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Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction
A pocket-sized overview of roles, artifacts and the sprint cycle, adapted from the bestseller The Elements of Scrum by Chris Sims & Hillary Louise Johnson.
12 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
September 7, 2020
The book is extremely short. It's more of summary notes rather than an introduction.
Scrum is an easy set of rules for a small team of about seven people to complete a project. Its success is due to the practice of "inspect and adapt" after each sprint (typically a 2-week iteration to complete an agreed upon list of deliverables). The focus is not "tasks completed" but "results" delivered after each sprint. There are three roles: product owner, scrum master, and development team. The product owner is responsible for articulating the requirements and prioritizing (i.e., product backlog) so the most valuable work is done in the beginning (something good now is better than something perfect planned for the future). The scrum master acts as a coach to the development team - increase their skills in applying agile practices, remove obstacles impeding their progress, and facilitate sprint meetings. The development team is highly collaborative and self-organizing. The theory is that the people who do the work are the most knowledgeable in how best to do it.
Scrum is an easy set of rules for a small team of about seven people to complete a project. Its success is due to the practice of "inspect and adapt" after each sprint (typically a 2-week iteration to complete an agreed upon list of deliverables). The focus is not "tasks completed" but "results" delivered after each sprint. There are three roles: product owner, scrum master, and development team. The product owner is responsible for articulating the requirements and prioritizing (i.e., product backlog) so the most valuable work is done in the beginning (something good now is better than something perfect planned for the future). The scrum master acts as a coach to the development team - increase their skills in applying agile practices, remove obstacles impeding their progress, and facilitate sprint meetings. The development team is highly collaborative and self-organizing. The theory is that the people who do the work are the most knowledgeable in how best to do it.
February 4, 2013
Interesting book and good concise introduction to scrum. I however need to find out if there are other agile methodologies, since scrum seems to be full of meetings overhead
February 5, 2016
This book was true to its title and gave a great overview of the Scrum process, free of distracting and overly cute jargon that is often present in Scrum training materials. The one place where I felt the book could have had more explanation was on burn-down charts. They presented them, but did not explain how to produce them sufficiently to be able to do so. A note on the Kindle version: it did not have the ability, that I could tell, to zoom in on graphics (such as the aforementioned burn-down charts), and the resolution was on the low side.
March 6, 2016
Love it.
Simple introduction to agile development. Everyone should read this whether you work in agile teams or not. Everything is explained in a simple superb manner.
Simple introduction to agile development. Everyone should read this whether you work in agile teams or not. Everything is explained in a simple superb manner.
June 18, 2022
I am working as a product manager in a firm where we follow the scrum framework bit differently. And I wanted to have a quick read about the base of the Scrum framework.
I feel this is the correct book for me. This book is not talking about the scrum to the length and breadth of product management. But it touches on the important aspects of it. It is only 56 pages book. And I feel it is worth reading it.
What is good about the book.
1. Definition of each term in the Scrum framework.
2. Role of each team member.
3. The book discusses the types of meetings and the correct participants for each meeting.
What can be better?
1. I know It is a quick read. But if there is an example taken from start to end of the book that would help more new learners.
2. There should be more references for extra reading about product management.
Guys, Please add a comment regarding what should I read to understand Product management more?
I feel this is the correct book for me. This book is not talking about the scrum to the length and breadth of product management. But it touches on the important aspects of it. It is only 56 pages book. And I feel it is worth reading it.
What is good about the book.
1. Definition of each term in the Scrum framework.
2. Role of each team member.
3. The book discusses the types of meetings and the correct participants for each meeting.
What can be better?
1. I know It is a quick read. But if there is an example taken from start to end of the book that would help more new learners.
2. There should be more references for extra reading about product management.
Guys, Please add a comment regarding what should I read to understand Product management more?
February 24, 2020
Exactly what it says on the cover.
May 1, 2022
Gave me an overview of the scrum framework. I actually liked how the the book explained everything clearly and briefly. But you'll probably need to do a little research for some words that for me were unfamiliar.
May 11, 2020
A book on how to ensure hyper-productivity. The success of the tech-industry lies in its principled approach towards adapting change, teamwork, efficiency and customer-centered development. A good half-hour read.
December 3, 2015
As the title suggests, SCRUM is a brief, but helpful, introduction to scrum and the basic tenets of agile product development. Highly recommend for business managers and non-tech types who want a quick cheat sheet on the concepts and jargon: sprint planning, scrum master, backlog, story time, etc. Now I will be better at pretending I know what I am talking about.
May 19, 2015
Very brief indeed. It gives the gist of methodology. I've seen/used it in software development environments in an iterative process. Can it be adapted to other uses? Perhaps. But it really does pertain pretty specfically to iterative software design and testing work.
February 17, 2017
Just the facts ma'am
Good intro to scrum. I'm just starting out in this field and will use some of these concepts to help our team implement scrum.
Worth a read. I would recommend it. I'll also buy the elements of scrum book next by these same authors.
