(Book Review) Scrumban: Essays on Kanban Systems for Lean Software Development, 1st Edition

Overview

Review Published: May, 2021.

From developer, systems engineer, and consultant Corey Ladas comes a brief description of the scope of the content.

From describing key aspects of a Kanban workflow, to the detailed options for progress available within this framework, this book serves as a deep examination of how to optimize the Scrum workflow for your next project.

Rating:

3 / 5

(Great Content, Presentation Needs Polishing)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Very Advanced (A significant familiarity with software development methodologies is needed).

Length:

178 pages.

Where to Buy It:

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What's Good

Lots of interesting ideas for Lean development workflows; with the world of software development adapting to meet a faster moving world, this presents a lot of opportunities for complementary disciplines (i.e. UX, project management, project oversight, etc.) to join in on that discussion by keeping up-to-date on these practices.
Very well researched & sourced; the author brings a massive amount of experience to the table, and refers to a considerable number of industry-standard books to back up his points.

What Can Be Improved

Difficult to parse at times; with the advanced content of this book, some summary sections where the reader can catch their breath and review would be very worthwhile, and serve as a diving board for later sections.
Lots of jargon & assumed knowledge; while this is obviously a book meant of software development experts to advance their knowledge, if this was a bit more accessible it would be a great resource for anyone else that works with (and wants to understand) developers’ day-to-day process and perspectives.

The Bottom Line

Some interesting possibilities for UX integration; while design is only mentioned peripherally (and not as a distinct activity performed by UX specialists), there are some fascinating possibilities for team integration if you can read with an eye for those opportunities.
For more advanced UX, Development, and PM roles looking for inter-disciplinary integration; this is a deep cut that takes some endurance to get through, but a lot of the content is compelling enough to jog ideas for leading project teams to success through more effective cooperation.
A fair value for the curious; the $20 price tag for this book is by no means extortionate, but it will typically only be worth it if you’re interested in the deepest aspects of Lean development systems.