Are we really doing Agile software development?

We often talk about how we practice Agile software development. But are we really doing this? Has Agile been contorted into something that is no longer recognisable? Yes.

We weigh ourselves down and drown under process overhead that has emerged from the desire to sell Agile services (consulting and/or certification).

We are so far removed from the original manifesto that we no longer recall it’s basic principles.

Principles are cherry picked in the favour of stakeholders / managers who overwork developers. “Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.” This means we can squeeze in a new feature and set an unrealistic deadline right? Some people seem to think so (and they’re wrong), but they will readily ignore principles like:

• “Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.”
• “Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.”
• “Working software is the primary measure of progress.”

As software engineers, we need to continually reflect back on these core principles and not the state of Agile as it’s known to the majority of the industry. We need to advocate and educate to make our working lives better. It’s engineers who feel the deadlines, pressure and stress first hand. We are afterall the ones building the product. We are the glue which brings all the input from other disciplines and creates something tangible from it. Maybe in doing so, we can actually begin practicing Agile software development.