Spent some time today reading over some Agile Project Management blogs and articles and found the Agile Manifesto. The “Principles behind the Agile Manifesto” are quite interesting and I thought them worth sharing here (Commentary provided below the principles):
Principles behind the Agile Manifesto
We follow these principles:
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
- Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
- Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
- Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
- The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
- Working software is the primary measure of progress.
- Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
- Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
- The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
- At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Although I don’t really agree with 100% of the principles outlined above, I do see some very interesting ideas and wanted to highlight and comment on a few of them.
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
This is absolutely necessary in todays business environment and is good leadership practice.
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
How true, although infrequently used in todays email and instant message electronic age.
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Again, a great idea and one that any/all teams and project managers should embrace regardless of whether they use agile project management techniques.
[tags] Agile Project Management, Agile Manifesto, Project Management [/tags]