Rating:

I recently finished reading “Clean Agile” by Robert C. Martin. While it has its merits, I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read. Although Robert C. Martin’s take on agile is not new or groundbreaking, it often goes against the industry’s understanding of it. The intention of this book is to clarify what ‘agile’ means, from its inception to modern-day mistakes.

I liked his prior books, such as “Clean Code” and “Clean Architecture”, and this book is written in a similar fashion. It is meant to be read in one go, and some topics are repeated to make a stronger point. Longer examples are sprinkled throughout the chapters, making it hard to use this book as a reference. Furthermore, some of the examples given were difficult to relate to or no longer relevant, such as the discussion of how software was versioned on punch cards.

I agreed with most of the statements made by the author, but there were some areas where I had trouble agreeing, such as his discouragement towards home-office. On the other hand, his take on agile courses was very interesting and to some degree even entertaining. Still, the fact that I agree with most statements even though they often go against the common understanding of agile makes a strong point for me.

One aspect of the book that I did find useful was the focus on process practices. It provided me with valuable insights into topics I wasn’t very familiar with before. The chapters about technical practices were useful to put into an agile perspective, but not really new to me. Many other books cover these topics in-depth, e.g. RCM’s “Clean Code.”

There is a chapter from a different author intended to soften the author’s rant about agile courses. I felt that it detracted from the book’s overall message and went against the book’s main arguments, so I didn’t appreciate it very much.

Overall, “Clean Agile” is a decent book with some flaws. If you’re interested in an original take on agile methodologies or have already read Martin’s prior works, then this book might be worth a read.