The Manifesto for Agile Software Development Established in 2011, also referred as Agile Manifesto comprises of four Values and twelve Principles that 17 manifesto authors agreed on to be essential to be adaptable for a team or an organization. We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. 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. Manifesto Authors: Kent Beck, Mike Beedle, Arie van Bennekum, Alistair Cockburn, Ward Cunningham, Martin Fowler, James Grenning, Jim Highsmith, Andrew Hunt, Ron Jeffries, Jon Kern, Brian Marick, Robert C. Martin, Steve Mellor, Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland, Dave Thomas Refer: Manifesto for Agile Software Development

Business agility is the capability to quickly change or adapt to changes in a business. Building Business Agility is an ongoing process and not a one-time event. Business agility can also be referred to as organizational agility, or adaptive business. Business agility is the ability of a company to adjust to changes quickly. In business, agility involves the ability to change one’s strategy, operational model, and operating processes in response to internal and external changes. This changes can be external, such as changing market conditions or government regulations. Internal changes can also have a big impact on business agility, such as disrupting the company culture or stakeholder loyalties, swiftly reacting to customer demands and quickly launching new products. Organizations that have a high level of business agility will be better suited to take advantage of emerging opportunities, that will allow them to grow and overcome competition.

The Cynefin Framework is a decision making framework, that recognizes the casual differences between systems and proposes new approaches to decision making in complex environemtn. Cynefin is a sense-making model not a categorization model. If the question is How do we make sense of the world, so we can act in it. In nature, there are 3 basic systems: Ordered Systems, Choatic Systems and Complicated Systems. Once people know in which domain / system they are in, they can choose the domain specific response.

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to solving complex problems. Design Thinking consists of five key steps to creating better solutions: Emphathize: Understand needs of the end user Define: Define end user / customer persona(s) Ideate: Brainstorm ideas, narrow down possible solutions Prototype: A visual-interactive mock-up of an idea, created to test an early stage idea, and gather user's feedback. Test: Invite feedback, insights and analyze the effectiveness of the chosen prototype.

Kaizen is a Japanese terms referring to incrementally achieving excellence through the relentless and endless pursuit of perfection. In a business context Kaizen is continuous improvement of processes, operations and functions involving all employees. Kaizen is Change for the Better . Also see: Lean Thinking , Lean Waste , A3 Problem Solving , Lean Product Development , Value Stream Mapping .

Kanban is a lean method, a framework to visualize work and improve the flow of value through the system. Initiated by Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System, Kanban (in Japanese) is a visual card used as a scheduling system, showcasing the essential information and progress of the work through the product development system. Following four essential practices help optimize the flow of value: Visualize the workflow Limit work in progress Manage flow Make process policies explicit Through pull based movement of the work, Kanban helps achieve evolutionary improvements in process and product.

Lean waste is a type of waste that relates to non-value added activities in processes, communication, information sharing, product features etc. Any non-value add activities that a team undertakes, is a lean waste and such waste is detrimental to any organizaiton, as it creates delays in value creation and increases cost. 8 Types of Lean Wastes are: Work-In-Progress, Inventory, Partially Done Work Over Production, Extra Features Extra Processing, Relearning Transportation, Handoffs Delays Task Switching, Motion Defects Unused Talent Also see: Lean Thinking

Agile Frameworks - Agile and Scrum Glossary

Agile Manifesto

Business Agility

Cynefin

Design Thinking

Extreme Programming (XP)

Kaizen

Kanban

Lean Waste

Spotify Engineering Culture

Toyota Production System