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Roadmap to
Agile methods and tools

What Is Agile Software Development?

In the late 1990's several methodologies began to get increasing public attention. Each had a different combination of old ideas, new ideas, and transmuted old ideas. But they all emphasized close collaboration between the programmer team and business experts; face-to-face communication (as more efficient than written documentation); frequent delivery of new deployable business value; tight, self-organizing teams; and ways to craft the code and the team such that the inevitable requirements churn was not a crisis.

Early 2001 saw a workshop in Snowbird, Utah, USA, where various originators and practitioners of these methodologies met to figure out just what it was they had in common. They picked the word "agile" for an umbrella term and crafted the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, whose most important part was a statement of shared development values:

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.

(See also the attached principles.)

The Manifesto struck a chord, and it led to many new Agile projects being started. As with any human endeavor, some succeeded and some failed. But what was striking about the successes was how much both the business people and the technical people loved their project. This was the way they wanted software development done. Successful projects spawned enthusiasts.

The Agile Alliance exists to help more Agile projects succeed and to help the enthusiasts start more Agile projects. This particular page is to help people learn more about Agile software development. In keeping with the Agile emphasis on face-to-face communication, we urge you to visit a users group and talk to your peers about their experience. But we also provide this Roadmap, which intends to give you a quick introduction to various agile methods and tools. Click on the links below to get more info on a certain method or tool. On the following pages you will find links to pages that contain the specific information you need.

If you're looking for more information regarding the history of the Agile Alliance then look at the articles section.

Each page contains links to books published on the method. Please use the supplied link if you intend to order any books. By doing so you sponsor the Agile Alliance. No hassle for you but a great help for us: General Books on Agile Methods.


Version 2.4 revised on March 12th, 2005
Your comments are welcome, please click this line to email Hubert Smits

 

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