Reviews for User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development (Addison Wesley Signature Series)

1. Like Ronseal ... does what it says on the tin

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   An easy read well presented ... I am not a very fast reader ... but got through it in super quick time. Very straight forward, simple instructions, ideal for a business person (not IT person) seeking a good understanding or how to write user stories. Good questions and answers to help the reader check understanding. Loses a star only on the basis of the latter bit of the book going over some basic agile stuff covered in other books.

2. Great Book

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2009

   If you want to know exactly how to apply user stories in your projects planning and execution this is the right book for you.

3. Absolute Brilliance

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12rd, 2009

   I have been researching in the LEAN/AGILE spaces for the last year in regard to implementation in a large software development organization. This book brings a large amount of practical advice in regard to the use and disciplines of User Stories to replace more traditional 'behemoth' requirements gathering.
   
   The book assumes no previous experience of AGILE processes and would indeed serve most admirably as a general introduction to AGILE analysis. As any sensible reader you will not subscribe to all arguments/points in the book, indeed it encourages you not to and adapt as necessary but places it in overall context that is incredibly simple and clear to understand. Including a chapter dedicated to describing some warning signals or 'bad smells' that something is amiss.
   
   In short it tells you what User Stories are, how to fish for them, how to write good ones, how to estimate on them and how to manage them in terms of overall delivery - Cohn leaves no stone unturned. The writing style is friendly, informal, humorous in points and leaves you at the end with a strong feeling of accomplishment that comes with learning skills you know you are going to use again and again.
   
   I heartily recommend this book for anyone - experienced Analysts to novice computer hobbyist's that are interested in streamlining their development efforts and truly trying to deliver what a customer wants - fantastic piece of work.

4. A very practical guide to getting started with Agile

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12nd, 2008

   We're just launching a new project, and we'll be using Agile for the first time. I've found this book very useful for telling me exactly what I need to do when. The book is well structured and very readable. As a bonus, it doesn't just deal with how User Stories are Applied, but also has a good writeup about why they work, which I think you'll find useful if you want to convince your boss to try out Agile practices.
   
   The case study at the end ties everything together nicely, my only critisim being that it ends rather abruptly. For a more extensive case study, covering several iterations, and not just the planning stage, see Mike Cohn's other book, Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin).

5. The reality is requirements change and evolve!

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2005

   This book delivers a practical, lightweight solution to requirements gathering and management. User stories can stand-alone in their own right, or can be used in conjunction with other agile methodologies or techniques. In fact Cohn gives examples of how user stories have been implemented in more traditional IEEE 830 projects with strict audit requirements.

   User stories are an agile practice. Like other agile practices, they put the customer at the heart of the process. Agile practices work by communication; by involving the customer they focus on business value. Cohn keeps this underlying principle at the centre of his arguments for adopting user stories.

   The book contains information not only about writing user stories but how they fit into, and drive, agile development processes. Cohn favours the SCRUM methodology and XP practices. These are referred to throughout the text and are summarized in the books Appendices.

   At the end of each chapter a summary of responsibilities for developers and customers (along with a summary and a set of questions) are given. If nothing else these will act as a point of discussion, particularly with those who subscribe to the 'big up front design' school of thought.

   All chapters are short and to the point. The sections are broken up well and the book gains from having a simple, working example given in part 4 showing how the techniques in the first 3 sections are applied to a practical situation.

   My opinion is that this is an excellent book, anyone who is undertaking, or involved, an IT project would do well to read this. If nothing else it offers an alternative to 'traditional' waterfall-orientated processes, or no formal requirements management at all (beer-mat specifications).

   As a personal recommendation, I would suggest looking at the other titles in the Addison Wesley Signature Series.