Agile and Scrum: an ordered reading list to get started
This curriculum takes a beginner from zero Agile knowledge to confident practitioner and team leader across four carefully sequenced stages. Each stage builds on the last — starting with the mindset and values behind Agile, moving through Scrum mechanics and ceremonies, then deepening into backlog mastery and product delivery, and finally reaching advanced coaching and organizational scaling.
Foundations: Agile Mindset & Origins
BeginnerUnderstand why Agile exists, the core values and principles behind it, and how Scrum fits into the broader Agile landscape — building the mental model needed for everything that follows.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 4–5 weeks, ~40–50 pages/day (mix of reading and reflection)
- The Agile Manifesto values and 12 principles: why they emerged as a reaction to traditional waterfall approaches
- Iterative and incremental development: how breaking work into small cycles reduces risk and enables faster feedback
- Empirical process control: the foundation of Scrum's inspect-and-adapt cycle
- User stories and relative estimation: how Agile reframes planning around value delivery rather than detailed upfront specs
- The role of the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team: how Scrum operationalizes Agile values
- Velocity and burndown charts: how Scrum teams measure progress and predict delivery
- The Sprint as a container: how fixed timeboxes create rhythm, predictability, and accountability
- Agile's response to uncertainty and change: why Agile thrives in complex, evolving environments
- Why did Agile emerge, and what specific problems with traditional waterfall development does it address?
- What are the four values of the Agile Manifesto, and how do they differ from traditional project management priorities?
- How does iterative development reduce project risk compared to delivering everything at the end?
- What is empirical process control, and how does the Sprint cycle embody inspect-and-adapt thinking?
- How do user stories and relative estimation change the way teams plan and forecast delivery?
- What are the three core Scrum roles, and what are their primary responsibilities?
- How do velocity and burndown charts help a Scrum team understand its capacity and predict when work will be done?
- Write a 1–2 page reflection comparing a waterfall project you know (real or hypothetical) with how Scrum would approach the same project—highlight where iterative feedback would have changed outcomes
- Create a sample product backlog (8–12 items) for a project you're familiar with, writing each item as a user story in the format 'As a [role], I want [feature], so that [benefit]'
- Estimate 5–6 user stories using Planning Poker or relative sizing (assign story points), then explain your reasoning for the relative sizes
- Map out a hypothetical 2-week Sprint: define Sprint Goal, select items from your backlog, sketch a daily standup agenda, and plan a Sprint Review and Retrospective
- Calculate velocity from a sample Sprint (e.g., if a team completed 34 story points in one Sprint, what can they commit to next Sprint?), and draw a simple burndown chart
- Interview or observe a real Scrum team (or watch a recorded Sprint ceremony), then document how the three roles and five ceremonies align with the Agile values you've learned
Next up: This stage equips you with the *why* and *what* of Agile and Scrum; the next stage will dive into the *how*—the specific practices, ceremonies, and tools that bring these principles to life in day-to-day team execution.
A beginner-friendly entry point that explains how Agile teams think about work, time, and value — establishing vocabulary like velocity, story points, and iterations before diving into Scrum specifics.
Written by Scrum's co-creator, this narrative-driven book explains the 'why' behind Scrum in plain language, making it the perfect first Scrum read to build conviction and context.
Core Scrum: Roles, Ceremonies & Sprints
BeginnerMaster the official Scrum framework — its three roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers), five events (Sprint, Planning, Daily Scrum, Review, Retrospective), and three artifacts — well enough to participate in or run a Scrum team.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 8–10 weeks, ~40–50 pages/day (Essential Scrum: 4–5 weeks; Succeeding with Agile: 4–5 weeks)
- The three Scrum roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developer) and their distinct responsibilities and interactions
- The five Scrum events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) and how they structure iterative delivery
- The three Scrum artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment) and their role in transparency and progress tracking
- Sprint mechanics: timeboxing, velocity, Definition of Done, and how sprints create a sustainable rhythm of delivery
- How Scrum roles collaborate to manage scope, priorities, and continuous improvement within a fixed iteration cycle
- The difference between Scrum framework (prescriptive rules) and Agile principles (underlying mindset) that Scrum implements
- What are the three Scrum roles, and what are the primary responsibilities of each?
