The Agile Manifesto is a short set of principles that defines the core values for the successful and coordinated work of software developers. It is one of the alternatives to the development processes created in order to find a balance between the usual methods and promising innovations. However, the choice of this concept requires detailed knowledge of the aspects and their possible consequences for the team (Kiv et al., 2018). In this paper, the key values of the Agile Manifesto were described, along with identifying their practical reasons and areas of improvement.
The four main values of the manifesto are individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change. The first value assumes that the staff should stand higher than any processes and tools. People, being responsible for making decisions and responding to business needs, make a special contribution to the success of software development. At the same time, healthy and prompt interaction between members of the same group will help them cooperate effectively and solve emerging problems. The practical reason for the value is that when the emphasis is changed to processes and tools, the team’s response to changes slows down, and business needs are met less efficiently. This means that following the value of individuals and interactions simplifies the work process for people and makes tasks easily achievable.
The second value states that working software should take priority over documentation. Developers may spend a lot of time recording product specifications and characteristics. This aspect is undoubtedly important, but it often leads to long delays and reduces concentration on the development process. In this regard, working software is the primary measure of progress, and the Agile Manifesto aims to reduce documentation and simplify its compilation for developers (Kiv et al., 2018). Thus, the practical reason is that this value helps to pay maximum attention to the development process. As a result, the development team makes fewer mistakes due to a reduction in the number of distractions, and the work time spent on a specific project is also shortened.
The third value of customer collaboration establishes the importance of feedback to achieve the greatest result. In contract negotiations, the product is described in detail, and work requirements are discussed. However, this does not protect against a situation where the result does not meet the stated expectations precisely because of the lack of regular contact. Despite the importance of discussing the specifics of the work in advance, interaction with the customer should be valued higher. Therefore, the practical reason is that it is easier for the development team to meet the wishes and provide quality products if the customer is involved in the work process.
The fourth value recognizes the importance of responding to changes in order to develop the ability to adapt. Planning helps to identify the path that team may follow in the course of work. However, in unforeseen circumstances, the inability to respond competently will become a serious obstacle. The world cannot be static, and the Agile Manifesto harnesses change for the customer’s competitive advantage (Kiv et al., 2018). The practical reason for following the value is the team can correspond to the changes and continuously improve projects according to the requirements dictated by time.
Nevertheless, when trying to implement the Agile Manifesto, project managers are faced with the understanding that this methodology also has areas that can be improved. One of these areas is the increased requirements for maintaining internal communications. This is especially evident when implementing the method in whole organizations, where the contact of all employees may not be possible simply due to a large work team. The paradox is that the value of individuals and interactions becomes a factor that helps improve this area. Considering the principle not as a requirement but as an opportunity to hold general meetings more often and the need to prevent staff turnover, it brings huge positive changes. For example, it will increase the efficiency of the development process and improve the working environment.
One more area in need of improvement is the lack of necessary documentation. This disadvantage becomes especially clear when leveraging agile in global teams, where new participants constantly join the work. Since recent project changes are made non-stop, the documentation is not too detailed, and newcomers may have difficulty adapting to projects. This omission can be corrected by the first value, thanks to which employees are in constant contact, helping each other with problems. This change will also improve communication between developers and increase overall team spirit.
Thus, the values of the Agile Manifesto are perfect for an adaptable team that is ready to react quickly and change the product based on test results and feedback. Considering the importance of cooperation with the customer, flexibility, and working software, the methodology contributes to the active development of the project. Having a huge positive impact on the speed of processes and the comfort of the work environment, the Agile Manifesto still needs improvements to maximize efficiency.
Reference
Kiv, S., Heng, S., Kolp, M., & Wautelet, Y. (2018). Agile manifesto and practices selection for tailoring software development: A systematic literature review. In International conference on product-focused software process improvement (pp. 12-30). Springer, Cham.