What is the Agile Manifesto?
The Agile Manifesto is a short, powerful document that guides how software development and project management teams work. It lists four core values and twelve principles to help teams deliver better results faster. The goal is to build working software quickly, respond to change, and keep customers happy.
This document was written in 2001 by 17 developers who met in Snowbird, Utah. They wanted to create a better way to develop software than the old methods like Waterfall. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development focuses on people, collaboration, and flexibility—things that traditional methods often ignored.
If you’ve heard terms like Scrum, Kanban, or Extreme Programming (XP), they all come from the ideas in the Agile Manifesto. These are practical ways to apply Agile values and principles in real projects.
So, what exactly are these four values and twelve principles? Let’s break them down in simple terms so anyone can understand them—even if you’re new to Agile software development.
Four Core Values of the Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto starts with four key values. These are not just suggestions—they are priorities. Teams should always choose the one on the left over the one on the right:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
People matter more than rules or software. A motivated team works better than any system.
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
You want real products, not just paperwork. Build something that users can use.
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Keep talking to your customer. Don’t rely only on signed agreements.
- Responding to change over following a plan
Plans change. Be ready to adapt instead of sticking to an outdated schedule.
These values form the base of Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. They help teams stay flexible and focused on what matters most—delivering value to the customer.
Twelve Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto
After the four values, the Agile Manifesto lists twelve guiding principles. These are actionable steps that help teams follow the values in daily work.
Here are some of the most important ones:
- Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery
Deliver working software regularly so the customer sees progress and gives feedback.
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
Change is normal. Agile teams adjust as needed without getting stuck.
- Deliver working software frequently
Short cycles mean faster improvements and fewer surprises.
- Business people and developers must work together daily
No silos. Everyone involved needs to talk often.
- Build projects around motivated individuals
Happy, empowered teams produce better results.
- Face-to-face conversation is the most efficient communication
Meetings work best when people are in the same room—or at least close.
- Working software is the primary measure of progress
Don’t track hours or tasks alone. Look at what actually gets done.
- Agile processes promote sustainable development
Work at a steady pace. Burnout hurts everyone.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence
Good code leads to good products. Don’t skip quality for speed.
- Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done
Focus on what adds real value. Cut out extra stuff.
- Best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams
Let the team decide how to solve problems.
- Regularly reflect and adjust behavior
Learn from mistakes. Improve every cycle.
These principles make up the backbone of Agile Practices. They guide everything from sprint planning to retrospectives.
How the Agile Manifesto Shapes Modern Work
Today, the Agile Manifesto is used far beyond software. Many companies apply its values to marketing, operations, and even education. The focus on customer collaboration, iterative development, and team empowerment helps organizations be more responsive and innovative.
However, applying Agile isn’t always easy. Some teams fall into “faux agile”—they look Agile but don’t follow the values. Others struggle with regulatory compliance or large-scale environments where strict control is needed.
Still, the Agile Alliance continues to support the growth of Agile across industries. Events like Past Conferences & Events and Agile Tech Talks bring together experts to share experiences and improve practices.
In short, the Agile Manifesto is more than a list of values. It’s a mindset. It challenges teams to rethink how they work, prioritize people, and deliver real value in a fast-changing world.
Agile Frameworks That Bring the Manifesto to Life
The Agile Manifesto sets the foundation. To put it into action, many teams use structured frameworks. These help turn values and principles into daily habits.
1. Scrum
Scrum is one of the most popular Agile frameworks. It works best with small, cross-functional teams. Here’s how it supports the Agile Manifesto:
- Sprints: Short work cycles (usually 2–4 weeks) ensure frequent delivery of working software.
- Daily Standups: Encourage face-to-face communication and keep everyone aligned.
- Retrospectives: Help teams reflect and improve—key to the “regularly reflect and adjust behavior” principle.
- Product Owner Role: Keeps customer collaboration central by managing the product backlog based on stakeholder feedback.
2. Kanban
Kanban focuses on visualizing work and limiting work-in-progress. It helps teams see what needs to be done and when. Kanban supports Agile by:
- Promoting continuous flow over rigid planning.
- Helping teams adapt to change without breaking their workflow.
- Using information radiators (like boards or dashboards) to make progress visible to all stakeholders.
3. Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)
When organizations grow, scaling becomes important. LeSS extends Scrum to large teams while staying true to the Agile Manifesto. It keeps things simple and avoids adding unnecessary complexity.
- Encourages self-organizing teams even at scale.
- Focuses on cross-functional team collaboration.
- Maintains a product backlog that reflects real customer needs.
