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Agile Manifesto

Last modified by chrisby on 2024/05/20 08:49

Introduction

The Agile Manifesto was created because of dissatisfaction with existing software development workflows such as waterfall. It lays out ideals that guide software development teams toward more effective and adaptive practices, and serves as the ideological foundation for modern agile methodologies, including Extreme Programming, Scrum, and many others. Below is the original form of the Manifesto and some brief explanations.

Commented Agile Manifest

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

  • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
    • Comment: Ongoing human communication, teamwork, and collaboration are more important than strict adherence to processes such as workflows and guidelines, or software development and project management tools. Processes and tools should be flexible and enhance team productivity, not hinder it.
  • Working software over comprehensive documentation
    • Comment: The primary goal is to deliver a working product. Developers should aim for enough documentation to understand and maintain the software, but avoid excessive detail that adds no value and is often quickly outdated.
  • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
    • Comment: Ongoing open communication with customers about the product is more important than relying strictly on the initial contract terms. Developers and customers should work together regularly to identify and address evolving requirements.
  • Responding to change over following a plan
    • Comment: Agile teams should expect changes, such as in requirements or technical aspects, and design the source code to be easily adaptable. They should be prepared to adapt it to customer needs, even if it means deviating from the original plan.

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

  • Comment: All items listed above have their right to exist and should not be ignored. However, to be most productive, the items on the left have higher priority.

Mnemonic Bridge

"Industrious worms cultivate resilience."

The 12 Principle

Additionally, there are twelve principles for further guidance.