Knowledge creation is a major source of value creation. And great companies –and their employees – know that continuous learning is a key to generating knowledge, and thus value. The agile mindset, particularly in development, is gaining popularity, with credit to a suite of powerful ideas and practices commonly known as the agile methodology – defined by Wikipedia as “software development methods based on iterative and incremental development.”
In February 2001, a group of 17 software developers wrote the Agile Manifesto, the Magna Carta of the agile movement. At just 68 words, it was elegant, but at that point just words on paper. Early attempts to apply it came by adapting existing techniques such as lean manufacturing (adapted from Toyota’s methodologies), Crystal, Scrum and XP (Extreme Programming). Admittedly, we were still learning. Buying into “agile” signaled your ideals were more lofty than grounded. Agile supporters were revolutionary, but agile was not.