Agile
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A software development methodology that delivers work in short iterations with continuous feedback and adaptation.
Agile is a set of principles for software development that values working software over documentation, customer collaboration over contracts, and responding to change over following a plan. The Agile Manifesto was published in 2001 and changed how most software teams work.
In practice, Agile means working in short cycles (usually 1-2 week sprints), delivering working software at the end of each cycle, getting feedback, and adjusting. This is the opposite of waterfall, where you spend months planning, months building, and discover at the end that you built the wrong thing.
Agile is a philosophy, not a specific process. Scrum, Kanban, and XP are all implementations of Agile principles. Most teams use a hybrid approach that borrows from multiple frameworks.
Examples
A team adopts Agile after years of waterfall.
Under waterfall, they spent 6 months gathering requirements and 6 months building. The launch missed the market. Under Agile, they ship a basic version in 2 weeks, get feedback, and iterate. After 3 months, the product is closer to what users need than the waterfall approach would have produced.
An Agile team adjusts mid-sprint based on feedback.
Halfway through a sprint, user research reveals the planned feature solves the wrong problem. The PM reprioritizes. The team pivots to a different approach. Under waterfall, this feedback would have come 6 months too late.
A company struggles with 'Agile theater.'
The team runs sprints and standups but leadership still demands fixed scope and dates. They have the rituals of Agile without the flexibility. The PM pushes back: 'We can fix scope or fix date, but not both.' The team negotiates realistic commitments.
In practice
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Frequently asked questions
Is Agile the same as Scrum?
No. Agile is a set of principles. Scrum is one specific framework that implements those principles. Kanban is another. Many teams use elements of both. Agile is the philosophy; Scrum and Kanban are the practices.
Does Agile work for non-software teams?
Yes. Marketing, design, and operations teams all use Agile principles: short cycles, continuous feedback, and iterative improvement. The specific rituals may differ, but the principles apply to any work that benefits from rapid iteration and adaptation.
Related terms
An Agile framework that organizes work into fixed-length sprints with defined roles, ceremonies, and artifacts.
An Agile workflow method that visualizes work on a board and limits work in progress to improve flow and reduce bottlenecks.
A meeting where the team selects which work to complete in the upcoming sprint and plans how to accomplish it.
A team meeting at the end of a sprint or project where members discuss what went well, what went wrong, and what to improve.
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