Team Practices Group/Recommended Reading

Agile (general)
http://arlobelshee.com/
 * Excellent blog containing general information related to Agile development. (KS)

http://brodzinski.com/2012/10/burn-up-better-burn-down.html
 * Excellent comparison of burndown and burnup charts

http://www.agilebok.org
 * General agile content, licensed CC-BY-NC and running on mediawiki.

http://www.agileforall.com/2012/01/new-story-splitting-resource/
 * Advice for how to split big stories into smaller, more manageable chunks. Unfortunately, the diagram is tightly copyrighted, but the material is excellent.

http://www.martinfowler.com/articles/newMethodology.html
 * Clearly explains the history and rationale behind the agile movement.

Kanban
Kanban in Action by Marcus Hammarberg and Joakim Sunden
 * An excellent introduction to using Kanban for software development. It starts with a 40-page ficticious case study of an existing team without a real process learning how to apply Kanban to their situation. Then the book shifts to a more traditional explanation for the remainder. Highly recommended. Kevin has a copy that can be borrowed on request. (KS)

One day in Kanban land (http://blog.crisp.se/2009/06/26/henrikkniberg/1246053060000)
 * This one-page comic is the most accessible introduction to software development Kanban I have ever seen. It is part of a blog by Henrik Kniberg, who is a prolific and excellent writer. He is somehow affiliated with Spotify. (KS)

Open Kanban by Joseph Hurtado (http://agilelion.com/agile-kanban-cafe/open-kanban)
 * A free and open (CC-BY) specification of a Kanban model for knowledge work. (KS)

Kanban Board Game (http://www.kanbanboardgame.com/)
 * A free game you can play online, where you prioritize stories on a Kanban board, and assign workers to tasks. Try to maximize total income. Hint: It's all about smooth flow!

Extreme Programming
Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck


 * The original XP manifesto, and still one of the best XP books. It is concise and easy to read, and does a great job of describing XP at a high level, with the background philosophy. If you want theory, and not just practice, this is definitely the best XP book. It is showing its age in a few spots, but is still worth reading. (KS)

Planning Extreme Programming by Kent Beck and Martin Fowler


 * Excellent practical description of how to actually run an XP project, start-to-finish, day-to-day. XP Coaches and leads really should read this book. (KS)

Extreme Programming Installed by Ron Jeffries, Ann Anderson, and Chet Hendrickson


 * Excellent practical advice for everyone involved with an XP project. The first 30 pages are the best introduction to XP I have found for potential XP Customers. (KS)

Extreme Programming Applied by Ken Auer and Roy Miller


 * One of the best XP books, with excellent advice for XP teams. Also, this might be the best book for an open-minded XP skeptic to read. It has some pretty compelling arguments. (KS)

Extreme Programming in Practice by James Newkirk and Robert C. Martin


 * Fascinating real-world case study of a small agile project attempted by a team that had never done XP before. It really shows some of the challenges and benefits of an agile approach. Great for anyone who wants to understand the "flavor" of an XP project. (KS)

Extreme Programming Explored by William C. Wake


 * Disappointing. I am a huge fan of Wake's writings, but this book didn't come out as well as I had hoped. It's not a bad book, but it's not great, either. (KS)

The Practical Guide to Extreme Programming by David Astels, Granville Miller, and Miroslav Novak


 * Not one of the best. This book has pretty good material, but if you've already read the great books in the XP series, you probably won't learn much. It lacks the concise style of most XP books, so I found it to be wordy and somewhat repetitive. (KS)

Extreme Programming Examined by Giancarlo Succi and Michele Marchesi


 * A collection of early XP papers presented at a conference in 2000. There are a few gems in here, but most of the material is obsolete, academic, or esoteric. Not recommended, unless you have a specific need for one of the papers. (KS)

Other Methodologies
Crystal Clear by Alistair Cockburn
 * Describes a reasonable agile methodology that is similar to (but different from) Scrum. Of less interest to the WMF because it specifically requires a colocated team. (KS)

Coding Practices
The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
 * Excellent compilation of software development wisdom. Probably most valuable for mid-level developers, but worth reading for anyone who wants to improve their software development skills. The advice applies to virtually all languages, domains, and methodologies. (KS)

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler, et al
 * The bible of refactoring. It has a section describing what refactoring is and how to use it, and another section listing a catalog of "refactorings". The material is excellent, but I had some trouble reading it straight through. Worth the effort, though. (KS)

Sustainable Software Development by Kevin Tate
 * A good overview of agile practices, aimed squarely at developers. Not revolutionary, but solid. (KS)

Software Development in General
Software Craftsmanship by Pete McBreen
 * Excellent, thought-provoking essay. Describes why the "Software Engineering" model is inappropriate, and proposes an alternative. Philosophical in nature (as opposed to practical or theoretical). (KS)

http://www.infoq.com/
 * User-contributed articles on a vast array of topics, including agile software development. Non-open copyright policy is disappointing. (KS)