Agile – Back to Basis

Back to Basics: When was the last time you looked at the Agile Manifesto?

The Agile Software Development method was officially introduced in 2001 (http://agilemanifesto.org/). However, evidence of similar incremental software development methods dates back to as early as 1957. The recent hype due to the method’s continuous improvement and rapid development led to confusion and information clutter.

It is time to take it back to the basics today and focus on Agile’s core values.

Honestly, when was the last time you looked at the Agile Manifesto? If this has been a while ago, here is a quick summary to refresh your memory and help you focus on the core conceptual framework.

The Agile Manifesto – The Key to Success in Agile Development

The manifesto was laid out in February 2001, when 17 software developers met in Utah to discuss lightweight development methods. The results have been groundbreaking. Here are the main values and working principles.

The 4 Core Values of Agile
In order to uncover more user-friendly ways of software development, the following values have been announced.

Are you following these core values in your recent Agile project? If not, do not be surprised if the project lacks in success.

The 12 Core Principles of Agile

1: Customer Satisfaction: Develop valuable and useful software quick

2: Welcome Change: Make changes during all stages of development

3: Frequent Delivery: Produce little working chunks of software constantly

4: Close Cooperation: Co-create the software with all stakeholders

5: Motivate Individuals: Develop a working atmosphere of mutual trust

6: Direct Communication: Talk to involved parties face-to-face as much as possible

7: Working Software: Produce software that creates results

8: Sustainable Development: Maintain a constant development pace

9: Continuous Attention: Focus on technical excellence and good design

10: Simplicity: Maximize the amount of work not done

11: Self-Organization: Allow teams to self-organize around their strengths

12: Regular Adaptation: Adapt to changing circumstances

These principles can be applied to almost all processes of your business. In Agile, they are crucial towards the efficient and timely achievement of real results.

These core values and Principles are vital to the implementation of an agile process, it is essential that you regularly look to these principle to ensure you are not just following a process but truly building an agile environment.