on the wrong things in software project management. Learn from the mistakes of "common wisdom." When you pursue Timeless Agility, the path to lasting Agile transformation will have you challenging everything you know about Agile and what success looks like in an Agile organization.
Pursuing Timeless Agility: the Path to Lasting Agile Transformation is for anyone in a position to influence Agile transformation. As one key endorser said, "This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations." Another said, "I wish this book existed years ago when I worked for a company that desperately needed a culture shift. That company no longer exists."
The first half of the book contrasts the true meaning and intent of Agile with what many organizations are actually doing in order to help you understand where your organization sits within that spectrum. Armed with an understanding of the problem, the latter half of the book provides a tried and proven approach to moving your organization toward a genuine Agile transformation, and ultimately a Timeless Agility.
Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows you to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of project management methodology trends. To attain Timeless Agility, your entire enterprise needs to think differently. What you do matters, but "why" you do it matters more. Agile transformation, therefore, is going to be more about scaling mindsets than practices. Your "why" impacts what you do and how you do it. How you do your work will change over time as you learn and grow, but why you do what you do transcends all of those changes.
The book uses relatable metaphors and analogies to help you grasp different perspectives to common Agile concepts. As one reader noted, "Jimmie has a knack for challenging the common wisdom and helping teams think differently about what success looks like."
There are many Agile teams, but very few Agile organizations. Most Agile coaching focuses on Agile methodologies within software development teams. This book focuses more on the Agile leadership and organization-wide change that is needed to reach true agility across the enterprise, leading to an effective digital transformation.
You will see Agile from a different lens than you may be wearing right now. What this book promotes may be different than what you are getting from your current Agile coaches. Keep an open mind and think beyond just development teams. In fact, learn why management is the key to Agile transformation.
"This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation in any organization."
Synopsis
Learn to continuously find better ways to do, experience, learn, and adjust so that you can discover and deliver the next right thing sooner. When you pursue Timeless Agility, "What you do matters; why you do it matters more." Pursuing Timeless Agility: the Path to Lasting Agile Transformation confronts the "common wisdom" of today's "Certification Economy" and challenges the prevailing mindset around what success looks like in an Agile culture.
Many organizations are pursuing digital transformation. Agile is a vital part of that transformation, but industry data and experience validate that Agile is broadly misunderstood. What many are calling Agile is not Agile. The first half of this book contrasts what Agile really is with what many think it is - a vast difference. Using a series of relatable metaphorical examples and real case studies, the book helps the reader understand where their current organizational values and mindset sit within that spectrum. It highlights how following the crowd is dangerous and ineffective. The back half of the book guides the reader through proven approaches to getting their organization on track for lasting Agile transformation; for Timeless Agility. The reader will learn how to assess their starting point, how to progressively transform, and then how to identify and track measures that provide context and value.
Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. It consistently allows organizations to effectively and efficiently identify, produce, and deliver the next right thing, regardless of project management methodology trends. The most successful organizations focus more on transforming mindsets and culture than practices and methodologies. They understand that what they do, and how, will always emanate from what they value. To attain Timeless Agility, the entire enterprise needs to think differently. This is why management and leadership are the keys to success in Agile transformation and organizational agility.
There are many Agile teams, but very few Agile organizations. This book focuses more on the Agile leadership, culture, and organization-wide change that is needed to reach true agility across the enterprise, leading to an effective digital transformation. If you want to ensure your organization is transforming the right things for the right reasons, on an enterprise scale, then this book is for you.
Synopsis
"I see so many of the challenges my organization is facing in this book...This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation." Pursuing Timeless Agility: the Path to Lasting Agile Transformation confronts the "common wisdom" of today's "Certification Economy," challenges the prevailing mindset around what success looks like in an Agile culture, and smartly guides management, coaches, and transformation leaders toward Timeless Agility.
Why this book is different:
Agile is a mindset that enables organizations to continuously find better ways to do, experience, learn, and adjust so that they can discover and deliver the next right thing sooner. Timeless Agility is the outcome of a mindset that transcends methodology. When you pursue Timeless Agility, "what you do matters; why you do it matters more."
There are many Agile teams, but very few Agile organizations. This book focuses more on the Agile leadership, culture, and organization-wide coaching that is needed to reach true agility across the enterprise. An effective Agile transformation requires transforming the right things for the right reasons, on an enterprise scale. This is why management and leadership are the keys to success in Agile transformation and organizational agility.
Leadership in the most successful organizations focus more on mindset and culture transformation than specific "Agile" practices and methodologies. They understand that what the organization does, and how, will always emanate from what it values. This is why management, leadership, and Agile coaches are the primary readers of this book.
The problem: Agile is a vital part of any digital transformation, but industry data and experience validate that Agile is broadly misunderstood in software project and product management. What many are calling Agile is not Agile. Misguided coaching and management led to the "unintentional intentional distortion of Agile". This resulted in the propagation of misunderstanding around Agile.
How the book flows:
The first half of this book defines the problem by contrasting what Agile really is with what many think it is. It uses data to demonstrate why the reasons many choose Agile, and how they choose to "do" Agile, have strayed from the true meaning and intent of Agile. Using a series of relatable metaphorical examples and real case studies, the book helps management / leadership, coaches, and other transformation leaders understand where their current organizational values, mindset, and practices sit within that spectrum. As one reader noted, "Reading through the book it's easy to identify with the problems stated and then get a new perspective on the issue - and some possible solutions, or at least a new way to think about the problem.". It highlights how following the crowd is dangerous and ineffective.
