Re: Agile isn't nebulous
The thing is, argue against the statement?
Would your customers prefer exquisite documentation about the project and the code base, or actual working software? Yes, as professionals we know the value of documentation but it's not the point of a software project.
Would your customer prefer working software now, with continual updates to improve it, or wait a lot longer and then have to wait another lengthy period for any changes?
Would you adopt a development methodology that doesn't support changing requirements, even late in development? Have you ever had the luxury of an implementation project that didn't have those?
They're not vague statements, they're basic positions and principles. They're not prescriptive, they trust you to be a professional and take ownership of your own methodology. They don't tell you to do this or that, they encourage a mindset.
Is that wishy-washy nonsense? Only until you sit and think about it, properly, and explore how to incorporate those principles into your own work. Successful software development in a rapidly changing environment with constant resource constraints is hard, bloody hard, and the Agile Manifesto merely articulates the approach that a very large group of experienced professionals have found to be the most effective.
Disclosure: I've successfully delivered software into a production environment at a bank using Extreme Programming, and worked in and alongside teams using agile methods and methodologies for two decades. They deliver.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