- Describe the five Scrum events in order and explain the purpose of each within a sprint cycle.
- What are the three Scrum artifacts, and how does each contribute to transparency and empiricism?
- How does a Product Owner prioritize the Product Backlog, and how does that influence Sprint Planning?
- What is the Scrum Master's role in removing impediments and fostering team self-organization?
- How do Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives create feedback loops that drive continuous improvement?
- Attend or observe a real Scrum team's Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Retrospective; document what you see and map it to the framework.
- Create a sample Product Backlog for a fictional project (10–15 items) with user stories, acceptance criteria, and estimated story points.
- Simulate a Sprint Planning meeting: prioritize backlog items, estimate effort, and commit to a realistic Sprint Goal and backlog.
- Run a mock Daily Scrum with a small group (5–10 minutes); practice the three questions and identify one impediment to resolve.
- Facilitate a Sprint Review and Retrospective: gather feedback on a completed increment and identify one process improvement.
- Write a one-page role charter for each Scrum role (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developer) based on the books, then compare with your team's actual practices.
Next up: This stage establishes the foundational Scrum framework and mechanics, preparing you to explore how to scale Scrum across multiple teams, adapt it to different organizational contexts, and deepen your mastery of advanced practices like backlog refinement, estimation, and stakeholder management.
The most comprehensive and readable guide to the full Scrum framework; read this after Sutherland to get structured, role-by-role, ceremony-by-ceremony detail that turns inspiration into practice.
Bridges theory and real-world adoption by addressing the human and organizational challenges of running Scrum, reinforcing ceremonies and roles with practical team-level advice.
Product Ownership: Backlogs & Delivery
IntermediateLearn how to build, refine, and prioritize a product backlog; write great user stories; and steer a team toward delivering real customer value sprint after sprint.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 8–10 weeks, ~40–50 pages/day. Week 1–3: "User Stories Applied" (3 weeks, ~30 pages/day). Week 4–6: "User Story Mapping" (3 weeks, ~35 pages/day). Week 7–10: "Continuous Delivery" (4 weeks, ~40 pages/day).
- User story anatomy and format: writing stories as 'As a [role], I want [feature], so that [benefit]' with acceptance criteria
- Story estimation and splitting: breaking large stories into smaller, deliverable increments and estimating effort
- Backlog prioritization frameworks: MoSCoW, value vs. effort, and stakeholder alignment
- User story mapping: visualizing the user journey to identify epics, features, and release scope
- Acceptance criteria and definition of done: ensuring shared understanding of what 'complete' means
- Continuous delivery pipeline: automating testing, deployment, and feedback loops to reduce release risk
- Release planning and incremental delivery: shipping value frequently while maintaining product quality
- Refining backlogs iteratively: adapting priorities based on customer feedback and market changes
- What makes a well-written user story, and how do acceptance criteria differ from story description?
- How do you split a large user story into smaller, sprintable stories without losing business value?
- What is user story mapping, and how does it help you organize and prioritize a product backlog?
- How do you balance competing priorities in a backlog using frameworks like MoSCoW or value-vs.-effort analysis?
- What is a continuous delivery pipeline, and how does it enable teams to release frequently with confidence?
- How do you refine a backlog between sprints to keep it aligned with customer needs and market feedback?
- Write 5–10 user stories for a real or fictional product, including role, feature, benefit, and 3–5 acceptance criteria per story. Peer-review for clarity and testability.
- Take a large epic (e.g., 'User can manage their account') and split it into 8–12 sprintable stories using story-splitting patterns from Cohn's book.
- Create a user story map for a product you use daily: identify the user journey, slice it into epics and features, and mark a minimal viable product (MVP) release line.
- Estimate 10–15 stories using planning poker or t-shirt sizing; compare estimates with teammates and discuss discrepancies to align understanding.
- Conduct a backlog refinement session: prioritize 20–30 stories using MoSCoW or value-vs.-effort, justify your top 5, and identify stories ready for the next sprint.
- Design a continuous delivery pipeline for a sample project: map out stages from code commit to production, identify automation points, and document manual gates.
