Is Agile Manifesto still a guide?

Agile Manifesto is a buzzword amongst Agile practitioners but for others this might be a fancy new term , lets explore it.

Agile Manifesto is a set of values and principles based on which the methodology and its frameworks functions. It has four values and twelve principles which is simple to understand but tricky to practice.

Origin

Back in early 2001, set of 17 various framework practitioners like Extreme Programming, DSDM, SCRUM etc met at The Lodge at Snowbird ski resort in the Wasatch mountains of Utah.

What did they do? Simple, sympathetic talks about their work, good food and enough rest. After all, they were IT guys- what more can we expect ?

On a serious note, their discussion were mostly about the documentation work they do which cost most of their time leading to delayed deliverables. Their brainstorming of the shortcomings of their process gave birth to this Agile Manifesto , which has set of values and principles as pillar to the methodology.

Now to my question, Is the manifesto still serves its purpose ? Because, we always talk about the glory of Agile comes from its continuous improvement. Today, the concept of pioneering a subject has been changed to exploring it. Yes, particularly in IT industry, techies are expected to know everything besides becoming an expert in a particular domain. So, the question arises, do we still have to follow the old Agile Manifesto ? Doesn't it require some innovation? Well, lets think upon it.

To embark, let me first explain the four values, the principles with detailed explanation & examples will be presented in upcoming posts.

Agile 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

Values in the left is given higher priority compared to their counterparts in the right.

1. Direct communication with stakeholders, to work around an issue is the best way to produce better outputs. ~~ Don't pile your thoughts , put it in words.

2. Producing valuable and working product feature is the expected outcome. ~~ Action speaks louder than words.

3. Include your value receiver throughout the process. ~~ Flexibility is the key to stability.

4. Change is a valuable tool for creating great products. ~~ Adaptability is secret to survival.

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” -John Wooden

We have 12 principles detailed discussion lined up in upcoming posts, Stay tuned ! All the Best !