The Dream Team Nightmare

01/27/2014 · No Responses

This first-ever interactive Agile Adventure is the gripping tale of an experienced team struggling with agile adoption. In this unique mashup of a business novel written in the gamebook format, you’ll overcome common yet daunting challenges that come from using agile methods. As Jim, the agile coach, you’ll learn to apply a range of thinking tools and techniques to real-life problems faced by teams and organizations. Find out what really works and what fails miserably from the consequences of your choices. And, unlike in the real world, if at first you don’t succeed, you can make different choices until you get things right.

Management is ready to disband your new agile team and outsource your project. Can you save The Dream Team?

The Dream Team started their journey 18 months ago. Since then, life has become a nightmare. Progress has ground to a halt. Morale is low. Quality has become taboo. You have five days to figure out how to get the team back on track. There will be conflict and maybe tears. One thing is for sure: there will be plenty of tough decisions to make.

Inspired by a classic gamebook series, this fun and interactive story has eight different endings designed to enrich and put your agile development knowledge and experience to the test. Packed with familiar scenarios an agile team faces every day, The Dream Team Nightmare offers you the chance to see what would happen if you could do things differently so you can change the way you do things for real with confidence.

Combining practical team-building exercises with effective facilitation and Systems Thinking, by the end of the book you’ll be ready to rescue projects in trouble, and get new projects off to a better start.

Review
Engaging and fun to read, The Dream Team Nightmare is jam-packed with fresh ideas and techniques that are easy to adopt. It’s also a great springboard for follow-up reading on the bigger ideas such as systems thinking. I would heartily recommend it to everyone to share with their teams.
—Victoria Morgan-Smith Scrum Master

The Dream Team Nightmare is a breath of fresh air in comparison to other books on project theory and process out there. It provides you with a wealth of information to make better decisions on your project.
—James Major Project Manager Network Rail

The Dream Team Nightmare is a crash course in Agile. I strongly recommend it to all readers involved in building software products, from technical to product people.
—Dyan Corutiu Software Developer

The Dream Team Nightmare is an innovative and entertaining read that helped me learn some new ideas and techniques, had me thinking about how I work, and kept me wanting to continue the adventure.
—Karl Scotland Agile Coach Rally Software

The Dream Team Nightmare is packed with tips and concrete techniques for how to do just about everything an Agile Coach does. Portia’s entertaining book is totally unlike any other Agile book you’ve ever read.
—Liz Sedley Author of Agile Coaching

This is the most fun read I’ve had in a long time. I anticipate that it will have the same dramatic effect for Agile methods as The Goal did for Systems Thinking. You should read it at least twice, once for enjoyment and a second time for deeper learning.
—Matt Gelbwalks Transformation Coach North Main, LLC

The Dream Team Nightmare shows in a gentle yet concrete way how an Agile coach works. A great book for anyone working to introduce Agile to others.
—Michael McCullough Founder of Tastycupcakes.org and Executive Technical Director at Quadrus Development

Table of Contents
Part I: Begin the Adventure

Part II: Appendices
Appendix A1. Who’s Who
Appendix A2. LinkedIn: Jim Hopper
Appendix A3. Glossary
Appendix A4. Bedtime Reading
Appendix A5. Tools and Exercises Reference