Agile Manifesto
4
Values
The heart of the Manifesto
12
Principles
Derived from and support the values
2001
Year Written
Snowbird, Utah, 17 practitioners
left over right · but right still matters
The Four Values
valued more
Individuals & interactions
still matters
processes & tools
valued more
Working software
still matters
comprehensive documentation
valued more
Customer collaboration
still matters
contract negotiation
valued more
Responding to change
still matters
following a plan
the 2001 Manifesto did NOT say the right side is worthless — it said the left side matters MORE. memorize this nuance, the exam lives here.
12 Principles · Grouped by Theme
Customer
- › Early & continuous delivery
- › Welcome change
- › Deliver frequently
- › Business + dev together
People
- › Motivated individuals
- › Face-to-face conversation
- › Self-organizing teams
Product
- › Working software is progress
- › Sustainable pace
- › Technical excellence
Process
- › Simplicity
- › Regular reflection
Exam Traps
Documentation is still required
"Working software over comprehensive documentation" does NOT mean no documentation. It means working software is valued MORE. The exam tests this nuance constantly.
Plans still exist in agile
"Responding to change over following a plan" does not mean no plan. Agile plans exist but they adapt. Any answer saying "no planning in agile" is wrong.
Contracts and processes still matter
The values contrast priorities, not existence. You still have contracts and processes in agile. They just do not override collaboration and working software.
The Manifesto is not a methodology
The Agile Manifesto is a set of values, not a framework. Scrum, Kanban, XP are methodologies. Answers that call the Manifesto a methodology are wrong.
Values more, not instead
The Manifesto values the left more than the right — it does not eliminate the right. Read every option with this filter.
Do not skip planning
Agile planning is adaptive, not absent. Release planning, sprint planning, daily planning all exist.
A recipe (plan) describes how to cook. A great meal (working software) is the actual result. Both matter, but the meal is what you serve the guest.
A rigid recipe says "cook for 12 minutes." An adaptive cook tastes and adjusts. Agile is the adaptive cook — working software over following the recipe literally.
You collaborate with the guest on what they want, rather than arguing over the menu they ordered three weeks ago. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
A great cook with a dull knife beats a bad cook with a $500 knife. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
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