The back half of the book guides the reader through proven approaches to getting their organization (leadership, management, and teams) on track for lasting Agile transformation; for Timeless Agility. The reader will learn how to assess their starting point for Agile transformation, how to smartly transform teams and management to properly scale the Agile mindset and culture, and then how to identify and track success measures that provide useful context and value.
What Others are Saying:
"This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations."
"No matter at what level you work at...that is involved in any way with software development, you need to read this book."
"I wish this book existed years ago when I worked for a company that desperately needed a culture shift."
"Buy one book for yourself and one for your boss "
Synopsis
What if Agile transformation wasn't just about software development methodologies? What if Agile transformation was really about an enterprise-wide cultural transformation rooted in a mindset shift across the organization? What if Agile was about moving away from a project-mindset toward a product-mindset? And what if management was the key to that transformation?
Pursuing Timeless Agility: the Path to Lasting Agile Transformation confronts the mistakes of "common wisdom" around Agile, challenges the prevailing mindset for what success looks like, and smartly guides management, coaches, and transformation leaders toward Timeless Agility.
What You Will Learn: - The mistakes of "common wisdom"
- Which mistakes you are making
- What you do matters; but why you do it matters more
- Management is the key to Agile transformation
- How Mindset Transcends Methodology(TM)
- Practical and effective steps forward
"Reading through the book it's easy to identify with the problems stated and then get a new perspective on the issue - and some possible solutions, or at least a new way to think about the problem." "I wish this book existed years ago when I worked for a company that desperately needed a culture shift." "Buy one book for yourself and one for your boss "Why This Book is Different: Agile transformation is an enterprise-wide effort. It goes far beyond new frameworks and practices within software development teams. Rather, it is rooted in mindset and culture transformation that redefines what success looks like, which is why
management and leadership is key to Agile transformation."I see so many of the challenges my organization is facing in this book...This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation.""What you do matters; why you do it matters more." Agile is a mindset that
enables organizations to continuously find better ways to do, experience, learn, and adjust so that they can discover and deliver the next right thing sooner. This book will help you achieve that objective and find appropriate ways to measure success.
"This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations."How the Book Flows: The first half of this book uses third-party data to define the problem by contrasting what Agile really is with what many think it is. It demonstrates the reasons why many choose Agile, and how they choose to "do" Agile, and how they have strayed from its true meaning and intent - better products. Using a series of relatable metaphorical examples and real case studies, the book helps management, leadership, coaches, and other transformation leaders understand where their current organizational values, mindset, and practices sit within that spectrum.
The back half of the book guides the reader through proven approaches to getting their organization on track for lasting Agile (cultural) transformation; for Timeless Agility. The reader will learn how to assess their starting point, how to smartly transform teams and management to properly scale, and then how to identify and track success measures that provide useful context and value.
Synopsis
What many are calling Agile just isn't Agile. Misunderstanding leads to misapplication which leads to missed opportunities. Far too many organizations are doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons, and they don't even know it.
In this book, you'll learn why others are choosing Agile and how they measure success, and why it's all wrong. You may see your own organization along the way. And that's a good thing. Recognition is the first step.
Most define success up through delivery. It's process- and output-focused. Here's the thing: Value isn't in what you do. Value is in what is achieved as a result of what you do.
What if Agile transformation was really about an enterprise-wide cultural transformation rooted in a mindset shift across the organization? What if Agile was about moving away from a project-mindset toward a product-mindset? And what if management was the key to that transformation?
Pursuing Timeless Agility: the Path to Lasting Agile Transformation confronts the mistakes of "common wisdom" around Agile, challenges the prevailing mindset for what success looks like and smartly guides management, coaches, and transformation leaders toward Timeless Agility.
What You Will Learn:
- The mistakes of "common wisdom"
- Which mistakes you are making
- What you do matters; but why you do it matters more
- Management is the key to Agile transformation
- How Mindset Transcends Methodology(TM)
- Practical and effective steps forward
"Reading through the book it's easy to identify with the problems stated and then get a new perspective on the issue - and some possible solutions, or at least a new way to think about the problem." "I wish this book existed years ago when I worked for a company that desperately needed a culture shift."
"Buy one book for yourself and one for your boss "
Why This Book is Different:
Agile transformation is an enterprise-wide effort. It goes far beyond new frameworks and practices within software development teams. Rather, it is rooted in mindset and culture transformation that redefines what success looks like, which is why management and leadership are key to Agile transformation.
"I see so many of the challenges my organization is facing in this book...This would be a great 'book club' book for your product team or program managers leading Agile transformation."
"What you do matters; why you do it matters more." Agile is a mindset that enables organizations to continuously find better ways to do, experience, learn, and adjust so that they can discover and deliver the next right thing sooner. This book will help you achieve that objective and find appropriate ways to measure success.
"This book should be required reading for leaders looking to implement Agile in their organizations."
How the Book Flows:
The first half of this book uses third-party data to define the problem by contrasting what Agile really is with what many think it is. It demonstrates the reasons why many choose Agile, and how they choose to "do" Agile, and how they have strayed from its true meaning and intent - better products. Using a series of relatable metaphorical examples and real case studies, the book helps management, leadership, coaches, and other transformation leaders understand where their current organizational values, mindset, and practices sit within that spectrum.
The back half of the book guides the reader through proven approaches to getting their organization on track for lasting Agile (cultural) transformation; for Timeless Agility. The reader will learn how to assess their starting point, how to smartly transform teams and management to properly scale, and then how to identify and track success measures that provide useful context and value.