What is Agile? Well, before we tackle that question, let's take a step back to look at its origin. Agile was initially created by a group of software development leaders who used lightweight approaches in the '90s. They examined what was so successful with their methods, which resulted in creating the Agile Manifesto. The manifesto contains four values and twelve principles that make up the core of what we call Agile today.

The four values are the foundation of an Agile way of working. Let's take a look at them.

Value #1: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. At its essence, this value is about empowering people to do extraordinary things.

Value #2: Working software (or product increment) over comprehensive documentation. Agile prioritizes getting working increments to customers quickly where they can experience and provide feedback throughout the process.

Value #3: Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. Agile is a customer-centric approach where their ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Value #4: Responding to change over following a plan. Being adaptive in complexity and uncertainty is necessary for today's businesses to succeed.

The twelve principles of focus on delighting the customer through the co-creation of valuable outcomes. Motivated teams work in a rapid cadence to adapt to change quickly. Teams have autonomy and are trusted to get the job done. They demonstrate technical excellence and let designs emerge as more is known. Simplicity is essential, along with continuous improvement.
The manifesto was a game-changer for software development after it was created in 2001. Now it is prevalent across industries and has moved outside of IT into other areas of business. Agile is a different way of thinking. It's a mindset rather than a set of prescriptive practices or a methodology. Agile's also a culture of experimenting, learning, and innovating. Failure is often small and is seen as a learning opportunity. People in any field or discipline can develop agility and be better prepared for the future to serve their customers. Being "Agile" is a journey that will change how you work, interact with your customers, and value learning.