These frameworks are more than tools—they’re practical expressions of the Agile Principles. They help teams deliver value faster and stay flexible in a fast-changing world.
Agile Practices That Reflect the Manifesto
Beyond frameworks, certain practices directly support the Agile Manifesto. Let’s look at a few key ones:
Face-to-Face Communication
The manifesto says face-to-face conversation is the most efficient way to communicate. In today’s remote-first world, this means using video calls and co-working spaces when possible.
- Helps reduce misunderstandings.
- Builds trust among team members.
- Speeds up decision-making.
Continuous Integration and Delivery
This practice ensures that new code is tested and deployed regularly. It supports the principle of delivering working software frequently.
- Reduces the risk of big failures.
- Makes feedback loops shorter.
- Keeps the product quality high.
Test Automation
Automated tests run quickly and consistently. This aligns with the need for technical excellence and simplicity in Agile.
- Saves time compared to manual testing.
- Lets teams release updates confidently.
- Supports long-term project sustainability.
Customer-Centric Backlog Management
The product backlog should always reflect what the customer truly needs—not just what the business wants.
- The Product Owner is responsible for this.
- Stakeholders must provide regular input.
- This keeps the team focused on real value.
Retrospectives
Every sprint or iteration ends with a Retrospective. This is where teams ask:
- What went well?
- What didn’t go well?
- What can we do better?
This practice supports the principle of “regularly reflecting and adjusting behavior.”
Common Challenges When Applying Agile
Even with the best intentions, applying the Agile Manifesto isn’t always smooth.
Here are some common issues teams face—and how to avoid them:
| Challenge | Why It Happens | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of Sponsor Support | Leaders don’t fully commit to Agile | Educate leadership on Agile benefits |
| Poor Product Owner Role | No clear owner for the backlog | Assign a dedicated Product Owner |
| Fixed Time/Scope Constraints | Teams stick too tightly to plans | Embrace flexibility and continuous feedback |
| Burnout | Too much pressure to deliver fast | Prioritize sustainable pace and team health |
| Faux Agile | Teams follow rituals but miss the values | Revisit the Agile Manifesto and refocus |
To avoid these problems, teams must stay true to the human-centric values of Agile. Tools and processes matter, but only if they serve people and outcomes.
Agile Beyond Software Development
Though the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was created for software teams, its values now apply to many other fields. Companies use Agile in:
- Marketing
- Operations
- HR
- Education
- Healthcare
For example, marketing teams use sprints to launch campaigns. HR uses retrospectives to improve employee engagement. Even schools are experimenting with Agile methodologies to improve student learning.
The Agile Alliance and Community Growth
The Agile Alliance plays a big role in keeping Agile alive and evolving. Founded by the original authors of the Agile Manifesto, it hosts events, publishes resources, and supports local Community Groups around the world.
Key initiatives include:
- Annual Conference: A major event for sharing ideas and experiences.
- Full Events Calendar: Workshops, webinars, and meetups for professionals.
- Reimagine Agile: A movement to adapt Agile for modern challenges.
- Agile Tech Talks: Sessions on new tools and trends.
Is the Agile Manifesto Still Relevant?
Yes. But with changes.
The original 17 developers who created the Manifesto for Agile Software Development never imagined how far it would go. Today, Agile methodologies are used in everything from healthcare to education. However, not all implementations are equal.
Some teams use Agile without truly understanding the values behind the Agile Manifesto. This leads to what’s called faux agile—where teams mimic Agile practices (like sprints or daily standups) but miss the point.
To stay relevant, the Agile Alliance and other organizations are pushing for a deeper understanding of Agile. They emphasize that tools and frameworks are just the surface. The real power lies in the cultural values Agile promotes: collaboration, adaptability, and customer focus.
Agile for the Modern World
The world is changing fast. Remote work, AI integration, and globalized teams mean Agile needs to evolve. Here’s how:
Adapting to Distributed Teams
With more people working remotely, face-to-face communication is harder. But it’s still important.
Teams now rely on video calls, virtual whiteboards, and asynchronous communication to maintain alignment. Tools like Jira, Trello, and Miro help visualize workflows and keep everyone on the same page.
Still, the core idea remains: communication matters most. No tool can replace trust and transparency.
Agile in Regulated Environments
Industries like finance, healthcare, and government face strict regulations. These often clash with Agile’s emphasis on flexibility.
But it’s possible to make it work. Hybrid models combine Agile with traditional methods to meet compliance while staying adaptable.
For example, teams may use sprints for product development but follow formal audit trails for regulatory reporting.
