How can the Agile Manifesto be used for Delivering Value? In February 2001, seventeen IT experts got together to draft the Agile Manifesto. The set of four Values and twelve Principles revealed in the Manifesto are the Drivers of all Agile practices. In some cases we forget this when we are in the middle of a challenging Project, and often we misinterpret or gloss over a Principle. As part of the Continuous Improvement cycle, ‘Principle 12’ is:-.

” At Regular Intervals, The Team Reflects On How To Become More Effective, Then Tunes And Adjusts Its Behaviour Accordingly”.

The ideal forum for this is a Retrospective Meeting. In addition to the regular questions asked during the Retrospective, it would be useful to review the Manifesto and discuss whether the Project is aligned with its ideals, Value by Value and Principle by Principle. Where there is a discrepancy, it is likely that there will be a weak point in the Project. For instance, if “Customer Collaboration” (Value 3) was overlooked, there might be an issue with User Acceptance of a Feature. Below is a brief Review of the Manifesto Values and Principles and how they contribute to adding Value to a Project.

The Four Values.

The 4 Values are itemised listed below.

• ‘ Individuals and Interactions Over Processes and Tools’.
• ‘ Working Software Over Comprehensive Documentation’.
• ‘ Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation’.
• ‘ Responding to Change Over Following a Plan’.

The group who tabled these four Values included IT luminaries such as Ken Schwaber and Alastair Cockburn, and they continued to establish Agile in the subsequent years. What they did state about the Values was:-.

“That Is, While There Is Value In The Items On The right, We Value The Items On The Left More”.

This does not mean that the lesser classification needs to be overlooked, simply that its lesser. No accurate metric was applied to these Values; however we suggest a ratio of 60:40. The thinking behind this is:-.

• 50:50 offers equivalent value to the 2 classifications.
• 80:20 (or Pareto) would suggest that the category that has a weight of 20 can be neglected.

A ratio of 60:40 and even 70:30 acknowledges that the lesser classification is still relevant. The items on the right-hand side, which have to do with Governance and Compliance, are still required to Feature in any successful Project.

The Twelve Principles.

The ‘Twelve Principles’ explain how the Manifesto Values should be supported. These Principles might be summed up therefore:-.

The Key Driver of Agile is ‘The Frequent Delivery of Working, Lean and Quality Software’ on a Continuous and Ever-Improving Basis. This is Achieved by Collaboration Between business and Development and Willingness to Change Requirements to Deliver the Right Product at the Right Time.

How the Principles Add Value to a Project.

Speed of Delivering Value and Minimizing Risk.

Traditionally, businesses have given their Requirements to their Software Developers and then waited and waited to see any result. Some Projects took years, going over time and budget in the process. Then what was delivered was out-of-date and inappropriate for the business, because the business and its Requirements had Changed direction or been faced with new challenges during the time it took to Deliver.

Agile Development seeks to Change this enormous waste of time and money by ‘Principles 1,2,3 and 4’. ‘Rapid Delivery’ and the willingness to accept Change mid-stream reduces requirement risk, because the risk of Change is reduced by Delivering as swiftly as possible, and the Changes that are required are kept to a minimum. Traditional Projects could be dramatically extended by introducing Scope Changes. Value 4, “Responding to Change” is both acknowledged and applied by Agile Development.

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Managing Customer Expectations.

‘ Principles 2,4,6, and 10’ speak to guaranteeing a good client experience. The need for customers to be intimately involved in the Development of the new Product will both keep the Software Developers on track and highlight the possible need for any Changes as early as possible. It can be a challenge to get the business to come to the party, after all, they have their own workload, but if it is understood that success relies on a joint effort there should be mutual cooperation.These Principles support the 3rd Value “Customer Collaboration”.

Provide What is Needed for Delivering Value

‘ Traditional Projects’ that overran typically were packed with Features that were not important or perhaps required. This is why style thinking and the identification of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) prior to the Project commences are so important. ‘Principle 10’ – “simplicity” talk with an MVP.

Enable the Development Team for Delivering Value.

The Scrum Team (Scrum Master, Product Owner and Development Team) is autonomous and democratic. It is the Team members who choose whether the Team can Work at home, not a manager. Enabling a Team is everything about trust. ‘Principle 5’ covers this. The outcome of such enablement results in ‘Principle 11’, optimal design where Project members are offered the flexibility to Work as a Team.

Freedom is not Given at the Cost of Quality.

In ‘Principle 7’, the important word is “Working”. It does not help to Deliver Buggy Software quickly. ‘Principle 1’ likewise describes “Valuable” Software. The 2nd Value is “Working Software”. ‘Principles 9 and 11’ speak of Technical Excellence, while ‘Principle 12’ calls on the Team to introspect regularly to enhance the Work processes. This will help Developers to preserve pace and sustainability over the long term, which can be extremely tough and is expressed in ‘Principle 8’.

Human-to-Human over electronic Communication.

Regular Interactions between Customer and Developer, Developer and Developer and any other Stakeholders is emphasised. ‘Principles 4, 6 and 12’ address the need for Communication. This communication needs to be Face-to-Face. This is also expressed in the first Value “Individuals and interactions”. Regular and Frequent Communication will keep the Project on track, spot potential glitches and keep everyone notified. ‘Principle 12’ also shows that there is a time and place for meetings in the Project, such as the four “Ceremonies” of Scrum.

Applying the Manifesto for Delivering Value.

The Values and Principles of the Manifesto are totally agnostic with reference to the Agile Development Framework your organisation prefers. They apply similarly well to Scrum, RAD, Lean, Kanban or any other framework. Where a Project is not as successful as anticipated, retrospection will show that one or more of the Principles was overlooked, particularly in the location of Customer Collaboration and Communication. This is why it would be beneficial to do periodic checks to determine whether the Principles and Values are still being observed, and if not, to take swift and proper action.