Review: The waves of Agile

“The waves of Agile” provides a good handle for employees and organizations that want to grow to a (next) Agile maturity level but consciously or unconsciously encounter barriers. In addition to recognizing the adjustments that are required at various levels, it offers a lot of practical support in the form of handy tables and ‘checklists.’ As the book is richly illustrated with practical examples, readers will quickly recognize themselves – which may give them the relief that they’re not the only ones struggling with the issues described by author Derk-Jan de Grood. The book is primarily aimed at Agile leaders and coaches.

De Grood chooses Scrum as a reference, as many organizations are familiar with this approach. He also acknowledges that additional steps need to be taken, such as specialization by Agile coaches – in relation to the organization’s Agile growth. He makes ample use of the work of specialists in the various subfields.

As a stepping stone for determining where you stand – as an individual or company – the book roughly makes a three-way split: from mastering the Agile basics via cross-team alignment to focusing on business value – the three “waves of Agile.” An example of the many handy overviews is the one that lists the “typical challenges organizations are likely to encounter in each of the three waves.”