Scrum

The definitive account of the Scrum methodology from its co-creator and the CEO of Scrum, Inc., Jeff Sutherland.

Scrum is the revolutionary approach to project management and team building that has helped to transform everything from software companies to the US military to healthcare in major American hospitals. In this major new book its originator, Jeff Sutherland, explains precisely and step by step how it operates – and how it can be made to work for anyone, anywhere. Take the FBI attempt to digitize its records, for example. As with so many software projects the first attempt failed, having taken four years and cost over $400 million.Then the FBI turned to Scrum, and just over a year later unveiled a functioning system that cost less than a tenth of the first project and employed a tenth of the staff. And it’s not just grand projects that Scrum can help with.

Every organisation, whatever its size, constantly has to come to grips with delivering a product or service on time and on budget. Scrum shows you how. It explains how to define precisely what it is that you are seeking to achieve, how to set up the team to achieve it, and how to monitor progress until the project is successfully completed. Filled with practical examples drawn from all types and organisation it will make you rethink the fundamentals of successful management – and show you how to get things done however everyday or ambitious, however small or large your organisation.

‘Full of engaging stories and real-world examples. The project management method known as Scrum may be the most widely deployed productivity tool among high-tech companies. On a mission to put this tool into the hands of the broader business world for the first time, Jeff Sutherland succeeds brilliantly.’ – ERIC RIES, New York Times bestselling author of THE LEAN STARTUP

‘Engaging, persuasive and extremely practical… Scrum provides a simple framework for solving what seem like intractable and complicated work problems. Amazingly, this book will not only make your life at work and home easier, but also, better and happier.’ – SHAWN ACHOR, New York Times bestselling author of BEFORE HAPPINESS and THE HAPPINESS ADVANTAGE

‘Scrum is mandatory reading for any leader, whether they’re leading troops on the battlefield or in the marketplace. The challenges of today’s world don’t permit the luxury of slow, inefficient work. Success requires tremendous speed, enormous productivity, and an unwavering commitment to achieving results. In other words, success requires Scrum.’ – U.S. General BARRY McCAFFREY

‘Jeff Sutherland is the master of creating high-performing teams. The subtitle of this book understates Scrum’s impact. If you don’t get three times the results in one-third the time, you aren’t doing it right!’ – SCOTT MAXWELL, Founder & Senior Managing Director, OpenView Venture Partners

‘This deceptively simple system is the most powerful way I’ve seen to improve the effectiveness of any team. I started using it with my business and family halfway through reading the book. – LEO BABAUTA, creator of ZEN HABITS

‘[Scrum] dramatically increases productivity while reducing employees’ frustrations with the typical corporate nonsense. This book is the best description I’ve seen of how this process can work across many industries. Senior leaders should not just read the book – they should do what Sutherland recommends.’ – PROFESSOR JEFFREY PFEFFER, Stanford Business School; co-author of THE KNOWING-DOING GAP