TOP-100 Agile books of all time (at the end of 2013)

In anticipation of the largest Eastern European conference on agile methodologies AgileDays'14 , we decided to make a rating of the best books that affect our industry.

The rating methodology we borrowed from Jurgen Appelo. The calculation algorithm is based on five different criteria: the number of Amazon reviews, the number of GoodReads reviews, the average Amazon rating, the average GoodReads rating, and the number of days that have passed since the first publication. This means that this list shows you a mix of the most popular, best rated, and (relatively) latest books in this category.

We asked for this list of books to comment on two experts:

Boris Wolfson . Headhunter CTO

Andrey Rebrov. Agile Engineering Coach by ScrumTrek.



1. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win (2013)
Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford


Andrei Rebrov: DevOps has been actively discussing the last couple of years in the Russian-speaking community: there are groups, conferences, entire departments of devops are created, and so on. And along this path, it is very important not to make mistakes so that DevOps is not mistaken for a new religion. One way to avoid this is to correctly understand what it is, and The Phoenix Project books can help. This book is also interesting because it is almost artistic - it has heroes. plot, intrigue and of course a happy ending. This book is about how to move from a state of chaos in production to an understandable supply chain, build an engineering culture and start trusting each other. This book in a very understandable language describes the masses of situations that we, developers and system administrators, constantly encounter, for example, playful hands of programmers or downtime due to managerial bureaucracy. Looking for ways to overcome this? Then this book is for you!

2. Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process (2012)
Kenneth S. Rubin


3. Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (2012)
Ash Maurya


4. Impact Mapping: Making a Big Impact with Software Products and Projects (2012)
Gojko Adzic


5. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses (2011)
Eric Ries


Boris Wolfson: This book is a must-read for anyone who is creating new products. It gave rise to a whole direction by putting on a scientific basis product development: instead of senseless attempts to guess, the author suggests numerically testing measurable hypotheses, doing iteratively and optimizing the cycle time from idea to metrics.

6. Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster (2013)
Alistair Croll, Benjamin Yoskovitz


Boris Wolfson: This book describes in detail the topic of product metrics, including predefined templates for various types of websites. The fact is that in other books and articles this topic usually remains unrevealed, so when a product developer encounters it in practice, he has many unobvious problems.

7. Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum (2009)
Mike Cohn


Boris Wolfson: In my opinion, this is the best and most detailed book on scrum, which highlights all aspects of implementing and using this methodology.

Andrey Rebrov: All authors of agile books strive to get away from dogmatism (in agile it is considered heresy) and, as a result, lose their practicality. Well, the truth is, if you constantly make reservations in the style of “it happens and it’s possible too” - the question arises - how is it necessary? Mike Cohn for himself, this question clearly decided in favor of practicality. Personally, I like it, so I highly recommend reading all of Mike's books. His most recent book contains years of his reflection, it is deep as the cosmos and inexhaustible as an atom.

8. Commitment (2013)
Olav Maassen, Chris Matts, Chris Geary


9. The Scrum Field Guide: Practical Advice for Your First Year (2012)
Mitch Lacey


10. Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices (2002)
Robert C. Martin


11. Specification by Example: How Successful Teams Deliver the Right Software (2011)
Gojko Adzic


12. Agile Estimating and Planning (2005)
Mike Cohn


Andrei Rebrov: Well, you already understand, I'm a fan of Mike Cohn (until until Jeff Patton writes his book!). Want to know how to complete a project on time and still work on Agile? A book about evaluation and planning from the same Mike of our Kon.

13. The Agile Samurai: How Agile Masters Deliver Great Software (2010)
Jonathan Rasmusson


14. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship (2008)
Robert C. Martin


15. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (1999)
Martin Fowler, et al.


Boris Wolfson: This book highlights one of Agile’s key engineering practices - refactoring. Actually, this book popularized this concept and experts in the field of software development began to improve the internal quality of their own products through refactoring. In addition, refactoring allowed us to avoid detailed architecture design at the initial stages of the project, which allows us to make projects as flexible as possible.