Next up: This stage equips you to define, prioritize, and deliver work incrementally; the next stage will deepen your ability to lead teams through execution, manage stakeholder expectations, and adapt to change in real time.
The definitive guide to writing user stories — the primary unit of backlog work — covering splitting, acceptance criteria, and estimation, which are essential skills for Product Owners and Scrum Masters alike.
Teaches a visual technique for organizing backlogs around user journeys, making it far easier to plan sprints and releases that deliver coherent, valuable increments rather than disconnected features.
Closes the loop on delivery by showing how engineering practices (automated testing, deployment pipelines) make sprint-by-sprint shipping a reality, not just a goal — critical for truly Agile delivery.
Advanced Practice: Coaching, Leadership & Scaling
ExpertLead and coach Agile teams with confidence, facilitate powerful retrospectives, and understand how to scale Scrum across multiple teams and an entire organization.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 12–14 weeks, ~25–30 pages/day (with 2–3 days per week for exercises and reflection). Week 1–4: Coaching Agile Teams; Week 5–8: Agile Retrospectives; Week 9–14: Large-Scale Scrum.
- Coaching mindset and the role of the Scrum Master as a servant leader who removes impediments and develops team capability rather than directing work
- The five dysfunctions of a team (trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, results) and how to diagnose and address them through coaching conversations
- Retrospective design, facilitation techniques, and the importance of psychological safety in creating space for honest team reflection and continuous improvement
- The Prime Directive: assuming good intent and creating blameless retrospectives that focus on systems and processes rather than individual performance
- Scaling Scrum frameworks (SAFe, LeSS, Nexus) and the structural patterns needed to coordinate multiple teams while preserving agility
- Organizational impediments, dependencies between teams, and strategies for managing cross-team synchronization and integration
- Coaching patterns for different team maturity levels and how to transition teams from dependency on the coach to self-organization
- Metrics and transparency in scaled environments: how to measure progress without creating perverse incentives
- What is the difference between a command-and-control leadership style and a coaching leadership style, and why does Adkins argue coaching is essential for Agile teams?
- How would you diagnose a team stuck in one of the five dysfunctions, and what coaching questions would you ask to help them move forward?
- What are the key elements of a well-designed retrospective, and how do you create psychological safety so team members feel comfortable sharing honest feedback?
- Why is the Prime Directive important in retrospectives, and how do you redirect blame-focused conversations toward systemic improvement?
- What are the main challenges when scaling Scrum across multiple teams, and how do Larman's frameworks address coordination and dependency management?
- How do you coach a team to become self-organizing rather than dependent on the Scrum Master or coach?
- Conduct a mock coaching conversation with a peer playing a struggling team member; practice asking powerful questions and listening without jumping to solutions (from Adkins' coaching patterns)
- Design and facilitate a retrospective for your own team or a practice group, using at least two different formats from Derby's toolkit (e.g., Start-Stop-Continue, Sailboat, or Timeline); record observations on psychological safety and participation
- Map your team's current dysfunctions using Adkins' five dysfunctions model; identify one dysfunction and create a 4-week coaching plan to address it
- Analyze a real or hypothetical organizational structure with 3–5 Scrum teams; identify dependencies, integration points, and scaling challenges; propose a LeSS or SAFe structure and justify your choice
- Facilitate a retrospective focused on a systemic problem (e.g., deployment delays, unclear requirements); practice redirecting blame toward process improvement and document three actionable experiments
- Record yourself coaching a team member through a challenge; review the recording and count how many times you asked questions vs. gave advice; aim for 80% questions
Next up: This stage equips you to lead and scale Agile organizations with confidence; the next stage will likely deepen expertise in organizational transformation, change management, and sustaining Agile culture at the enterprise level, or shift focus to specialized domains (DevOps, product management, technical practices).
The go-to book for Scrum Masters and Agile coaches, covering facilitation, mentoring, and team dynamics — read here once you have solid framework knowledge to apply coaching skills meaningfully.
Provides a deep toolkit of retrospective formats and facilitation techniques, turning the Sprint Retrospective from a routine meeting into a genuine engine of continuous improvement.
Presents the LeSS framework for scaling Scrum to many teams without losing Agile principles — the ideal capstone for leaders who need to move beyond a single team to a whole product organization.
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