Why were well-planned projects failing to meet their objectives? In the late 1990s, a group of software developers set out to address this challenge, creating what we now know as Agile methodology. They were looking for an approach that could adapt to rapidly changing user requirements whil delivering working software quickly and efficiently.

Where it started

In 2001, a group of software development leaders met at Snowbird, Utah, and formalised the Agile movement by publishing the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. At the time, traditional development models like Waterfall were failing to adapt to changing requirements, resulting in costly delays and dissatisfied customers.

The Agile Manifesto was developed around four core values:

  • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
  • Working software over comprehensive documentation
  • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
  • Responding to change over following a plan

These values were further supported by twelve guiding principles that emphasised collaboration, flexibility and the delivery of value.

Scrum and Extreme Programming

Agile’s influence led to the development of frameworks including Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP). The Scrum project management method focused on iterative development cycles known as sprints, with daily meetings to track progress and remove roadblocks, known as daily scrums, or stand-ups. Roles emerged from this including Product Owners and Scrum Masters. Extreme Programming introduced pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration methods, with the objective of delivering higher quality code at speed.

Agile beyond software delivery

While Agile originated in software development, its principles proved useful in other fields. Agile Marketing teams achieved better results, and faster, by using short iterations to test different campaigns, analyse their results, and then quickly adapt strategies based on feedback. Agile Educators developed curriculums that they then iterated and tested against student engagement and learning outcomes.

Conclusion

The themes in the original Agile methodology have reshaped how teams across organisations collaborate and deliver more value at greater speed by allowing flexibility, and with an objective of continuous improvement and focusing on customer satisfaction.

Further reading

  • Agile epics
  • User stories
  • Scrum
  • Kanban