“Agile DevOps” by Stephen J. Lamb is a reference guide for those that want to become an Agile DevOps Expert. The eBook contains ten books on a variety of topics related to Agile, which also includes “The Fast Path to Success” by Don Schwaber and “The Unofficial Guide to Agile” by David Freeman. These authors clearly understand what makes Agile so popular among software development firms. They provide comprehensive discussions about what Agile truly means to each of its various components, the differences between Agile and waterfall approaches, and the benefits of incorporating Agile principles into business models.

Although many book reviews focus primarily on the content within the books, I believe the key benefit of this resource is the eBook itself. I found that all ten of the books addressed similar concepts – establishing project management priorities, understanding customer requirements, selecting the right technologies, scheduling activities, managing change, managing quality improvement, identifying and implementing goals, and so on. Each chapter contains an exhaustive description of the topic it addresses and includes detailed codes of practice. All of these topics are further discussed in the appendices, which each include an overview of the important concept as well as certification cost estimates and a complete list of references and resources.

In terms of the actual Agile material within the book, each chapter contains detailed information about Agile cycle stages, short term goals, planning, testing, integration, and deployment. A project life cycle describes the process from beginning to end, including issues, design, implementation, maintenance, and customer relations. The ten chapters also cover issues related to testing, marketing certifications, software deployment, testing automation, and configuration management. One appendix contains a set of design documentation and case studies that serve to supplement the content in the other appendices.

Of the twelve chapters, the first focuses on fundamentals and provides a short overview of Agile principles, processes, and Agile development methodologies. This chapter focuses on five key components described in lean agile, namely a testing process, a continuous integration process, an order fulfillment process, and a lean agile deployment process. It then goes on to describe the meaning of lean and how it relates to the Agile principle of continuous improvement. The next chapter, titled “Defining and Implementing Lean Strategies for Agile Devops”, provides detailed information on applying lean concepts to project management and provides an overview of the distribution and usage of Lean tools, including the popular executable framework called YAG.

The book concludes with twelve relevant case studies. These case studies provide an in-depth look at some of the real world problems Agile teams face, and the Agile DevOps solution to those problems. Each case study describes in detail what the Agile team did not do during a specific period of time, and what the Agile team plan was, if any. The case studies also provide information about the types of employees who were involved in the team effort as well as the types of managers who were involved or supervising at any point. The cases illustrate why some practices, such as automated testing, proved to be unworkable, while others, such as lean, turned out to be beneficial.

In Lean Enterprise, Houghton adopts a more horizontal influencing style, which is influenced by the culture of the organization rather than its technical knowledge. In that way, Agile and Lean can work together. Examples of Agile practices that are considered “horizontal” include those based on the testing process rather than on the creation of new products. Likewise, some Agile methods, such as waterfall, are considered “vertical” because of the emphasis placed on quality instead of on speed. Agile experts believe that such a combination of vertical and horizontal influences can make Agile more sustainable and influential.

This comprehensive guide delivers the same information about Agile and Lean that Houghton previously published eighteen years ago in his book Applied Software Development. It provides eighteen books from the “AAPE” series that discusses the theory and practice of Agile, including the core books, which cover basic concepts; case studies; and case studies examining different aspects of Agile, such as testing, design, and deployment. The other twelve books in the series look at diverse topics related to Agile such as leadership, stakeholder management, software development, and business models based upon Agile principles. Furthermore, this guide offers a concise checklist of resources for those already working in Agile and provides a concise explanation of what Agile actually is and its benefits.

Agile, by Christopher Freville, PhD is a comprehensive guide to Agile and its potential to enrich businesses, organizations, and even the everyday consumer. Freville, who has spent the last eighteen years working in the software development industry, carefully examines the history and theory of Agile and applies it to a wide variety of practical applications, ranging from sustainable development in large corporations to developing consumer products. In addition, Agile delivers practical skills gained from managing change. Agile provides a unique methodology and a set of tools based upon previous successful programs that allows organizations to organize their processes more effectively, reducing costs, and growing faster than ever before. Through timely and accurate summaries of important topics, Agile DevOps Expert provides a solid foundation and guide for those who are already employing or considering Agile methods.