16. The Art of Unit Testing: With Examples in .Net (2009)
Roy Osherove


17. Working Effectively with Legacy Code (2004)
Michael Feathers


18. The Lean Entrepreneur: How Visionaries Create Products, Innovate with New Ventures, and Disrupt Markets ( 2013)
Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaskovits


19. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master (1999)
Andrew Hunt, David Thomas


20. Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation (2010)
Jez Humble, David Farley


Boris Wolfson: The first principle of Agile is formulated as follows: “The highest priority for us is customer satisfaction, thanks to the regular and early delivery of valuable software” in order to put it into practice, you need to use a continuous supply of the product.

21. User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development (2004)
Mike Cohn


Andrey Rebrov: Another book from Mike, this time about managing requirements and working with customers using User Stories. As always, very practical and interesting. Great reading! If you're an analyst, put it next to Effective Use Cases by Alistair Cockburn

22. Scrum and XP from the Trenches (2007)
Henrik Kniberg


Andrei Rebrov: The renowned book of the famous Henrik Kniberg about his experience in implementing Agile. It is written very clearly, interestingly and inspiringly. The book is small and translated into Russian by Ukrainian comrades.

Boris Wolfson: The book, which for many was the first acquaintance with Agile. But I want to note that at the moment a lot of information in it is outdated.

23. The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers (2011)
Robert C. Martin


24. The Elements of Scrum (2011)
Chris Sims, Hillary Louise Johnson


25. Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience (2013)
Jeff Gothelf


26. Implementing Domain-Driven Design (2013)
Vaughn Vernon


27. Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests (2009)
Steve Freeman, Nat Pryce


28. Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software (2003)
Eric Evans


29. Lean from the Trenches: Managing Large-Scale Projects with Kanban (2011)
Henrik Kniberg


30. Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business (2010)
David J. Anderson


31. The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development (2009)
Donald G. Reinertsen


32. Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders (2011)
Jurgen Appeal


33. Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit (2003)
Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck


34. Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management (2008)
Scott Berkun


35. How to Change the World: Change Management 3.0 (2012 )
Jurgen Appelo


36. The Art of Agile Development (2007)
James Shore, Shane Warden


37. Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction (2012)
Chris Sims, Hillary Louise Johnson


38. Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play (2006)
Luke Hohmann


39. Agile Software Requirements: Lean Requirements Practices for Teams, Programs, and the Enterprise (2010)
Dean Leffingwell


40. Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (2006)
Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck


Andrei Rebrov: The most recent Lin book by Lean Software Development. The presentation is, in principle, not bad, but not free from some drawbacks. It seems to me that it presses too much on software development and speaks too little about the use of Lin as such. However, it seems to be like the source - at least you need to look through!

41. The Professional ScrumMaster's Handbook (2013)
Stacia Viscardi


42. Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition (2010)
Lyssa Adkins


43. Managing the Design Factory (1997)
Donald G. Reinertsen


44. Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C # (2006)
Robert C. Martin, Micah Martin


45. Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life (2010)
JD Meier


46. ​​UX for Lean Startups: Faster, Smarter User Experience Research and Design (2013)
Laura Klein


47. Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life (2011)
Jim Benson, Tonianne DeMaria Barry


48. Agile Coaching (2009)
Rachel Davies, Liz Sedley


49. Test Driven Development for Embedded C (2011)
James W. Greening


50. 30 Days to Better Agile: Effective strategies for getting results Fast using Scrum (2012)
Angela Druckman


51.xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code (2007)
Gerard Meszaros


52. The Concise Executive Guide to Agile (2010)
Israel Gat


53. Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management (2005)
Johanna Rothman, Esther Derby


54. Writing Effective Use Cases (2000)
Alistair Cockburn


55. Leading Lean Software Development: Results Are not the Point (2009)
Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck


56. Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World (2005)
Venkat Subramaniam, Andy Hunt


57. Agile Management (2012)
Ángel Medinilla


58. Crystal Clear: A Human- Powered Methodology for Small Teams (2004)
Alistair Cockburn


59. Agile Game Development with Scrum (2010)
Clinton Keith


60. The Culture Game: Tools for the Agile Manager (202)
Dan Mezick


61. Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change (multiple editions) ( 1999)
Kent Beck, Cynthia Andres