Good intro to scrum. I'm just starting out in this field and will use some of these concepts to help our team implement scrum.
Worth a read. I would recommend it. I'll also buy the elements of scrum book next by these same authors.
February 4, 2015
Great book to recommend to others
This is a very good, quick & easy read to introduce or refresh new team members who are using Scrum.
This is a very good, quick & easy read to introduce or refresh new team members who are using Scrum.
October 24, 2016
Quick, useful review
Super simple but effective review of scrum concepts and practices. Doesn't really go into much detail, but explains the core tenets and meetings well.
Super simple but effective review of scrum concepts and practices. Doesn't really go into much detail, but explains the core tenets and meetings well.
June 14, 2024
Many non-fiction books are overwritten. Too long and padded out. This is the opposite of that. Refreshingly concise and does exactly what it claims. The bare bones of what you need for agile and no more. There’s little to no fat in the writing and this is a good thing. Very reflective of agile in fact.
You get all the key roles, artefacts and processes within agile, with short descriptions of what each is, why it’s needed and how it works.
It wont make you an expert in agile, but you could read this quickly and at least understand the basic concepts and terms used. Like reading a tourist phrase book if you were going on holiday to someplace you didn’t speak the language.
The only challenges I had with it. First, it makes a big assumption scrum good for every situation. It doesn’t mention circumstances when it doesn’t work so well. Also it’s light on “people” issues - assigns roles, but doesn’t reflect people having bad days, being arsey, being political etc. Many businesses reject agile as it means senior leaders losing control / authority, and it takes a lot of trust to hand over decision power to one product owner and a dev team.
It talks about a bigger book from which this draws, so perhaps some of those issues / challenges covered in that book.
However, as a brief intro to agile, it works really well and good for those in a hurry or wanting to know the basics.
You get all the key roles, artefacts and processes within agile, with short descriptions of what each is, why it’s needed and how it works.
It wont make you an expert in agile, but you could read this quickly and at least understand the basic concepts and terms used. Like reading a tourist phrase book if you were going on holiday to someplace you didn’t speak the language.
The only challenges I had with it. First, it makes a big assumption scrum good for every situation. It doesn’t mention circumstances when it doesn’t work so well. Also it’s light on “people” issues - assigns roles, but doesn’t reflect people having bad days, being arsey, being political etc. Many businesses reject agile as it means senior leaders losing control / authority, and it takes a lot of trust to hand over decision power to one product owner and a dev team.
It talks about a bigger book from which this draws, so perhaps some of those issues / challenges covered in that book.
However, as a brief intro to agile, it works really well and good for those in a hurry or wanting to know the basics.
December 8, 2017
Interesting to read this book if you are involved in any kind of project or you want to better manage your own personal project! Being involved in projects as a part of a team. Observing the way each project is being managed by different project manager. I can now identify why some projects fail and other success. It is all about constant feedback from concerned stockholders and teamwork and being transparent about the obstacles and issues during the project life cycle. As well as, specifically define the roles of each person involved in the project.
Scrum is a simple framework to adapt yet it is more efficient than many methods we had been taught in college (e.g. waterfall etc). I liked how the author referred to customer needs as their stories and then each story involves multiple tasks instead of using boring project terminologies!
Scrum is a simple framework to adapt yet it is more efficient than many methods we had been taught in college (e.g. waterfall etc). I liked how the author referred to customer needs as their stories and then each story involves multiple tasks instead of using boring project terminologies!
August 11, 2022
Short and sweet but filled with meat!
In a sudden need to get a grip in some essentials (and some buzzwords), I scrambled through Kindle hoping for the best. And, I found it! Don't expect to have the lingo completely down or to be all set to lead a complex project, but do expect to find a good foothold and some handles so you can start climbing without feeling like a fool. Sounds good to me.
In a sudden need to get a grip in some essentials (and some buzzwords), I scrambled through Kindle hoping for the best. And, I found it! Don't expect to have the lingo completely down or to be all set to lead a complex project, but do expect to find a good foothold and some handles so you can start climbing without feeling like a fool. Sounds good to me.
August 14, 2025
Quick Read yet Info Packed
I really enjoyed reading Scrum: A breathtakingly Brief and Agile introduction. In learning bits and pieces of Scrum and Agile principles due to my job. I many times found myself unsure on the roles and how things are supposed to work between the team members the Product Owner, Scrum Master etc.. This book lays it out in plain english which helped bring my knowledge of Scrum and Agile principles full circle. Well done!
I really enjoyed reading Scrum: A breathtakingly Brief and Agile introduction. In learning bits and pieces of Scrum and Agile principles due to my job. I many times found myself unsure on the roles and how things are supposed to work between the team members the Product Owner, Scrum Master etc.. This book lays it out in plain english which helped bring my knowledge of Scrum and Agile principles full circle. Well done!
