Review By: Melissa M. Tondi
08/21/2009In the opening sentence of this book, the authors indicate that "'agile' is a buzzword that will probably fall out of use someday and make this book seem obsolete." Within the software development industry, we've seen many methodologies come and go to meet the needs of the company implementing it. However, I believe, although this book is categorized under agile development and testing, the practices and theories described will weather the changing methodology storm. I am a senior manager within the quality assurance industry and my company began implementing agile company-wide about a year ago. One point I felt that was missing in that company-wide roll out was the importance of the agile tester on the team. This book not only concisely summarized the tester's (and other's) roles on the agile team, but it also clearly defines the importance of the role. The lines between the business, development, tester, project management, and user on these teams become a bit more blurred and the team is able to thrive as a whole.

The writing style is clear, concise, and easy to understand. The authors' "story paragraphs" scattered throughout the chapters brought a personal style that made me feel like the book was born out of real-life experiences furthering the credibility of both authors. Each take-away was presented in a sound manner with proper introductions of the point, reasons why it will work, and case studies of how the authors effectively implemented it.

Anyone in a software development organization should read this book. Don't let the title fool you into thinking it's only for testers. If you or your company are considering agile or using some other methodology to deliver software, this book is a worthwhile investment. This book will guide you each step of the way from the moment a team is formed until a project is successfully implemented.

For the QA managers out there, check out chapters four and thirteen. The role of the manager is suggested (and rightly so!) as one of support. Ideally, the team will work out the team's goals and successes. Managers' roles are supportive and guiding, not dictatorial and mandating. For those teams that are wondering where automation plays a part in an agile team, part four presents the foundation and implementation strategy to help your team be successful.

In a company where we are continuing to research the needs for automation and justify the cost of a high-dollar automation tool, chapter 13 sums it up better than anything else I've read: "Automation frees people to do their best work." We all know the benefits on automation, but this book provides suggestions on how to implement it within a team and get results.