Unlocking Agility, Jorgen Hesselberg

#1

I read a ton of agile books, and this is by far one of the best ones I’ve ever picked up. My biggest complaint with most agile books is they’re around a singular idea; they go deep into a particular attribute or practice…sadly there’s a dearth of books that cover not only a ton of “agile” ground but give enough details to make you want to dive in further…this book hits on all of it. Cynefin, beyond budgeting, sociocracy, XP practices, metrics…and that’s not even half of the concepts contained therein. There’s a Q&A at the end of every chapter, along with suggested reading and links for further insight. I love it.

If you’re looking for a book to give to that one person you’re working with that “gets it”, and could use a “sheep dip” into a wide body of concepts to help accelerate their journey…get them this book.

#2

As someone who is on the ground floor of a large organization that is just beginning to shift it’s sights to agile this sounds like a great read. Thanks!

#3

Honestly that’s the perfect time to read this, you’ll get a ton out of it! We have an interview with him coming out in a podcast in May, be on the lookout. He’s a bright guy with a ton of brilliant observations that he ties together in a wonderful way.

#4

This is a fantastic book in my view! I read it based on Jay’s recommendation here, and have just finished listening to the podcast with Jorgen, which is now one of my favourites (that list keeps getting longer), thank you Jay for the recommendation and for getting Jorgen onto the podcast - great to hear more of the story behind the book and explore some of the ideas. I’m with you on the Venn diagram on page 194 - simple message but oh so powerful.

#5

Glad you liked it! Jorgen was an amazing guest, we actually chatted for a quite a bit after we stopped recording. He has some brilliant ideas and I’m hoping he gets more visibility as I truly do love the book. Cheers!

#6

The podcast with Jorgen was incredibly insightful and probably the most memorable for me personally so far. His holistic approach is refreshing and I look forward to deep dive into the book.

There is another book in the series which I am interested in and was wondering if anyone has read it and had any comments?
Craig Larman: Large-Scale Scrum: more with less.

#7

Haven’t read it yet; i’m taking his course in PA this Fall. Fascinated by his approach of descaling.