I’m looking forward to the day when I don’t have to do agile software development anymore. In fact I believe that we should all be working hard to bring the agile movement to an end. Allow me to explain.
I’ll start by taking a look at the original Manifesto for Agile Software Development. The manifesto begins with this statement:
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
It’s important to step back from time to time and think about that statement and remember what agile is about: finding better ways to develop software. It’s even more important to think about what is not involved in that statement: sprints, stand-ups, test-driven development, continuous integration, or any of the multitude of other things that we have come to associate with agile. The important thing is finding better ways to make software.
The reason that I have begun to look forward to the end of the agile movement is simple: it’s working. Agile methods have consistently shown that they can yield better software than the majority of the processes that we were using previously. All over the software industry people are taking notice. Job postings looking for candidates with agile experience are commonplace, agile consultancies are thriving, and blogs (like this one) with an agile slant are everywhere.
If agile methods are working and the industry is noticing it’s only a matter of time until it stops being “agile” and just becomes “software development.” In many cases these days “agile” is used as a weapon. Rather than focus on the “find a better way” aspect we focus on the established “agile” processes and hammer them in to places where they might not fit. As agile becomes mainstream and the need for forcing change through process lessens I hope that we can get back to the original goals of finding ways to build great software.
- Manifesto for Agile Software Development
- Managed Chaos - Am I “Post-Agile”?
- Agile Project Planning - The End of Agility?
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