fbpx
Project Management
Trending

The Agile Manifesto and The Agile Declaration of Interdependence

The Agile Manifesto

A key foundational Agile document is The Agile Manifesto. It was created in February 2001 by a group of software engineers experienced in multiple programming methodologies. The 17 practitioners arrived at a consensus on four main themes:

The Manifesto for Agile Software Development

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.

Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactionsoverprocesses and tools
Working softwareovercomprehensive documentation
Customer collaborationovercontract negotiation
Responding to changeoverfollowing a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

Kent Beck
Mike Beedle
Arie van Bennekum
Alistair Cockburn
Ward Cunningham
Martin Fowler
James Grenning
Jim Highsmith
Andrew Hunt
Ron Jeffries
Jon Kern
Brian Marick
Robert C. Martin
Steve Mellor
Ken Schwaber
Jeff Sutherland
Dave Thomas
 

The Twelve Principles of Agile Software

The authors of the Manifesto also advocated for 12 supporting principles to help guide practitioners as they employ Agile methodologies:

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 for 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, then trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within the 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 efficient, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

The Agile Declaration of Interdependence

The Agile Manifesto established the principles for Agile as a discipline. The Agile “Declaration of Interdependence” focused on those management principles conducive to achieving an “Agile mindset” in product and project management. In 2005, 15 project leaders established the six key management principles of the Declaration:

Declaration of Interdependence

Agile and adaptive approaches for linking people, projects and value.

We are a community of project leaders that are highly successful at delivering results. To achieve these results:

  • We increase return on investment by making continuous flow of value our focus.
  • We deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent interactions and shared ownership.
  • We expect uncertainty and manage for it through iterations, anticipation, and adaptation.
  • We unleash creativity and innovation by recognizing that individuals are the ultimate source of value, and creating an environment where they can make a difference.
  • We boost performance through group accountability for results and shared responsibility for team effectiveness.
  • We improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally specific strategies, processes, and practices.

Review Checkpoint

To test your understanding of the content presented in this assignment, please choose the correct answer

1. Which of the following is not expressed in the Agile Manifesto?Choose only one answer below.

a. Valuing working software over comprehensive documentation

b. Valuing responding to change over following a plan

c. Valuing customer collaboration over contract negotiation

d. Valuing processes and tools over interactions among individuals

Correct. The Agile Manifesto states that its authors value individuals and interactions over processes and tools, not the opposite.

2. How do the project leaders who developed the Agile Declaration of Interdependence “deliver reliable results”?Choose only one answer below.

a. By focusing on the continuous flow of value

b. By frequently interacting with customers

Correct. The Declaration of Interdependence states that “we deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent interactions and shared ownership.”

c. By creating an environment where the group is accountable for results

d. By instituting situationally specific strategies, processes, and practices

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button