Agile software and product development are some top aspects of the product management industry. The Agile Manifesto guides the entire process to help leaders and teams. It is a concise document that states four values and twelve principles for agile software and product development. So, if you want to know more about agile values, you are in the right place. Here is a complete guide to the values.
Agile Values Definition
The Agile Values are the four values set out in The Agile Manifesto. These values encourage putting people before the product development process, fast product delivery, customer collaboration, and tweaking the plan when required. The four values include:
- Individuals and interactions
- Working software
- Customer collaboration
- Responding to change
Let’s try to understand each value in detail in product development and management. Each value is critical to every organization.
1. Individuals And Interactions
Product development and software teams would emphasize using the best processes and tools for software development in earlier approaches. However, according to The Agile Manifesto, things are important, but so are the people using these processes and tools.
That is why one of the top values is to have the right groups of individuals for excellent success. After all, even the best tools will not be helpful in the hands of people who don’t know how to work with them. So, individuals and interactions between them help them collaborate and solve issues.
2. Working Software
Conventional product development emphasizes extensive documentation before writing even a single line of code. However, according to the second agile value, the top priority is to get the software in the end user’s hands. That is because it allows the team to gain feedback and work on the software further.
Documentation is a bottleneck that can lead to the late launch of the product. The second value requires teams to create a working software and then emphasize documentation.
3. Customer Collaboration
A decade ago, contracts were the basis of all customer and business relationships. However, there would always be a gap between the contract, the product, and the customer requirements. The Agile Manifesto focuses on customer collaboration as the top priority to bridge this gap.
The key here is to create a feedback loop with customers to develop a product that fulfills their needs. Feedback and collaboration are the top aspects of agile product development that teams can’t ignore.
4. Responding To Change
The business world and industry are constantly changing, and organizations must adapt to these changes to get the most out of them. Creating a fluid roadmap that accounts for differences is an essential agile value. Such a product development must adapt to change each month, quarter, or year.
Final Words
These are the top four agile values all product and software development organizations must follow. It will allow for a streamlined process that will lead to the best products.