In 2001, the Manifesto of Agile Software Development came into being. A group of fourteen leading figures in the software industry produced the Manifesto, demonstrating their experience of what methods do and do not work for software development.
The main aim of this new methodology was to mitigate the rigidity of development methods such as the waterfall model. This new methodology advocated for a flexible schedule and delivering value faster and often. Since strict planning can go wrong if the team or the software fails, the agile model allows developers to adjust their plans and be more “nimble”.
This methodology allows development teams to implement small projects quickly and fix errors in the software from the get-go without having to work on the project again from the start. Each and every iteration and new function/logic is tested after implementation. In the Agile model, new features and iterations become available to the customers immediately unlike rigid models like waterfall wherein all the features are developed and delivered at once.
The agile movement moved teams away from creating up-front plans, micromanaging, some dependence on specialists, and having to deliver on big promises. It promoted collaboration, self-sufficiency, and making incremental deliveries to the clients. However, this model fails to understand the need for structure, leadership, and it undermined individual differences.
Agile was an experimental model with its own set of hits and misses. However, the agile methodology was more of a philosophy that undermined the value of engineering.
The developer community had believed that there would be a consensus in the future on how to utilize agile methods at a scale, but the community continued to scatter. While agile methods worked well with small teams or projects, it was difficult for larger organizations to successfully implement it.
10 years after the original Agile manifesto was published, a fresher perspective was provided in the new MoreAgile Manifesto by Geert Bossuyt from Xebia. This manifesto marks the beginning of Agile 2, which recognizes how communication and collaborating all the time takes power away from everyone and advocates that technical issues need to be solved individually no matter how time-consuming this may be.
Agile 2 combines the most brilliant ideas from Lean and Agile to generate an effective and simple form of agile for IT and software development. It gives development teams the flexibility to incorporate a pure agile approach over a product’s entire life-cycle, or a hybrid approach within a conventional project framework using agile methods.
Agile 2 is undoubtedly a better version of Agile as it includes what worked and improves upon the limitations of Agile. It emphasizes individuals along with teams as in most cases it is the individuals that need attention from leaders to become better contributors. It puts forth the need for balance and thoughtfulness in terms of understanding the situation and adapting to it. Agile 2 overcomes the extreme nature of the agile community and allows team members to develop a holistic, more complete understanding of technology and business concepts.
This new and improved methodology has introduced the concepts of shared responsibility, authoritative as well as personal leadership, bringing value without having to communicate excessively, and encourages team members to develop additional skills.