Agile Manifesto

What is the Agile Manifesto?

The Agile Manifesto is the founding document behind agile software development. Written in 2001, it introduced four core agile values and 12 agile principles designed to help development teams work in a faster, more adaptive, and more collaborative way.

Rather than prescribing a rigid process, the manifesto sets out a philosophy for building better products through continuous delivery, customer feedback, and responsiveness to change.

If agile is the broader way of working, the Agile Manifesto is the framework that helped define it. The manifesto explains the mindset behind agile, while the principles show teams how to apply that mindset in practice.

While the original document specifically set out to help software developers build business solutions in a faster and more efficient way, it has had a huge impact on the wider development industry and beyond. Today, groups as diverse as PR and marketing departments, coders, restaurateurs, and even The Boy Scouts of America use the manifesto in one way or another, and its influence only continues to expand.

• Looking for the broader definition of agile? Read What is agile?

• Want a deeper explanation of the 12 principles? Read What are agile principles?

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What are the core values and principles of the Agile Manifesto?

Let’s break it down...

The 4 agile values

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.

• Working software over comprehensive documentation.

• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.

• Responding to change over following a plan.

The 12 agile principles

The Agile Manifesto is also supported by 12 principles that help teams apply its values in practice. These principles emphasize early delivery, welcoming change, close collaboration between teams and customers, sustainable working practices, technical excellence, simplicity, and continuous improvement.

Together, they turn the manifesto from a statement of values into a practical way of working. For a full breakdown of each principle, see our guide to agile principles.

• The highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early, and continuous, delivery of valuable software.

• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

• Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale.

• Clients and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

• Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to, and within a development team, is face-to-face conversation.

• Working software is the primary measure of progress.

• Agile processes promote sustainable development — the sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

• Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential.

• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

History of the Agile Manifesto

Although many agile ideas had existed for decades, the Agile Manifesto itself was created in 2001. A group of 17 software practitioners met first in Oregon and then in Snowbird, Utah, to discuss growing frustration with slow, documentation-heavy development processes.

At the time, the gap between business needs and delivered software had become too wide. Traditional approaches often felt rigid, inefficient, and poorly suited to fast-changing product environments.

The manifesto was their response: a simpler, more adaptive framework built around collaboration, usable software, and the ability to respond to change quickly.

Who is the Agile Alliance?

The manifesto was written by 17 software practitioners, many of whom were already associated with early agile methods such as Scrum, Extreme Programming, and Adaptive Software Development. Their goal was not to create a single new methodology, but to define a shared set of values for building software more effectively.

The full list of signatories is:

Kent Beck, Mike Beedle, Arie van Bennekum, Alistair Cockburn, Ward Cunningham, Martin Fowler, James Grenning, Jim Highsmith, Andrew Hunt, Ron Jeffries, Jon Kern, Brian Marick, Robert C. Martin, Steve Mellor, Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland, and Dave Thomas.

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Agile: Best practices and methodologies

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Is the Agile Manifesto still relevant today?

Yes, the Agile Manifesto is still relevant because it sets out values rather than rigid rules. Its focus on collaboration, adaptability, usable outcomes, and continuous improvement remains highly relevant for modern product teams.

The bigger issue is not whether the manifesto is outdated, but whether teams apply it well. Many organizations adopt agile language without really embracing the underlying principles, which can make agile feel superficial or ineffective.

Used properly, the manifesto still provides a strong foundation for teams that need to respond to change and deliver value continuously.

eBook

Agile: Best practices and methodologies

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Agile Comparison to other methodologies

The Agile Manifesto has influenced many modern frameworks and ways of working, including Scrum and Kanban, but it is not a methodology in itself. The Agile Manifesto is the values-based foundation behind agile software development.