The Principles
In addition to the philosophy expressed in the Agile Manifesto, there are twelve principles to guide us in our work. Where the Manifesto states the broad, over-arching beliefs, the principles are more specific and more likely to be used on a moment-by-moment basis in everyday practice.
The Twelve Principles of Agile Software
- Our 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 to the shorter timescale.
- Business people 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.
And here are The Twelve Principles of Agile Schools:
The Twelve Principles of Agile Schools
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the needs of children and their families through early and continuous delivery of meaningful learning. More
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in a learning cycle. Harness change for the benefit of children and their families. More
- Deliver meaningful learning frequently, from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, with a preference to the shorter timescale. More
- School and family team members work together daily to create learning opportunities for all participants. More
- Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. More
- The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a team is face-to-face conversation. More
- Meaningful learning is the primary measure of progress. More
- Our processes promote sustainability. Educators, students, and families should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. More
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. More
- Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential. More
- The best ideas and initiatives emerge from self-organizing teams. More
- At regular intervals, teams reflect on how to become more effective, then tune and adjust their behavior accordingly. More
Discussion
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Steve Peha
I like the idea of having a set of principles to work with. They help me make decisions. They provide a kind of safety net for me, too. These principles have been used successfully for years by thousands of people in may different situations. They can be trusted.
As I adapted the Agile principles to education, I was again struck by how easy it was and how natural it seemed to bring Agile concepts over to school. I also became aware of how few schools I have worked with operate on these principles—or on any explicit principles at all (except perhaps the Law of Inertia).
Though often stuck in tradition, schools often ironically build themselves on shifting philosophical sands. Many are, to an unflattering degree, unprincipled.
One of the reasons current principles of reform have taken hold so quickly and so easily is because most schools had no principles of their own that they felt were worth fighting to preserve. Reform has been something of a "go along to get along" affair with few schools, if any, standing up for what they believe.
As the old saying goes, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."