When we talk about AgileBI we are not talking about a brand new methodology that has been developed from scratch or in isolation over the last couple of years.

AgileBI in fact leverages a number of Agile methods such as Scrum, XP, Kanban, Lean that have been around for a while.

It also leverages the capabilities that have been used in Data Warehouse, Analytics and Business Intelligence projects for years, such as Requirements gathering, Data Design, Extract transform and Load code, Dashboard delivery etc.

These capabilities are not new to AgileBI, in fact, they are the same capabilities that we have used to deliver data, analytical models and reports for over 20 years.

What is different is the way we execute these capabilities to enable us to deliver them in an Agile way.

What is new is the techniques we use to ensure we can execute each of these in a three-week delivery iteration, and still deliver demonstrable value at the end of each three weeks.

There are a number of thought leaders who have already refined some of these techniques.  They have published books and are also continuously delivering education sessions around the world to help pass the knowledge to others.

Rather than reinvent the wheel for these techniques, we should leverage their work and then concentrate on the areas that they have not refined in as much detail, or with such clarity.

And that is the approach for this site, to take an Agile approach, undertake a retrospective on what we know, identify a few things we wish to make better, backlog the development of these things and then pull them one by one off the backlog and delivery them as done done.

So rather than redefine, rewrite and reword the wisdom of these gurus, I have leveraged their concepts, processes and templates instead.  Focussing instead on the areas where I have not quite agreed with their approach and have either refined it or defined an alternative approach.

Rather than leaving gaps in the end to end approach for AgileBI contained within this site, or pointing you the reader to their books and asking you to  identify the relevant sections, I have instead provided summaries of their approach where applicable, and also referenced the relevant book or website where you can find further content, which I whole heartedly recommend you do.  I have asked for their permission to leverage their work.

It is important that I acknowledge these thought leaders whose concepts, processes and templates I will constantly reuse and reference throughout this book.  I list these not in order of importance but in the order I found them in my AgileBI journey.

Lawrence Corr and Jim [[]][[BEAM]]

Ken Collier

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Hans Hultgren

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Ralph Hughes

[[]][[Scott Ambler]][[]]

Geoff Hunt

Geoff works with me at OptimalBI.   Geoff has morphed from being a traditional Business Analysts to one of the most effective AgileBI Scrum Coaches I know.  His ability to not engage and solution, but let the team evolve into a true Agile team is amazing.

He is also a consistent author on our blog http://optimalbi.com/blog/author/geoff-hunt/ where he posts every Wednesday with a short and often pithy insight to one of the many challenges he has encountered delivering AgileBI with a customer that week.

I strongly encourage you to buy their books, attend their training workshops and read their articles to get a more indepth view of the insight the can bring to delivering business intelligence in an Agile way.