The first agile value emphasizes the focus on people and their interactions. While processes can standardize activities and improve efficiency, and tools can facilitate tasks, they are secondary to the human element.
Ultimately, it is the individuals and their interactions that achieve the goals, not the processes and tools.
This value addresses the approach of creating extensive documentation to help users understand the software. Documentation is an important aspect, but a simple, easy-to-understand product or service can make large parts of the documentation unnecessary. The goal is to focus on the actual product or service, with documentation serving only as a support tool.
While documentation is important for support, it can become a drawback if it is overly extensive and necessary for using the software. The main product is the software itself, and the focus should be on creating intuitive, easy-to-use software. Working software provides immediate value and feedback, enabling development teams to adapt and improve quickly, whereas excessive documentation can slow down the process and become outdated.
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The third value emphasizes the importance of collaborating with customers rather than focusing excessively on detailed contract terms. While contracts are meant to protect both parties, they can also create rigidity and hinder progress.
Contracts are fixed, but the environment changes continuously. Because of this, customers may change their requirements throughout the project duration. Therefore, continuous collaboration is valued more highly than contract negotiations.
The key is for both customer and provider to share the same goal and work together to achieve it. Changes may be requested by either side, and a strict contract can impede necessary adaptability. Instead, contracts should allow for flexibility, enabling both parties to respond to evolving needs and environments. Continuous collaboration helps quickly identify and address these changes, ensuring the project remains aligned with the customer's needs and delivers value effectively.
The last value emphasizes the importance of responding to change rather than rigidly following a plan. While providing important direction and orientation, plans must be adaptable to remain effective. We need an idea of where we want to go, but we also need the willingness to shape the path dynamically due to VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity).
The environment and conditions are changing continuously and sometimes rapidly. It’s crucial to be open to adjusting plans and embracing change. Experimenting and learning from these changes help to move forward and improve continuously. Flexibility and responsiveness allow for better alignment with current realities, ensuring the project delivers maximum value.
We designed a postcard about the Agile Values. It is designed for A5 paper dimensions. Feel free to use it for promoting agile.