Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto is a foundational document published in 2001 that establishes four core values and twelve principles for agile software development, emphasizing individuals, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.
Explanation
The Agile Manifesto was created by seventeen software practitioners who gathered in Snowbird, Utah to find common ground among lightweight development methods. The result was a concise declaration of four paired values: individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. While the items on the right have value, agile teams value the items on the left more.
The Manifesto does not prescribe specific practices or frameworks. Instead, it provides a philosophical foundation that guides how agile teams approach their work. Every major agile framework, including Scrum, Kanban, and XP, traces its principles back to this document. PMI considers the Agile Manifesto essential knowledge for both PMP and CAPM candidates.
Understanding the Manifesto means recognizing that it is about mindset, not methodology. Teams that adopt agile practices without embracing the underlying values often struggle to realize the benefits. The Manifesto encourages adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continual improvement.
Key Points
- •Four core values that prioritize people, working products, collaboration, and adaptability
- •Twelve supporting principles that guide agile practice
- •Created in 2001 by seventeen software development thought leaders
- •Serves as the philosophical foundation for all agile frameworks
Exam Tip
Memorize all four value pairs and know that the Manifesto does not dismiss the items on the right; it simply values the items on the left more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Agile Principles (12 Principles)
The twelve Agile Principles are guiding statements behind the Agile Manifesto that describe how agile teams should operate, emphasizing early and continuous delivery of value, welcoming change, and sustainable development.
Scrum Framework
Scrum is a lightweight agile framework that uses fixed-length iterations called sprints, defined roles, events, and artifacts to help teams deliver complex products incrementally and iteratively.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Extreme Programming (XP) is an agile software development framework that emphasizes technical excellence and engineering practices such as pair programming, test-driven development, continuous integration, and frequent releases.
Most-studied PMP concepts
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Burndown Chart
A Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time in a Sprint or release, showing whether the team is on track to complete the planned work.
Relative Estimation
Relative Estimation is an agile technique where work items are sized in comparison to each other rather than in absolute units like hours or days, providing faster and more accurate estimates.
Sprint Review
The Sprint Review is a Scrum event held at the end of the Sprint where the Scrum Team presents the Increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and collaborates on what to do next.
Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus the Sprint Goal and the plan for delivering the Increment.
Timeboxing
Timeboxing is the practice of allocating a fixed, maximum amount of time for an activity, after which the activity stops regardless of whether it is complete.
Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project schedule to keep resource usage at or below a defined limit, often resulting in a longer project duration.
Risk Register
The risk register is a project document that records the details of individual project risks, including their identification, analysis results, response plans, and current status.
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder mapping is the visual representation of stakeholder relationships, influence, interest, or other attributes using grids, matrices, or diagrams to support analysis and engagement planning.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Cost Performance Index (CPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures cost performance as the ratio of earned value to actual cost: CPI = EV / AC.
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