Agile¶

Agile is not a process. It is a set of values and principles, published in 2001 as the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, that concrete methodologies such as Scrum, XP and DSDM implement in their own way.

The four values¶

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

The last line is the one teams forget. Agile does not say "no documentation" or "no plans". It says that when the two sides conflict, the left side wins.

From values to practice¶

graph TD
    V[4 values] --> P[12 principles]
    P --> S[Scrum: cadence and roles]
    P --> X[XP: engineering practices]
    P --> D[DSDM: fixed date, flexible scope]
    S --> T[Team's actual way of working]
    X --> T
    D --> T
    T -->|feedback each increment| P

The manifesto is the top of the chain and prescribes nothing concrete. Everything below it is one interpretation, which is why two agile teams can look very different and both be agile.

Pages in this section¶

The Definition of Agility, what "agile" actually means as a property of a team.
Agile Principles, the twelve principles behind the manifesto.
User Stories, how requirements are expressed and split.
Estimation and Velocity, sizing work and forecasting honestly.
Agile Anti-patterns, the ways adoptions fail while keeping the label.

Common misreadings¶

Claim	Reality
"Agile means no documentation"	It means documentation that is worth its maintenance cost.
"Agile means no estimates or plans"	Plans exist, but are short-lived and revised on feedback.
"We do daily stand-ups, so we are agile"	Ceremony without short feedback loops and shippable increments is not agility.
"Agile means the customer can change anything, anytime"	Change is welcomed between increments, not mid-Sprint.

Check Your Understanding¶

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The Agile Manifesto values "working software over comprehensive documentation". What does that imply?

Assessment¶

Work through the Agile Foundations assessment once you have read this section.