The Human Side of Agile - How to Help Your Team Deliver
In writing The Human Side of Agile, Gil Broza has tapped into fundamental concerns -- and challenges -- of Agile practitioners. For not only does the "human" in the book's title refer to the people that make up any Agile team, it also pertains to those who lead them, to those who run the company, and to the people who purchase and use the end product. Gil encourages Agile team members to take up the mantle of team leader and to steer all involved toward the excellence promised by properly executed Agile. Gil's experience and observations confirm that many who adopt Agile pay too much attention to the mechanics of the process, and are disenchanted with the results. Some are in denial and some are searching for a magic bullet. They're mired on a mediocre performance plateau, stalled in a mishmash of "best practices," and looking for answers. In the last 10 years alone, he has mentored more than 1,500 professionals who then delighted their customers, shipped working software on time, and rediscovered passion for their work. Gil has also served as a development manager, team leader, and programmer for 12 years, successfully applying Agile methods since 2001; coached more than 40 private- and public-sector clients, large and small, including independent software vendors, custom development firms, and organizations that build software for internal use; and written several practical papers for conferences and trade magazines, including the prestigious Cutter IT Journal (Gil also co-produced the Coaching stage at the Agile 2009 and 2010 conferences). Throughout his career, Gil has focused on human characteristics that prevent positive outcomes in software development teams. These include limiting habits, fear of change, outdated beliefs, and blind spots. In helping teams overcome these factors, he supports them in reaching ever-higher levels of performance, confidence, and accomplishment. Gil offers much-needed services (beyond basic education) to help ScrumMasters and other Agile team leaders grow in their roles. In addition, he provides workshops, consulting, facilitation services, and enablement programs to fix lackluster Agile attempts and support ongoing Agile improvement efforts. He is in high demand by individuals and companies looking to fully realize Agile's potential.