Agile
Definition
Agile is an approach to product development — formalized in the 2001 Agile Manifesto — that values iterative delivery, close collaboration between teams and customers, and the ability to respond to change over following a fixed, upfront plan.
Agile emerged as a reaction to heavyweight software development processes — particularly waterfall — that required extensive documentation, fixed requirements, and long delivery cycles before any working software reached users. By the late 1990s, it was clear this model was failing: projects arrived late, over budget, and built the wrong thing.
In February 2001, seventeen software practitioners gathered in Snowbird, Utah and produced the Agile Manifesto — a four-value, twelve-principle document that reframed how software should be built.
The four Agile values:
- 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 word "over" is important — the Manifesto doesn't say processes, documentation, contracts, or plans are worthless. It says the items on the left are valued more.
Agile frameworks: Agile is a philosophy, not a process. Teams implement it through frameworks: Scrum (most common), Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), SAFe, LeSS, and others. Each framework interprets and applies agile principles differently.
Agile in practice: An agile team typically works in short cycles (one to four weeks), ships working software frequently, gets feedback early, and adjusts based on what they learn. Planning is continuous rather than upfront. Requirements evolve.
"We're doing agile" vs. being agile: Organizations often adopt agile ceremonies without the underlying mindset — standups become status reports, sprints become waterfall in two-week chunks, retrospectives produce action items nobody follows up on. This is sometimes called "cargo cult agile."
Examples
- Team switches from six-month waterfall releases to two-week Scrum sprints — ships faster and catches problems earlier
- Startup runs one-week sprints and demos to customers every Friday, adjusting the product based on real feedback
- Agency adopts agile for client work — monthly client check-ins replace quarterly reports
- Hardware team uses agile for firmware and software, while the physical design still follows a stage-gate process
- Enterprise adopts SAFe to scale agile across 200 engineers organized into program increments
Related terms
Snap a agile. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.