What is agile?
Agile replaces big up-front plans with short cycles of building, reviewing and adapting. It spread after 17 software developers met at Snowbird, Utah, in 2001 and published the Manifesto for Agile Software Development; it is now used well beyond software.
📌 At a glance
- Origin
- Agile Manifesto (2001)
- Content
- 4 values, 12 principles
- Frameworks
- Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming
- Core
- Iteration, feedback, adaptability
The four values
| We value more | Over |
|---|---|
| Individuals and interactions | Processes and tools |
| Working software | Comprehensive documentation |
| Customer collaboration | Contract negotiation |
| Responding to change | Following a plan |
Scrum and Kanban
Scrum organises work into sprints of one month or less, with a Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers. Kanban visualises workflow on a board and limits work in progress. See also Lean Startup and OKRs.
Frequently asked questions
- What is agile?
- An iterative way of working that delivers in short cycles and adapts to feedback and change.
- Is Scrum the same as agile?
- No. Agile is a set of values and principles; Scrum is one framework for practising it.
References
- Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., et al. (2001). Manifesto for agile software development. https://agilemanifesto.org/
- Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum guide. https://scrumguides.org/