21 years of Agile Manifesto

Do you think Dilbert had any influence on the Agile movement?. I think it is a strong "Yes". For those of you, who have not heard of Dilbert, it is a comic character created by Scott Adams. Who entertained my generation of professionals with his satirical humour. Not sure if it was Delibert that caused the change in the workplace setting, definitely in the last two decades the cubicles have vanished and most organizations have adopted open office spaces. Dilbert certainly influenced the Agile movement (please read the history of the agile manifesto).

The meeting at The Lodge, Snowbird Ski resort some 21 years back may not be the beginning for the Agile Movement, definitely a major milestone in this journey towards agility. It gave an identity to the so-called "Light" methods of software development. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development deserves a special place in the history of "ways of working". Though the Agile Manifesto was focused on Software Development, it has found its way in other areas mainly because it is one of the first to recognise the uniqueness of knowledge-based work.??

The journey of Agile also coincides with my professional journey. I started as a "Senior Software Quality Analysts" after equipping myself with masters in Software Engineering in Wipro (1998, Bangalore, India). The role of "Software Quality Analyst" itself was evolving in the industry and I got an opportunity to experiment with my academic knowledge with the ideas of experienced managers and leaders. There was no clear definition of "Quality" in the software world. People used to debate whether testing was a Quality Control (QC) or Quality Assurance (QA). We were part of a large team called "Mission Quality". If I look back it was a truly agile team in every sense. There were no boundaries between groups, regions and departments and most importantly along the hierarchies. We operated as a network of teams. Some of the senior leaders sat patiently in training and workshops, conducted by us ("newbies"). Some seasoned professionals taught us about business, project management, statistics and data analysis. We were also the first to adopt Six Sigma and Lean in a software context( no software company had tried that before). We also achieved the world's first CMM, CMMI and PCMM level 5 maturity (also IEEE Software Process Achievement award) during the first five years.?

We were quick to realize the importance of having flexibility and the importance of delivering value to our customers. We defined various development models inspired by the XP (extreme programming developed by Kent Beck) like Iterative and Incremental models.?

In the last 20 years, I have read the manifesto hundreds of times and presented it in many training programs, workshops and conferences. Few points always create a lot of discussions they are?

Working software over comprehensive documentation?and

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Some people argue that many people don't notice the "over" and ignore the documentation completely. While the intention was definitely to avoid excessive and unnecessary documentation it was never intended to come across as?"no documentation".?

As a Software Engineer, I wondered about some of the wording like 'process' 'software'. When you say "software" by definition it includes all the programs and associated documentation. The definition of software as per is IEEE?

"… is a collection of computer programs, procedures, rules, and associated documentation and data."

That is the difference between a "computer program" and "software". Maybe the signatories could have used that distinction about software vs computer programs to avoid the debate.??

Customer collaboration and contract negotiation is another topic of great discussion. Though there is a shift in the approach, it is still a long way to go. Legal and contractual obligations are complex and challenging. Agilists should not undermine them.?

In my view with all the limitations of the Agile manifesto, it communicates the intent very clearly. The essence of the manifesto is not just in the four values and 12 principles but it is in the first three lines (rather first 3 words).?

We are uncovering better ways of developing

software by doing it and helping others do it.

Through this work, we have come to value

For me Agile is nothing but a continuous process of uncovering the better approach, it is a journey of self-discovery, a journey towards truth.

Reaching 21 is a very important milestone, I distinctly remember the confidence, sense of freedom, and energy when I turned 21. (Today's manifesto celebrates 21 years).?

Let's take a moment to acknowledge all these 17 people, for their immense contribution and wherever we are creating it on the shoulders of these giants.?

This group of organizational anarchists deserve a bow.?

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

I also acknowledge you for your contribution (however big or small, it counts) - Thank you.!

Reference:?

1. History - https://agilemanifesto.org/history.html

2. NATO - Software Engineering Conference https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/NATO_Software_Engineering_Conferences

3. IEEE?-610.12-1990 - IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminology

4. Dilbert - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilbert

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