When you ask people what they know about the Manifesto for Agile Software Development (Agile Manifesto), they will likely cite
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Many will also mention that this doesn’t mean you should ignore what is on the right. However, there’s more value on the left.
Also popular are the twelve principles of Agile Software.
But what people often take no notice of, is the first sentence of the Agile Manifesto:
“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.”
Why is this important? Well, it says “We are uncovering better ways”. It specifically does not state “We have uncovered better ways”. This is crucial. The authors of the Agile Manifesto had an important thing in common: they were all representatives of different lightweight approaches that moved away from heavyweight practices that were dominant in those days.
The authors of the Agile Manifesto could have said: “We have found new ways to create software. Use Extreme Programming (XP), SCRUM, DSDM, Adaptive Software Development, Crystal, Feature-Driven Development, or Pragmatic Programming!” They didn’t. Instead, they highlighted the importance of uncovering better ways.
I see this as an encouragement to continue finding better ways. Scrum, XP, and other established Agile approaches may benefit you. But in the end, it is not about Scrum, XP or any other approach. It is about finding the best way to create value for you and your organization. About uncovering your own best ways.
After all, your organization is unique. You may find inspiration in other approaches, and you may even find them a great fit. But you may also need to uncover your unique way.
Originally posted Nov 2023
Completely agree. We can have our favorite methodologies, but the most important is to find an approach that works for the team and the context.
Great article!
Artur