What are the 4 values of the Agile Manifesto?
The Agile Manifesto
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
Source: Authors of the The Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto is a set of values that aim to guide the way agile teams work. It was authored by 17 independent software practitioners. After much deliberation over the way software should be developed, they signed off on these values. These concepts quickly spread beyond them and have become a more universal set of working practices. This is also supported by 12 agile principles. The goal is to help teams build and deliver successful and use products that meet customer expectations by delivering value on a continuous basis.
This health check asks the team to indicate where they feel the team currently stands on these value statements. For example, do they respond to change, or do they lean more towards following a plan. You can then see where you stand on each value and talk through what it means for your team.
Understanding the 4 Values of the Agile Manifesto
One of the key things to understand is that each aspect of the manifesto is not mutually exclusive. That is to say, you still need documentation as well as working software. There must still be structure and a plan, as well as the flexibility and capacity for the team to respond to change in a timely manner. Similarly, the team still needs resources, processes and tools to work well but that should not be in lieu of personal communication.
Running this health check surfaces where the team’s preferences currently lie and how it might be impacting their work.
Individual and Interactions
We value Individual and Interactions over processes and tools.
Rather than sticking to a strict and rigid approach based on a fixed sequence, a group of competent professionals can more effectively discuss and resolve complex problems and resolve. Processes and tools are only employed to make work more efficient and easy.
Working Software
We value working software over comprehensive documentation.
Rather than fully documenting specifications, layouts, requirements and test cases prone to obsolescence and delayed delivery, feedback can be provided by users on working software that gets more sophisticated over time.
Customer Collaboration
We value customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Rather than the customer only being involved at the start of the contract and for any variation, their value throughout the development of the product to ensure that their needs continue to be met.
Responding to Change
Rather than sticking to a pre-defined plan and lose out on opportunities to build a better product, the team can stay relevant and current and can innovate and incorporate changes to the product.
How to create a Health Check in TeamRetro
Your template is ready to go
Under Health Checks, select the health check you’d like to complete. Decide if you want to survey the team anonymously, using aliases or openly.
Reveal and discuss the results
Your health check data is displayed showing the average response and tally of each response. Sort dimensions by most positive, negative or mixed responses to make discussions more meaningful.
Keep conversation on track with Presentation Mode
Switch to presentation mode to sync devices making it easier to facilitate and focus conversations. Capture comments and actions along the way.
Review your action plan
Assign action owners and set due dates for new items and review prior actions. This action list can be tracked, shared or integrated into your other workflow tools.
Share the results
Great work, you are all done! Share the results with your team via email, download and print or publish to tools like Jira, Asana and Trello. Results can be tracked in your dashboard.