Agile principles

The principles are another component of the Agile methodology and, together with the values, describe the mindset of being Agile.

Principle 1: Clarity of outcome

Begin with clarity about the outcome, and let it guide every step along the way.

Ways to act on this principle

• Begin by defining the problem that your team is trying to solve. Too often people start coming up with solutions before they fully understand the problem.
• Next, determine the user outcome. Once you have defined the problem, it’s much easier to achieve clarity about the user outcome that you envision.
• Then, always keep this high-level outcome in sight in everything you do. This will ensure you are delivering real user value, value that improves the overall user experience.

This is the same for Agile teams in business. Agile teams focus on the user and user outcomes, not the number of features shipped for a software delivery. This is a different way of thinking about planning and doing work. It takes a different mindset.

Principle 2: Iteration and learning

Part of working in an Agile way is understanding that a better solution exists — and it might take several iterations to achieve. So, what do we mean by iterations? The concept of iterations means taking another try at it, but you’ll learn more about that in the Agile practices topic.

Ways to act on this principle

• Start by doing and trying small pieces of work.
• Listen and learn from feedback received.
• Iterate by making adjustments based on feedback received. You might have to make some big adjustments to get yourself back on track. (By the way, another phrase for “getting back on track” is “course correct.”) That’s ok. Course correct as necessary so that you can continually improve on your user experience.

Listen, iterate, learn, and continually improve. Working in an Agile way means being flexible to make adjustments, to iterate, and evolve. As you move toward your goals, new information might require you to re-examine them. While it’s important to have the outcome in mind, it’s equally important to adapt quickly.

Principle 3: Self-directed teams

Build small teams with the right skills to encourage self-direction and innovation.

The third principle is about creating self-directed teams. Small, self-directed teams guide themselves to do the work. They can more quickly deliver on agreed user outcomes and be more innovative because they are given the freedom to be creative and to innovate.

Ways to act on this principle

• Build a small team to do the work.
• Select individuals for the team that have the right set of skills to do the work.
• Empower teams to make decisions and be accountable to find their own paths. Leaders only need to prioritize and provide clarity and then stay out of the way.