The Agile Manifesto emerged from the software development realm, but is now extending into other industries. It is the North Star for work teams that must navigate the choppy waters of technological, economic, and demographic changes that befall their industries. But what really powers it is the 12 Agile Principles that hold the Agile framework together. This article will examine each principal.
1. Customer Satisfaction Through Early and Continuous Delivery
The first principle of the Agile Manifesto is simple: satisfy the customer. This implies that to stay in business, you must keep the customers happy above all else (within reason).
But agile takes this self-evident principle a step further by insisting that keeping customers happens through delivering them valuable software continuously and early.
Agile teams are delivering products incrementally instead of waiting to deliver one huge software package once complete. They ask themselves, what will be the most useful thing for the customer right now? Only then can they produce an ever-improving product that keeps users content and coming back for more.
This principle may not work for every team, but it does bring to light one fact: just as learning is lifelong, innovation takes time, and every product is a step in the overall development and progress.
2. Welcome Changing Requirements, Even Late in Development
Welcome the ever-changing requirements that come during development and may, at times, come late. Make the most of those changes to give your customers the edge. Teams need to be ready for whatever comes their way.
The world never stands still, and one should use this to their advantage to stay ahead of the game. Anticipate what’s coming, and then you’ll be excited when it does, rather than anxious. Check in often with your goals and be ready to switch things up.
Show everyone else that a change of plans doesn’t faze you and cheer them on when they have to pivot quickly. Stay up-to-date with customer issues and market trends through regular monitoring so you can continue to tune into what they need.
3. Deliver Working Software Frequently
Software developers use frameworks that help them deliver working software faster and more often. But creators of other projects can still follow this principle. It’s not enough to create a cog in the machine, though, since customers need to get something useful and well-performing every time.
In the traditional approach, developers have to finish a project before giving the customer anything. Compare that to the Agile way, which expects an iterative approach. You deliver smaller pieces each time, but each piece is usable. This gives you the advantage of seeing results quickly.
However, be careful with this approach. If done irresponsibly, it can mean delivering products that are “good enough” on paper but below customer expectations in practice.
4. Business People and Developers Must Work Together Daily
When working on a project, everyone should get to participate and have their voices heard. It’s not just about the tech teams but also about those in product, design, marketing, or any other stakeholder group that can bring valuable input.
The focus should always be on working together transparently and collaboratively to make progress. To achieve absolute transparency, however, it may be helpful to invite others to team meetings so they can stay informed and provide feedback. Remember, regardless of anyone’s position within the company, no one’s opinion, within the limits of their knowledge, is less valuable than anybody else’s.
Additionally, planning and roadmap artifacts that are more accessible can keep everyone in the loop regarding the team’s progress. Rather than keeping communication private, consider using an open chat channel like Slack to encourage collaboration across teams.
5. Build Projects Around Motivated Individuals
This points to the value of creating a safe and secure space where enthusiastic people can act and access tools that make their ideas and actions into tangible creations. It means entrusting these individuals with accomplishing tasks without having to be supervised or told how to do them.
For instance, a boss may hand out tasks while still giving staff members creative control over how best to accomplish them, or an educator may give students an assignment but allow them to own the project and complete it by themselves.
6. The Most Efficient Method of Conveying Information Is Face-to-Face Conversation
As virtual meetings become more prevalent and naturalized, “face-to-face” has a somewhat different connotation than it did before. But the basic idea is still the same: real-time exchanges are more effective than sending back emails or texts.
For agile teams, such “face-to-face conversation” could mean having developers talk directly to users. Alternatively, developers may need to sort out their difficulties together. Every team chooses its way to put this principle in place. It’s not about a one-size-fits-all situation. What really matters is that collaboration is an integral part of agile teams. Talking directly to a fellow human in person is the best form of collaboration.
7. Working Software Is the Primary Measure of Progress
The Agile Manifesto emphasizes the software development field, which is unsurprising considering it came to be through the efforts of many software developers. Since then, many other industries have adopted it as a framework.
The seventh principle of agile focuses on producing tangible results. Doing everything right, in theory, means little if a team doesn’t have anything to show for it. It doesn’t matter how much “progress” has been made in terms of a timeline on a spreadsheet. What matters is the outcome: working software or product. Progress reports are useful but not the main goal. The delivered product dictates the accomplishments of a team or company.
8. Maintain a Constant Pace Indefinitely
Staying consistent and maintaining the same productivity level throughout a project is the next core principle of agile team building. This consistency has the goal of preventing crunch time and overworking.
Teams could use tools like Kanban boards, which let them see their workflow in a user-friendly manner. The purpose of meetings is to go over progress and possible issues so that tackling big tasks can be easier when broken down into smaller chunks with the help of your colleagues.
Anticipating potential obstacles in advance can reduce delays as well, so it’s always good to plan ahead. Last but not least, assigning roles based on everyone’s strengths and weaknesses will bring out the best in everyone when collaborating.
9. Technical Excellence and Good Design Enhance Agility
Teams should strive for technical excellence. But that doesn’t mean they need to reach perfection, but chase it as a goal while acknowledging the benefits of the journey. To do that, it takes continuous attention and effort.
For instance, at events like lunch-and-learns and educational “brown bags,” team members can exchange meaningful ideas. Additionally, teams should allocate enough time to fix tech debt issues. Above all, promote a culture of care and be proactive about quality maintenance.
10. Simplicity Means Agility
Agile teams prioritize smaller, more frequent deliveries. Such deliveries give the business stakeholders confidence that they’re getting the most value out of the time and money invested in the project.
Rather than waiting years for a final product, stakeholders get to see the process in action through functional, evolving products. And this trust helps avoid wasted effort or resources. However, this is only achievable if the project is broken into simple steps. Otherwise, complex tasks that must be done continuously and frequently may result in unfinished or suboptimal products or software.
11. Self-Organizing Teams Produce the Best Architectures
The core foundations of the product, its framework, and how the customers receive it come together step-by-step as the features come to fruition.
Self-organized teams that foster creative thinking don’t have to take a break for months at a time just to work out the best long-term plan. Instead, they make decisions on the development process as they go. The idea of self-organization means that those who know the job best are in a better position to find the right path.
12. Reflect, Adjust, Repeat
Sticking with the idea of reflection, adaptation, and learning from mistakes will have the largest positive effects on agile teams in the long term. Agile team members often ask themselves how they’re doing and if there are any changes they could make.
Then, after making changes, they can repeat the process, now with the newfound knowledge. Making small improvements regularly is more beneficial than trying to overhaul all at once. Teams that live up to this idea gradually make their collaboration and output quality better. These teams experience higher job satisfaction and better work performance.
The 12 Agile Tenets
The 12 Agile Principles are both theoretical concepts and practical guidelines. Depending on your industry, they will likely work in real-world settings. They emphasize customer satisfaction, adaptability, team collaboration, and continuous improvement – all excellent business practices. If you ever find yourself lost in the labyrinth of software development, let these principles be your guiding light.
