(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

Three out of five.

(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.