Wild West to Agile: Adventures in Software Development Evolution and Revolution

Wild West to Agile: The evolution and revolution of software development, drawn from personal experience, from the Apollo moon mission to digital transformations.

In 2023, "technology is your business--no matter what your business." But how did we get here and how could a historical perspective prepare us for the future?

Jim Highsmith tackles the evolution and revolution of software development, embellishes them with personal experiences, from the Apollo moon mission to modern digital transformations, and introduces the adventurous pioneers--from structured era developer Ken Orr to Agile methodologist Kent Beck--who strived to make the world a better place, by building better software.

Jim's six-decade career has encompassed the Wild West (1966-1979), to Structured Methods and Monumental Methodologies (1980s), to the Roots of Agile (1990s), to the present Agile Era (2001-present). In each era, he explores the evolution of software development methods, methodologies, and mindsets.

Whether you are from the 1970-1980's generation looking for an "I was there too" moment, a newer generation interested in the evolution of software development, the Agile generation interested in how Agile methodologies were born and evolved, or have a general interest in information technology, Wild West to Agile has something for you.

"Jim Highsmith is the Forrest Gump of software development. What made the 1994 movie so entertaining was how frequently Forrest found himself in the right spot as history was being made. Unlike Forrest, though, Jim's actions influenced that history."
--Mike Cohn, cofounder of the Agile Alliance, and the Scrum Alliance; author of Succeeding with Agile

"If you want to understand the shape of software development today, this is the book for you. If you want to understand how to navigate a turbulent career with grace & style, this is also the book for you. If you enjoy memoirs, ditto. Enjoy his story."
--Kent Beck, Chief Scientist, Mechanical Orchard; author, Extreme Programming Explained

"This entire journey--beginning with the Wild West era of software development through the Agile Era to today's Digital Transformation era--is entirely empowered by people. Thank you, Jim, for sharing these beautiful stories and honoring the people that were a part of this amazing journey."
--Heidi J. Musser, Vice President and CIO, USAA, retired

"I've always felt that understanding history is important, because it's hard to understand where we are unless you understand the path that we took to get here. Jim's memoir is an entertaining and astute odyssey through this history."
--Martin Fowler, Chief Scientist, Thoughtworks

《從荒野到敏捷》：軟體開發的演進與革命，從個人經驗中繪出，從阿波羅登月任務到數位轉型。

2023年，「無論你的業務是什麼，科技都是你的業務。」但我們是如何到達這裡的，以及歷史觀點如何為未來做好準備？

吉姆·海斯密斯（Jim Highsmith）探討了軟體開發的演進與革命，並以個人經驗豐富其內容，從阿波羅登月任務到現代數位轉型，介紹了那些冒險的先驅者，從結構化時代的開發者肯·奧爾（Ken Orr）到敏捷方法論家肯特·貝克（Kent Beck），他們努力使世界變得更美好，通過建立更好的軟體。

吉姆六十年的職業生涯涵蓋了荒野時代（1966-1979），結構化方法和重大方法論（1980年代），敏捷根源（1990年代）以及現在的敏捷時代（2001年至今）。在每個時代中，他探索了軟體開發方法、方法論和心態的演進。

無論你是來自1970-1980年代的一代人，尋找一個「我也在那裡」的時刻，還是新一代對軟體開發的演進感興趣，或者是對敏捷方法論的誕生和演進感興趣，或者對資訊技術有一般興趣，《從荒野到敏捷》都能滿足你的需求。

「吉姆·海斯密斯是軟體開發的阿甘。1994年的電影之所以如此有趣，是因為阿甘經常發現自己在歷史正在被創造的正確位置。不過，與阿甘不同的是，吉姆的行動影響了那段歷史。」
- Mike Cohn，敏捷聯盟和Scrum聯盟的聯合創始人，以及《成功實踐敏捷》的作者

「如果你想了解當今軟體開發的形狀，這本書就是為你而寫。如果你想了解如何以優雅和風格應對動盪的職業生涯，這本書也是為你而寫。如果你喜歡回憶錄，同樣如此。享受他的故事。」
- Kent Beck，機械果園的首席科學家，《極限編程解釋》的作者

「這整個旅程——從軟體開發的荒野時代到敏捷時代，再到今天的數位轉型時代——完全依靠人們的力量。謝謝你，吉姆，分享這些美麗的故事，並尊重那些參與這段驚人旅程的人們。」
- Heidi J. Musser，美國聯合服務人員協會（USAA）退休的副總裁兼首席資訊官

「我一直覺得了解歷史很重要，因為如果你不了解我們走過的道路，就很難理解我們現在的位置。吉姆的回憶錄是一次有趣而敏銳的歷史之旅。」
- Martin Fowler，Thoughtworks的首席科學家

Jim Highsmith is a well-known agilist and author, whose career spanned six decades of rapid technology and business change. Jim has been at the forefront of software technologies' response to that change, from working on 1970s COBOL business applications, to recent engagements for digital transformation. With decades of business, management, and software development experience, he is uniquely qualified to explore the history of software development to help us prepare for the ever more chaotic future.

Jim is the author of EDGE: Value-Driven Digital Transformation (Addison-Wesley, 2020); Adaptive Leadership: Accelerating Enterprise Agility (Addison-Wesley, 2014); Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (Addison-Wesley, 2009); Agile Software Development Ecosystems (Addison-Wesley, 2002); and Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems (Dorset House, 2000), winner of the prestigious Jolt Award and of the 2005 international Stevens Award for outstanding contributions to software development.

Jim is a coauthor of the Agile Manifesto, a founding member of Agile Alliance, coauthor of the Declaration of Interdependence for project leaders, and cofounder and first president of the Agile Leadership Network. Jim has consulted with IT, product development organizations, and software companies in the US, Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, India, and New Zealand.

Jim Highsmith是一位著名的敏捷主義者和作家，他的職業生涯涵蓋了六十年的快速技術和商業變革。Jim一直處於軟體技術對這種變革的前沿，從1970年代的COBOL商業應用程式開發，到最近的數位轉型項目。憑藉數十年的商業、管理和軟體開發經驗，他具備獨特的資格來探索軟體開發的歷史，以幫助我們應對日益混亂的未來。

Jim是《EDGE: Value-Driven Digital Transformation》（Addison-Wesley，2020）的作者；《Adaptive Leadership: Accelerating Enterprise Agility》（Addison-Wesley，2014）的作者；《Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products》（Addison-Wesley，2009）的作者；《Agile Software Development Ecosystems》（Addison-Wesley，2002）的作者；以及《Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems》（Dorset House，2000）的作者。《Adaptive Software Development》曾獲得聞名的Jolt Award和2005年國際Stevens Award，以表彰對軟體開發的傑出貢獻。

Jim是《敏捷宣言》的合著者，也是敏捷聯盟的創始成員，並與項目領導者共同撰寫了《相互依賴宣言》。他還是敏捷領導網絡的聯合創始人和首任主席。Jim曾在美國、歐洲、加拿大、南非、澳大利亞、巴西、中國、日本、印度和紐西蘭的IT、產品開發組織和軟體公司提供諮詢服務。