Agile + AI & Machine Learning
New fields like Agile Machine Learning are emerging. Developers apply Agile values to data science and AI projects, where requirements change rapidly and feedback loops are critical.
Agile Manifesto isn’t limited to code—it’s about how we approach complex problems.
The Risks of Misusing Agile
Even with good intentions, some teams fall into traps that undermine Agile.
Here are common issues—and how to avoid them:
| Problem | Why It Happens | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of Sponsor Support | Leaders don’t understand Agile | Train leadership on Agile values |
| Poorly Filled Product Owner Role | No clear owner for the backlog | Assign a dedicated Product Owner |
| Fixed Time/Scope Constraints | Teams stick too tightly to plans | Embrace change and continuous feedback |
| Assigning Tasks Instead of Empowering | Micromanagement replaces self-organization | Trust the team to decide how to get things done |
| Ignoring Technical Debt | Speed over quality | Build clean code from the start |
These problems often stem from a misunderstanding of the Agile Principles. Remember: Agile is not a set of rules. It’s a mindset.
The Rise of Dark Agile
When Agile is misused, it becomes dark agile—a term for when teams claim to be Agile but ignore the human-centric values.
Examples include:
- Using Agile as an excuse to overwork teams.
- Forcing sprints without proper planning or retrospectives.
- Prioritizing speed over quality or sustainability.
Dark Agile doesn’t deliver long-term value. It burns out teams and produces poor results.
Avoiding dark Agile means going back to the basics. Read the Agile Manifesto again.
Ask: Are we doing this because it helps our team and customers—or just because it’s “the Agile thing to do”?
What’s Next for Agile?
The Agile Manifesto is only the beginning. As new technologies and work styles emerge, Agile will continue to evolve.
Some ideas for the future include:
- More Human-Centered Design: Agile will increasingly focus on user experience and empathy.
- Learning Engineering: Applying Agile to learning and development to improve skills faster.
- Agile for Social Impact: Using Agile values to solve global challenges like climate change and poverty.
- Integration with DevOps and CI/CD: Making software delivery even faster and more reliable.
The Agile Alliance and others are already working on these ideas through initiatives like Reimagine Agile. Their goal is to ensure Agile stays relevant for years to come.
How Can PDCA Consulting Help with Agile Manifesto?
PDCA Consulting harnesses 20+ years of Agile expertise to help teams adopt the Agile Manifesto’s values and principles through focused coaching and training.
- Agile Coaching: Guides teams to align with Agile principles for collaboration.
- Targeted Training: Equips teams with skills for frequent, adaptive delivery.
- Process Refinement: Enhances workflows for simplicity and sustainability.
- Team Empowerment: Fosters self-organizing teams for better decision-making.
- Customer Focus: Prioritizes customer collaboration for value-driven results.
Contact PDCA Consulting for Agile transformation today!
Conclusion
The Agile Manifesto is more than a list of values and principles. It’s a call to action.
It asks us to put people first, embrace change, and deliver real value. It challenges old ways of thinking and encourages innovation.
Whether you’re a developer, manager, or business leader, Agile offers a powerful way to work better—together.
If you want to learn more, here are some next steps:
- Download the full Agile Manifesto from PDCA Consulting
- Join an Agile Tech Talk or attend a Past Conference & Events session.
- Sign up for Agile News to stay updated on the latest trends.
- Practice one Agile principle every week and see how it improves your team.
To find out more about PDCA Consulting’s expert consulting services or coaching either:
- Call +49 172 579 4719
- Complete the contact form
- Contact via Linkedin
Remember: Agile is not about being perfect. It’s about getting better—every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to a Project Manager’s job in an Agile team?
The role evolves. A Project Manager’s responsibilities are often distributed between roles like the Scrum Master, who facilitates the team, and the Product Owner, who focuses on product value.
Can Agile work if the team is not in the same office?
Yes. The principle values clear communication, not physical presence. Remote teams succeed using tools like video calls and virtual whiteboards to stay aligned.
Is there a risk of chaos if you value “individuals over processes”?
No. The goal is to use processes that help people, not hinder them. Frameworks like Scrum provide structure, while empowering teams to improve their workflow.
How does Agile handle contracts if it values “collaboration over contract negotiation”?
It prioritizes a partnership. Contracts still exist, but ongoing collaboration is valued more than rigid, upfront agreements to ensure the final product meets evolving needs.
How can large organizations adopt Agile without it becoming “Faux Agile”?
Organizations can secure leadership commitment, empower teams, and focus on the core values of the Manifesto, not just the ceremonies or rituals.
