Raven's Brain

Agile Resources



Scrum-Master Website Experts in Agile and Scrum. Getting started, case studies, agile questionanaire, events and resources, etc.

Control Chaos Scrum Website with overview and certification info.

Scrum Alliance Our mission is to promote increased awareness and understanding of Scrum, provide resources to individuals and organizations using Scrum, and support the iterative improvement of the software development profession.

Agile Management Blog a great place to learn more about agile. In addition to posts on his experience with and thoughts on agile, David J. Anderson also has lists of Agile PM Bloggers & Resources

SCRUM FAQs

SCRUM Artefacts/Tools

Scrum Roles

Scrum Basics

Scrum For Team Systems a great bank of SCRUM resources: Scrum Basics, Preparation, Scrum Roles, Processes, SCRUM Artefacts/Tools, SCRUM FAQs, and more.

pliantalliance.org Think. Evaluate. Change.

Agile Project Leadership Network

Agile Alliance The Agile Alliance is a non-profit organization that supports individuals and organizations who use agile approaches to develop software.

Manifesto for Agile Software Development

agile software development

AGILE IN ACTION Collaboration, Innovation, Adaptation

Xprogramming.com An Agile Software Development Resource

Agile Planet

Agile Project Planning Thoughts on agile project planning and software development by Dave Churchville

Agile Advice Thoughts and experiences for practitioners following the Middle Way to Excellence.

Scrum Log Jeff Sutherland Scrum is an Agile Software Development Process that Certified ScrumMaster Trainer Jeff Sutherland invented at Easel Corporation in 1993.

AgileKiwi Overview of Agile Software Development

Business Agile Discussions about implementing agile practices from a business and management perspective.

C2's Wiki on Agile Processes

Kevin rutherford on Agile Development This blog is primarily about agile software development and related topics such as lean thinking and the theory of constraints.

Feature Driven Development The portal for all things FDD.

Jason Yip's web log Jason Yip's web log about XP, Agile, Java, software development and other things

Extreme Programming Intro A gentle introduction to Extreme Programming.

Online Business Self Assessments



Are You Assertive Enough? A short quiz from The Instant Manager at the AMA Website.Being assertive is not the same as being aggressive. Find out where you stand with this self assessment.

How Well Do You Delegate? 10 question assessment from the AMA website followed by 5 tips to help you be a better delegator.

How motivated are you to lead? Are you motivated to lead? This assessment helps you find the answer. Great self assessment from Mind Tools (http://www.mindtools.com)

What’s Your Communication Style? From the AMA website: "Our accomplishments in the workplace often depend on how well we can communicate our needs & objectives to others. Truly effective communication requires an understanding of our own style as well as that of other people."

Online Management & Business Tips



14 Key Principles for PM Success This web-published article by Michael Greer is an excerpt from "Chapter 6: Planning and Managing Human Performance Technology Projects," Handbook of Human Performance Technology, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1999

25 Training Tips from AMA - American Management Association This links to a PDF file from the AMA Website. The PDF includes25 useful tips for employee training.

Staff Induction Plans: 7 top tips for getting new employees up to speed fast Another from Lyndsay Swinton at www.mftrou.com - "Staff induction plans can range from pitiful, or downright boring, to effective ways to harness the enthusiasm & energy of your new employee." This is a great article!!

80 Tips for Business Success from AMA - American Management Association A page from the AMA website lists 80 interesting and useful tipsfor being successful in the business world. This one's worth printing out and postin!

Job Performance Feedback: 7 Tips For Receiving Feedback Gracefully Lyndsay Swinton (Owner, Management for the Rest of Us www.mftrou.com) discusses 7 tips for receiving feedback gracefully, allowing you to learn from it and quickly move on. Article is also available as PDF via her site

20 Key Project Manager Actions and Results The 20 Key Project Manager Actions are organized according to their support of the Five Essential Project Management Processes: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Another resource from http://www.michaelgreer.com

25 Project Management Tips from AMA - American Management Association A page from the AMA website listing 25 tips to help you manage aproject. This would make a great checklist for a new PM and can also serve as a useful reminder for us veterans.

7 tips for giving positive feedback From Lyndsay Swinton, 'Management for the rest of us' (link to www.mftrou.com) Become an experienced manager, overnight! Also available in pdf at the site.

32 Steps to Being an Outstanding Communicator A page from the AMA website that offers 32 steps to make you an"outstanding" communicator. It's a great resource on communication and the tips are easy to understand and use in your every day conversations.

21 Tips for Successful Leadership from AMA - American ManagementAssociation A page from the AMA website that provides 21 useful tips to helpyou become a successful leader.

14 (+1) Conference Call Tips From Lyndsay Swinton, Owner, Management for the Rest of Us, www.mftrou.com. Article is also available as PDF at site.

Project Management Books in my library



A Guide To The Project Management Body Of Knowledge 3rd Edition by PMBOK Guides (2004)

Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional) by Ken Schwaber

Death March: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving "Mission Impossible" Projects (Yourdon Computing Series) by Edward Yourdon

Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager: The Human Aspects of Project Management, Volume 2 by Vijay K. Verma

Implementing Enterprise Portfolio Management with Microsoft Project Server 2002 by Gary L. Chefetz

Peopleware : Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd Ed. by Tom Demarco, Timothy Lister

Project Management Nation: Goals for the New & Practicing IT Project Manager - Guidance, Tools, Templates & Techniques that work by Jason Charvat

Project Management ToolBox : Tools and Techniques for the Practicing Project Manager by Dragan Z. Milosevic

Ship It! A Practical Guide to Successful Software Projects by Jared, Richardson

Software Project Survival Guide by Steve C McConnell

The Art of Project Management by Scott Berkun

The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management by Tom Demarco

The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management: Quick Tips, Speedy Solutions, and Cutting-Edge Ideas by Eric Verzuh

Management & Leadership Books



Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is by Donald C. Gause, Gerald M. Weinberg

Coaching, Mentoring, and Managing: Breakthrough Strategies to Solve Performance Problems and Build Winning Teams by Micki Holliday

Communicate With Confidence! by Dianna Booher

Creative Whack Pack by Roger Von Oech

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work : Simple Ways to Minimize Stress & Conflict While Bringing Out the Best in Yourself & Others by Richard Carlson

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury,

How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle -How the World's Smartest Company Selects the Most Creative Think by William Poundstone

Innovative Whack Pack by Roger Von Oech

Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box by Arbinger Institute

The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Ken Blanchard, William, Jr. Oncken, Hal Burrows

The Whole Manager by Dennis P. Slevin

Thinkertoys (A Handbook of Business Creativity) by Michael Michalko

Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck by Michael Michalko

Tongue Fu! : How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse Any Verbal Conflict by Sam Horn