web programming

I was once part of a new XP project where the users were very confused as to how to write a user story, having written nothing but detailed requirements their entire lives. The developers, also new to XP, didn't completely comprehend that they were to actually work with and talk to the users to elicit further details. Oh, if only I had had this book then! I would have purchased a copy for every user and every developer! There is a huge mental shift that has to take place when embracing agile methodologies, and Mike Cohn's book is an excellent catalyst for that change, making it a less painful transformation for those players involved. Cohn even spells out each group's responsibilities at the end of every chapter -- there's no ambiguity around who's supposed to do what. There are lots of examples that are easily understood, and the layout provides you with the information you and your team need in a logical sequence. Chapter 4 has a fabulous section called "Story Writing Workshop" that again provides that step-by-step hand-holding that first-timers need. I highly recommend this book. It's an excellent primer on the process of defining requirements in an agile environment.

Finally a book that demystifies Agile Requirements Management. In particular demystifying myths about User Stories themselves.

The book puts together ideas from other books on the subject : Writing Effective Use Cases and Requirements by Collaboration :
Workshop for defining needs.

This book not only explains properly the concepts but gives you practical advice on how you could use user stories on your projects.

I particularly liked the chapter : Using Stories with Scrum.

Reading this book was truly an enjoyable and learning experience.

Having worked with SW development for more than 20 years, I have finally realised, that face to face, collaborative communication between users and developers in an open atmosphere is the first important step on your way to successfull projects.
Many books covers this briefly in a chapter or two, but with this book, you get a complete manual with techniques, that will be usefull to you in your collaboration with the users.