May 16, 2017
Not sure how Scrum changes things
So basically Scrum is a method for organizing a team and planning work. The actual execution of the method is briefly touched upon, but there isn't really any justification for why Scrum outperforms other management styles. In a few words, Scrum is "the art of putting sticky notes in rectilinear patterns on a whiteboard."
So basically Scrum is a method for organizing a team and planning work. The actual execution of the method is briefly touched upon, but there isn't really any justification for why Scrum outperforms other management styles. In a few words, Scrum is "the art of putting sticky notes in rectilinear patterns on a whiteboard."
June 27, 2017
This is a clear and concise overview of the scrum agile methodology: Everything you need to know, and nothing you don't. It only took me about 30 minutes to read, and I'm a slow reader. Even though this is branded as an "introduction", I've been using scrum as a software engineer for several years, and I found this book useful as a refresher.
August 2, 2017
Good, concise, to-the-point introduction and summary of the Scrum way of working for teams and companies. The book covers the Roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Team Member), the Artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Burn Charts etc) and the Sprint Cycle elements (Daily Scrum, Story Time, Sprint Review etc) that make up a Scrum workflow.
July 22, 2019
Brief and to the point
I was looking for a fly over explanation of scrum. I had some understanding but wanted to see if my understand corresponded to conventional thinking about the topic, having never had any formal training. This booklet served the purpose nicely and confirmed my understanding, in essence.
I was looking for a fly over explanation of scrum. I had some understanding but wanted to see if my understand corresponded to conventional thinking about the topic, having never had any formal training. This booklet served the purpose nicely and confirmed my understanding, in essence.
March 20, 2020
To be honest, I'd rate this just "3" or "4" for content, but for its brevity and the inspiration it provided me in causing me to move forward in one of my pending tasks, I rate this a "10." :D
Helpful! :D
Also, I give this a "10 out of 5" rating because it caused me to finish a book in just hours. :D Made me feel SUPER productive. xD
Helpful! :D
Also, I give this a "10 out of 5" rating because it caused me to finish a book in just hours. :D Made me feel SUPER productive. xD
December 26, 2020
Wets Your Appetite for Scrum
A very short introduction to the Scrum process and the components of it. It would be helpful to those who are aware of Scrum but haven't tried to use it yet. You will need more information to practice this on your projects. The authors have written a more comprehensive book for this (and this is basically a sampler for it).
A very short introduction to the Scrum process and the components of it. It would be helpful to those who are aware of Scrum but haven't tried to use it yet. You will need more information to practice this on your projects. The authors have written a more comprehensive book for this (and this is basically a sampler for it).
September 24, 2022
The title itself really speaks a lot about it. The book is concise on how it should be able to be grasp by an ordinary reader. I'm able to distinguish and differentiate the processes under the scrum methodology. Given the processes, my team will be able to provide collaborative, engaging discussions, and better outcomes throughout the whole project production.
May 20, 2017
Entrega lo que promete y de un modo bastante conciso.
Directo y al grano que es scrum, sus elementos como se usan y como se termina. Punto.
Trae dibujos, comentarios y diagramas faciles de entender.
Recomendable para cualquier neofito al mundo de Agile!
Directo y al grano que es scrum, sus elementos como se usan y como se termina. Punto.
Trae dibujos, comentarios y diagramas faciles de entender.
Recomendable para cualquier neofito al mundo de Agile!
June 7, 2017
A breif intro to scrum
Not a detailed description of things but to get going this is enough. Great intro to such a complicated concept. Easy to understand language, minor spell error that must be ignored
Not a detailed description of things but to get going this is enough. Great intro to such a complicated concept. Easy to understand language, minor spell error that must be ignored
July 8, 2017
Clear, concise and informative. Great introduction or refresher for Scrum. It gave me a great start since I will need it in my new role as Product Manager for a squad. Looking forward to reading the author's other book, The Elements of Scrum.
February 1, 2018
Great overview
This resource was a great overview for someone who is just learning the scrum and agile processes and needed a quick and simple read. I liked how new terms and concepts were thoroughly explained.
This resource was a great overview for someone who is just learning the scrum and agile processes and needed a quick and simple read. I liked how new terms and concepts were thoroughly explained.
June 24, 2018
Great summary of Scrums goals and points
This microbook (very small) gets to the essentials is what scrum is. Hits the things to focus on (4 stars) and hints at what to ignore (reason why it's not 5 stars). But I highly recommend EVERYONE interested in scrum read this book.
This microbook (very small) gets to the essentials is what scrum is. Hits the things to focus on (4 stars) and hints at what to ignore (reason why it's not 5 stars). But I highly recommend EVERYONE interested in scrum read this book.
August 1, 2018
Perfectly short
This is a starting point for the adaptation of scrum. It's great for those in management to learn about scrum when it is to be used on a project. It can also be useful in introducing scrum to project managers and stakeholders when you need to use it.
This is a starting point for the adaptation of scrum. It's great for those in management to learn about scrum when it is to be used on a project. It can also be useful in introducing scrum to project managers and stakeholders when you need to use it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews