Jim Highsmith signed the original Agile Manifesto ten years ago last month. What does he think of agile today? “My first reflection is that ten years of Agile methods have had an extremely positive impact on the industry,” write Highsmith.
Next, he qualifies that by noting, “While overall the Agile movement has had a positive impact on the world of software development, there are improvements to be made.” He says that the community can make those improvements by continuing to innovate, balancing idealism and practicality, reinvigorating our Agile value roots, and unifying rather than splintering. In addition, he says, “The improvements to Agile lie, not in popularization but in continued innovation and innovators.”
Finally, he concludes, “Teenagers are unpredictable. The teen years are bumpy, sometimes teens do great things, and sometimes they get into trouble. As the Agile movement matures past its 10th anniversary, it will be unpredictable also.”
