Writing good software is hard—there are pitfalls everywhere. It’s almostas if an evil demon is constantly whispering in your ear, tempting you to take this or that shortcut—a shortcut that will lead straight to disaster. Don’t let that bug-inducing devil win. Fight him with your own guardian angel to guide, promote, and protect your work and career. Fight him with the proven Practices of an Agile Developer. In this book, we’ve collected the personal habits, ideas, and approaches of successful agile software developers and compiled them in a series of short, easy-to-digest tips. For each practice, we expose the evil demon’s whisperings—the temptations or shortcuts he’s trying to get you to take. And then we explain the agile practices that act as a guardian angel to protect your project and your career. You could learn all this stuff the hard (and conventional) way, by trial and error, but this book can save you both time and pain. Read it, and you’ll be a better developer—starting today. About the Author Venkat Subramaniam, founder of Agile Developer, Inc., has trained and mentored more than 3000 software developers in the US, Canada, and Europe. Venkat helps his clients effectively apply and succeed with agile practices on their software projects, and speaks frequently at conferences. Venkat is also an adjunct professor for the practice of computer science at University of Houston and teaches at Rice University School for Continuing Studies. Andy Hunt has developed software for more than twenty years and knows firsthand what makes a project succeed. Andy is a coauthor of the best-selling book The Pragmatic Programmer, is an author of the Agile Manifesto, and is a cofounder of the Pragmatic Bookshelf, publisher of award-winning and critically acclaimed books for software developers. Table Of Contents: 1 Agile Software Development 2 Beginning Agility 1. Work for Outcome 2. Quick Fixes Become Quicksand