What It Means
Agile is an approach to work, first written down for software, that builds something in small, usable pieces, shows each piece to the people it's for, and changes the plan based on what they say. Its founding text is the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, written in 2001, which lists four valuesPersonal valuesThe principles and qualities a person holds most important, such as honesty, family or creativity, which guide their choices and how they judge events. See more and twelve principles. ScrumScrumA lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one. See more and KanbanKanban boardA board split into columns for each stage of work, such as To Do, In Progress and Done, with a card for every task that moves across as the work advances. See more are two of the best-known ways of putting it into practice.
Try It: Which Side Does the Agile Manifesto Value More?
Each pair comes from the Agile Manifesto. Pick the side it values more, and see how many you get.
1. Which comes first?
Right. People and how they work together come first.
The manifesto puts individuals and interactions first, while still seeing value in tools.
2. Which comes first?
Right. Something that works beats a thick binder describing it.
The manifesto values working software more than comprehensive documentation.
3. Which comes first?
Right. Working with the customer as you go comes first.
The manifesto values customer collaboration more than contract negotiation.
4. Which comes first?
Right. A plan is useful, and changing it when you learn something is valued more.
The manifesto values responding to change more than following a plan.
All four. Those are the manifesto's four values.
How People Say It
- "We're going agile, so no more six-month plans."
- "Let's ship a small version and see what people think."
- "That's not very agile of us."
The Breakdown
The four values, in the manifesto's order
| Valued more | Valued less, still valued |
|---|---|
| Individuals and interactions | Processes and tools |
| Working software | Comprehensive documentation |
| Customer collaboration | Contract negotiation |
| Responding to change | Following a plan |
The manifesto says plainly that the right-hand items have value. The left-hand items simply win when the two pull against each other.
How to work in an agile way
- Name who the work is for and what they need most.
- Pick the smallest piece that would be useful on its own.
- Build that piece in a short, fixed stretch of time.
- Show it to the people it's for and ask what's missing.
- Adjust the plan with what you learned, then pick the next piece.
- At regular intervals, look at how you're working and change one thing.
Try it today (Buhata's own example). Planning a garage clean-outGarage organizationSorting a garage into zones with a set place for tools, gear and supplies, and storing hazardous products safely in their original containers. See more, start with one shelf instead of the whole garage. Finish it, show the family, ask whether the new layout works for them, and let that answer shape the next shelf.
Where It Comes From
Seventeen people met from February 11 to 13, 2001, at The Lodge at Snowbird ski resort in Utah. They came from Extreme Programming, Scrum, DSDM, Crystal, Feature-Driven Development and other lightweight software methods, and they wrote the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Its signers include Kent Beck, Martin Fowler, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland.
Good to Know
The manifesto was written for software teams, so its wording talks about working software. Plenty of teams outside software borrow the values and swap in their own product. Agile names a set of values and principles, and Scrum or Kanban supplyMilk supplyHow much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes. See more the day-to-day rules, so "we're agile" on its own says little about how a team actually works.
FAQ
What are the four values of the Agile Manifesto?
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. The manifesto still sees value in the second item of each pair.
Is agile the same as Scrum?
Scrum is one framework for working in an agile way, and Kanban is another. Agile is the wider set of values and principles from the 2001 manifesto that both draw on.
How many principles does the Agile Manifesto have?
Twelve. The first is about satisfying the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software, and one of the last asks the team to reflect at regular intervals on how to become more effective.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks and Team Space
Break your project into small pieces as Tasks in a Team Space in Buhata, and finish and show one piece before starting the next.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Scrum
A lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one.
- Kanban board
A board split into columns for each stage of work, such as To Do, In Progress and Done, with a card for every task that moves across as the work advances.
- Scrum team
The small, self-managing group that does the work in Scrum: one Product Owner, one Scrum Master and the Developers, typically 10 or fewer people.
- Kanban vs Scrum
A comparison of two agile approaches: Scrum works in fixed-length Sprints with set accountabilities, and Kanban manages a continuous flow of work with limits on work in progress.
Sources
Manifesto for Agile Software Development (agilemanifesto.org); agilemanifesto.org, "Principles behind the Agile Manifesto"; agilemanifesto.org, "History: The Agile Manifesto"
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