1+1=3. That is the equation that summarizes the theme of this book. The book's message is to
integrate the developmental principles of Agile with the result-focused approaches integral to
performance consulting. Your outcomes in shaping human performance will be significant--and
greater than if you only used one of these models. This is a book for anyone who seeks to work
collaboratively with leaders to bring about continuously improving and sustainable
organizational change. --Dana Gaines Robinson coauthor of Performance Consulting Agile
Performance Improvement demonstrates the mutual benefits that accrue to the worlds of
performance consulting and agile software development when the values and principles of both
are blended synergistically under the guidance of practitioners skilled in both. The agile
performance improvement model blends the principles of human performance technology with the
frameworks and practices of Agile. The result is an approach that maximizes the value of
interactions among the consultant the work team and the customer. Unlike traditional
end-to-end waterfall processes agile performance improvement delivers value continuously and
in small increments relentlessly focusing on outcomes of value to the customer. Building on
structures of Agile that are used in software development such as Scrum the agile performance
improvement model considers the human component of holistic solutions in establishing a
continuous stream of value. Bob Winter a performance consultant was the product owner for the
corporate education scrum supporting an agile transition initiative for hundreds of engineering
teams. From this cross-disciplinary experience he discovered that the two cultures two
languages and two methodologies of performance consulting and agile software development
are-far from being incongruent incompatible or irrelevant to each other-in fact ideally
suited to complement and support each other. Being agile improves the effectiveness of the
performance consultant and applying the lessons of human performance technology improves the
effectiveness of software development teams. In Agile Performance Improvement Winter teaches
performance consultants how to apply agile principles values and methods usefully to the
tasks of optimizing human performance in areas of practice not only adjoining but also well
beyond the realm of software and IT engineering such as corporate learning solutions human
resources systems and non-software products. Conversely he shows engineering teams immersed
in an agile environment how to boost their performance using the principles and techniques
taught and cultivated by performance consultants. The author who has worked extensively on
both sides of the traditional divide recounts entertainingly but informatively how both sparks
and fur can fly when geeks encounter people people.