Agile, which literally means "nimble" or "quick," is a project management and product development philosophy. In contrast to traditional, rigid, and long-term planning methods in software development (like Waterfall), it centers on flexibility, continuous improvement, team collaboration, and customer feedback.
The fundamental goal of Agile is to break down a project into small, manageable parts (often called "sprints" or "iterations") and, at the end of each part, to deliver a working product that adds value for the customer. This eliminates the necessity of knowing all requirements at the very beginning of the project and allows for quick adaptation to changing needs throughout the process. In short, Agile is about moving forward step by step, but with confidence, on a path full of uncertainties.
The Agile Manifesto: 4 Core Values
The Agile philosophy was formalized in 2001 with the publication of the "Manifesto for Agile Software Development" by a group of 17 software developers. This manifesto lays out the four core values that form the spirit of Agile.
Here are those four core values:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools: It's people who carry out projects. Direct communication and collaboration within the team and with the customer are far more valuable than complex processes and tools. Problems are solved fastest by talking.
Working software over comprehensive documentation: Instead of preparing detailed documents that take weeks or months, the priority is to produce a working product that the customer can use. A working product is the clearest evidence of a project's progress.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: Seeing the customer as part of the project and maintaining constant communication with them throughout the process is more important than adhering to rigid contract clauses. The goal is to develop the product the customer truly wants, together.
Responding to change over following a plan: It is natural for a plan made at the beginning of a project to lose its validity in the face of changing market conditions, technology, or customer demands. Agile sees these changes not as obstacles, but as opportunities to create a better product, and it encourages adapting to change rather than strictly following a plan.
The 12 Principles of the Agile Manifesto
Behind these four core values are 12 principles that explain the Agile approach in more detail. These principles provide guidance on how to apply the values in practice:
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Product increments that add value should be delivered to the customer at regular intervals throughout the process, not just at the end.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. The door is always open to the changing demands of the market and the customer.
Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. It is essential to manage the project as a series of short, fast runs (sprints) rather than a long-term marathon.
Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. There must be a constant and direct channel of communication between the customer or business unit and the development team.
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. Trusting the team, giving them responsibility, and avoiding micromanagement increases creativity and productivity.
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. Talking directly, rather than using emails or long reports, ensures that problems are solved more quickly and ideas are understood more clearly.
Working software is the primary measure of progress. The best way to understand a project's progress is not the completed documentation or hours spent, but the working product that has been created.
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Instead of exhausting the team to the point of burnout, the goal is a stable working pace that everyone can maintain in the long run.
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. "Being fast" does not mean compromising on quality. On the contrary, clean code and a solid architecture make it easier to adapt to future changes.
Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential. It is important to avoid unnecessary complexity and features, focusing only on the work that adds the most value at that moment.
The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. Allowing the team to create their own solutions by giving them goals, rather than telling them what to do and how to do it, leads to more innovative and effective results.
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. Continuous learning and self-improvement are essential. Teams regularly review their processes in "retrospective" meetings to identify areas for improvement.
In this article, we have covered the definition, core values, and 12 principles of Agile. In our next article, we will take a closer look at the Scrum framework, which is one of the Agile approaches.
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