Head First Agile: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Agile Principles, Ideas, and Real-World Practices

I used the Head First PMP book to study for my PMP exam. I liked it so much that this was the first book I looked for when I decided to earn my PMI-ACP certification. The format was familiar, which I liked. The authors go through the various concepts in a fun, easy-to-read way. I found the practice exam to be really helpful. Some of the questions were more challenging than the actual exam. Overall, the questions were formed like the real exam and really emphasized learning the concepts and mindset rather than simply focusing on memorization.It may be because I already had agile experience, or because I already had other agile certifications, but I didn't find this book to be quite as useful as the Head First PMP book. I went back to the Joseph Phillips course to identify and explore the different domains. That being said, I found it useful enough, and recommend it to others - particularly those with less experience. The practice exam alone makes it worth it, but I like the authors' approach to learning. Make sure you do all the exercises. This makes the information really sink in. I read through the book twice and went through the Phillips course twice, and passed the exam on my first attempt above target on 6 domains, and at target on one domain.If you need to learn about Agile, or you are studying for the PMI-ACP exam, you should definitely get this book.

I purchased this book to prepare for the PMI-ACP and it was great. Besides reading the content outline provided by PMI, this was my only study material. It communicates the material in a fun way and applies real world scenarios which is how the test is structured. Below is the method I used to study over a 6 week period:1. Read through the book once and taking the exams after each chapter.2. Did the final exam. Got 82% the first time.3. Went back through the book for only the main topics (highlighted or bold)4. Did the exams each time again5. Went back but only for the bulleted points in each chapter.6. Took the final exam again. 94% this time.In the week leading up to the test, I barely read any more material. I felt good about where I was and was ready for the test. I tested above target in every area. I also have a PMP so the test structure was familiar to me but of course the content is different. This test isn't as difficult as the PMP, especially if you have experience in agile projects but this book was definitely necessary to grasp the concepts. I didn't do a lot of the chapter exercises because I have the Kindle version of the book so a little difficult to do stuff like crossword puzzles. But I would recommend to do those as well.

I rarely write reviews, as you can see by Amazon history. I'm really conflicted about this book.The Pros - I passed the PMI-ACP in about a month from purchase using only this book (read the book and took all the practice tests) and also scored "above target" in all of the 7 Agile disciplines in the test.The Cons - I'm not sure the book helped that much, the test didn't seem to match up to the material. I don't think I should list specific examples, but I was really surprised by the test content.But since I passed, I don't think I can give this book anything lower than a 4 star.

Great Book. Been using Lean-Agile for a while, and this book has the most concise coverage of all information sources I've used till date - books, training materials, blogs, podcasts, youtube, etc. And ofcourse its delivered in the Head-First brain-friendly format.Atleast in my case, a lot of what I read brought back memories of how I or someone else taught, used or practiced values, techniques, tools, etc.Got this book for a refresher/good-read on Agile, but as I read through it, decided to take the PMI-ACP as well. FYI, got certified today. My suggestion, whether or not you plan to take the certification, is to complete all exercises, even the exam ones.BTW, I've come to admire the PMI-ACP exam as I went through this exercise and know what its really worth.

I was looking for something more practical/into the real world aspects of agile to help with exam prep and prepping a project team for going agile. It is nicely laid out with real world scenarios and the questions are helpful in prepping for exams.

I liked the tutorial treatment. I like the coverage.I disliked that there was not coverage for ALL methods Agile. Where was the Manifesto?

Head First style not for me. Information splattered all over the place and non-intuitively "organized". My brain probably doesn't process the "visually rich" style of these books. The index doesn't help much either. Not saying that I prefer "text-heavy", but a balance would have been nice such as that found in Rubin's book on Scrum (Essential Scrum) where the information is easier to find and the book follows a predictable structure with decent graphics. Still, I offer 3 stars since the book does offer a good deal of information, albeit haphazardly.

I used Head first to help with passing my PMP. I have just completed reading this book and was just as impressed. I have not taken my test yet as I have other prep material to finish but wholeheartedly recommend this book.