Is the Agile Manifesto Still a Thing?

Standing amidst the technological revolution, we find ourselves asking if the Agile Manifesto should still be our guide as we move into a world defined by continuous innovation. This short, but game-changing document helped take us from shipping products like they were cargo on boats to same-day delivery by drone. But today, we're less pioneers, and more like explorers on the seas of continuous improvement, which makes us wonder, is it time to improve the Manifesto, too?

In early 2001, against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains, in Snowbird, Utah, 17 people met to discuss the future of software development. The group’s members shared a frustration about the current state of affairs, even if they disagreed about how to remedy the situation.

The problem, they agreed, was that companies were so focused on excessively planning and documenting their software development cycles that they lost sight of what really mattered—pleasing their customers.

Companies may have touted corporate values like “excellence” and “integrity,” but these values did little to guide people—especially software developers—toward a better way. That needed to change. Many of the Snowbird 17 already had ideas about how to usher in software development’s new era. The trip to the mountains was their chance to hash it out.

The Agile Manifesto emerged from this extended weekend at just 68 words, and the short and sweet document went on to change software development forever. In the nearly two decades since its creation, these words (and the 12 principles that follow) have been embraced (in varying degrees) by countless individuals, teams, and companies.