[1] Taken from: http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/agileManifesto.html, 2018-04-30
To address the challenges faced by software developers an initial group of 17 methodologists formed the Agile Software Development Alliance (www.agilealliance.com), often referred to simply as the Agile Alliance, in February of 2001. All of the members of this group came from different backgrounds, yet were able to come to an agreement on issues that methodologists typically don’t agree upon. This group of people defined a manifesto for encouraging better ways of developing software, and then based on that manifesto formulated a collection of principles which defines the criteria for agile software development processes. The manifesto defines four values and twelve principles which form the foundation of the agile movement.
The Agile Values
The important thing to understand about the four value statements is that while you should value the concepts on the right-hand side you should value the things on the left hand side even more. A good way to think about the manifesto is that it defines preferences, not alternatives, encouraging a focus on certain areas but not eliminating others. The values of the Agile Manifesto are:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools: Teams of people build software systems, and to do that they need to work together effectively – including but not limited to programmers, testers, project managers, modelers, and your customers.
Working software over comprehensive documentation: When you ask a user whether they would want a fifty page document describing what you intend to build or the actual software itself, what do you think they’ll pick? My guess is that 99 times out of 100 they’ll choose working software. If that is the case, doesn’t it make more sense to work in such a manner that you produce software quickly and often, giving your users what they prefer?
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: Only your customer can tell you what they want. Yes, they likely do not have the skills to exactly specify the system. Yes, they likely won’t get it right the first. Yes, they’ll likely change their minds. Working together with your customers is hard, but that’s the reality of the job. Having a contract with your customers is important, having an understanding of everyone’s rights and responsibilities may form the foundation of that contract, but a contract isn’t a substitute for communication.
Responding to change over following a plan: People change their priorities for a variety of reasons. As work progresses on your system your project stakeholder’s understanding of the problem domain and of what you are building changes. The business environment changes. Technology changes over time, although not always for the better. Change is a reality of software development, a reality that your software process must reflect. There is nothing wrong with having a project plan, in fact I would be worried about any project that didn’t have one. However, a project plan must be malleable, there must be room to change it as your situation changes otherwise your plan quickly becomes irrelevant.
The interesting thing about these value statements is there are something that almost everyone will instantly agree to, yet will rarely adhere to in practice.
The Agile Principles
1) Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2) Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
3) Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
4) Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5) Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6) The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
7) Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8) Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9) Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10) Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential.
11) The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12) At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly
Why is This Important?
The Agile Manifesto provides a philosophical foundation for effective software development. Contrary to some of the criticisms you may have heard from the traditional community, the fact is that the agile movement is based on some very solid concepts and the methodologies clearly reflect that. Unfortunately, the agile community currently suffers from low-end hackers claiming to be agile and many traditionalists jump on that and say that agile is a bad idea. Yes, the "code-and-fix" approach to development is a bad idea, but code-and-fix isn't agile regardless of what these clowns claim.
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