62. The Leader's Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century (2010)
Stephen Denning


63. Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide (2003)
Craig Larman


64. The People's Scrum: Agile Ideas for Revolutionary Transformation (2013)
Tobia
2013s Mayer


65. Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (2nd Edition) (2009)
Jim Highsmith


66. Refactoring to Patterns(2004)
Joshua Kerievsky


67. Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis (2012)
Ellen Gottesdiener, Mary Gorman


68. Agile in a Flash: Speed-Learning Agile Software Development (2011)
Jeff Langr, Tim Ottinger


69. Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects (2009)
Johanna Rothman


70. Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams (2009)
Lisa Crispin, Janet Gregory

Andrei Rebrov: I won’t write in detail, it's just a classic and an absolute must for tester.

71. Scrum Mastery: From Good To Great Servant-Leadership (2013)
Geoff Watts


72. Manage It !: Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management (2007)
Johanna Rothman


73. Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (2006)
Esther Derby, Diana Larsen


Andrei Rebrov: A book on how to conduct retrospectives. I highly recommend it to two categories of citizens: those who do not know how to conduct them and those who have exhausted their problems over the years of the retro and who no longer know how to return utility to them (and drive!). It was written by facilitators (facilitation is such a science about holding meetings), so it may seem a little redundant in terms of a set of ritual actions, but there are really a lot of interesting ideas about holding retrospectives!

Boris Wolfson: In the long run, retrospective is the most important Agile practice and the most difficult to implement. This book describes specific recipes for its proper conduct.

74. The Human Side of Agile - How to Help Your Team Deliver (2012)
Gil Broza


75. Liftoff: Launching Agile Teams & Projects (2011)
Diana Larsen, Ainsley Nies


76. Software in 30 Days: How Agile Managers Beat the Odds ... (2012)
Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland


77. Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Thinking and Organizational Tools for Large-Scale Scrum (2008)
Craig Larman, Bas Vodde


Andrei Rebrov: I read a lot of books about scaling development, I did not find anything ideal on this topic. However, Larman has not seen anything better than a book. If you have more than one team working and you need to synchronize their work, be sure to read. At the same time, you will see how Lin is really applied on concrete examples.

78. Agile Project Management with Scrum (2004)
Ken Schwaber


79. Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development (2004)
James O. Coplien, Neil B. Harrison


80. Agile Project Management For Dummies (2012)
Mark C. Layton


81. The Productive Programmer (2008)
Neal Ford


82. Bridging the Communication Gap: Specification by Example and Agile Acceptance Testing (2009)
Gojko Adzic


83. Requirements by Collaboration (2002)
Ellen Gottesdiener


84. Test Driven Development: By Example (2002)
Kent Beck


85. Agile Software Development with Scrum ( 2001)
Ken Schwaber, Mike Beedle


86. Agile Software Development with Distributed Teams (2010)
Jutta Eckstein


87. Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk (2007)
Paul M. Duvall, Steve Matyas, Andrew Glover


88. Enterprise-Scale Agile Software Development (2009)
James Schiel


89. Lessons in Agile Management: On the Road to Kanban (2012)
David J. Anderson


90. Applied Software Project Management (2005)
Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene


91. Exploring Scrum: the Fundamentals: People, Product, and Practices (2011)
Dan Rawsthorne, Doug Shimp


92. Collaboration Explained: Facilitation Skills for Software Project Leaders (2006)
Jean Tabaka


93. Agile Excellence for Product Managers: A Guide to Creating Winning Products with Agile Development Teams (2010)
Greg Cohen


94. Changing Software Development: Learning to Become Agile (2008)
Allan Kelly


95. Get Agile !: Scrum for UX, Design & Development(2013)
Pieter Jongerius


96. Scrum Product Ownership: Balancing Value From the Inside Out (multiple editions) (2009)
Robert Galen


97. Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating Products that Customers Love (2010)
Roman Pichler


98. Ship it! A Practical Guide to Successful Software Projects (2005)
Jared Richardson, William A. Gwaltney


99. Scaling Software Agility: Best Practices for Large Enterprises (2007)
Dean Leffingwell


100. Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility (2009)
Pollyanna Pixton, Niel Nickolaisen, Todd Little, Kent McDonald