What are the 12 Agile principles?
If the four values of the Agile model are the weight-bearing pillars of a house, then the 12 Agile
principles are the rooms you can build within that house. These principles can be easily adapted
to fit the needs of your software development process.
The 12 principles used in Agile methodology are:
Satisfy customers through early, continuous improvement and delivery.When customers receive
new updates regularly, they're more likely to see the changes they want within the product. This
leads to happier, more satisfied customers—and more recurring revenue.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in the project. The Agile framework is all about
adaptability. In iterative approaches like Agile, being inflexible causes more harm than good.
Deliver value frequently. Similar to principle #1, continuous delivery of value to your customers
or stakeholders frequently makes it less likely for them to churn.
Break the silos of your projects. Cross-functional teams and collaboration is a key Agile value.
The goal is for people to break out of their individual projects and collaborate more frequently.
Build projects around motivated individuals. Agile management works best when teams are
committed and actively working to achieve a goal.
The most effective way to communicate is face-to-face. If you’re working on a distributed team,
spend time communicating in ways that involve face-to-face communication like Zoom calls or
daily stand-up meetings.
Working software is the primary measure of progress. The ultimate goal of software
development projects is a working product, and the Agile framework supports this by
prioritizing functional software above all.
Maintain a sustainable working pace. Some aspects of Agile project management can be fast-
paced, but it shouldn't be so fast that team members burn out. The goal is to maintain
sustainability throughout the development process.
Continuous excellence enhances agility. If the team develops excellent code in one sprint, they
can continue to build off of it the next. Continually creating great work allows teams to move
faster in the future.
Simplicity is essential. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution. Agile development
aims to not overcomplicate things and find simple answers to complex problems.
Self-organizing teams generate the most value. Similar to principle #5, proactive teams become
valuable assets to the company as they strive to deliver continuous improvement.
Regularly reflect and adjust your way of work to improve effectiveness. Retrospective meetings
are a common Agile practice. It's a dedicated time for Agile teams to look back and reflect on
their performance and adapt their behaviors for the future.
Create an Agile project plan template
What are the benefits of the Agile development methodology?
You commonly find Agile project management used in application development or other types
of software development. This is because software is constantly changing, and the needs of the
product have to change with it.
Because of this, linear project management methods like the waterfall model are less effective.
Here are a few other reasons why teams use Agile:
Agile methods are adaptable
There's a reason why they call it the Agile methodology. One of the main benefits of using Agile
processes in software development is the ability to shift strategies quickly, without disrupting
the flow of a project.
Because phases in the traditional waterfall method flow into one another, shifting strategies is
challenging and can disrupt the rest of the project roadmap. Since software development is a
much more adaptable field, project managing rapid changes in the traditional sense can be
challenging. This is part of the reason why Agile project management is favored in software
development.
Agile fosters collaborative teamwork
One of the Agile principles states that the most effective way to communicate with your team is
face-to-face. Combine this with the principle that encourages teams to break project silos and
you have a recipe for collaborative teamwork.
While technology has changed since Agile’s inception and work has shifted to welcome more
remote-friendly policies, the idea of working face-to-face still hasn't changed.
