A brief history of the agile methodology

History of Agile

• In 1957, people started figuring out new ways to build computer programs. They wanted to make the process better over time, so they came up with iterative and incremental methods.
• In the 1970s, people started using adaptive software development and evolutionary project management. This means they were adjusting and evolving how they built software.
• In the 1990s, there was a big change. Some people didn’t like the strict and super-planned ways of doing things in software development. They called these old ways “waterfall.” So, in response, lighter and more flexible methods showed up.

These included:

1. Rapid Application Development (RAD) in 1991.
2. Unified Process (UP), Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) in 1994.
3. Scrum in 1995.
4. Crystal Clear and Extreme Programming (XP) in 1996.
5. Feature-Driven Development (FDD) in 1997.

Even though these came before the official “Agile Manifesto”, we now call them agile software development methods.

In 2001, seventeen software developers met at a resort in Snowbird, Utah to discuss lightweight development methods. They were: Kent Beck (Extreme Programming), Ward Cunningham (Extreme Programming), Dave Thomas (PragProg, Ruby), Jeff Sutherland (Scrum), Ken Schwaber (Scrum), Jim Highsmith (Adaptive Software Development), Alistair Cockburn (Crystal), Robert C. Martin (SOLID), Mike Beedle (Scrum), Arie van Bennekum, Martin Fowler (OOAD and UML), James Grenning, Andrew Hunt (PragProg, Ruby), Ron Jeffries (Extreme Programming), Jon Kern, Brian Marick (Ruby, TDD), and Steve Mellor (OOA). They wrote something important called the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. This was a big moment that set the stage for the agile movement.

• In 2005, Alistair Cockburn and Jim Highsmith added more ideas about managing projects, creating the PM Declaration of Interdependence.
• Then, in 2009, a group, including Robert C. Martin, added principles about software development. They called it the Software Craftsmanship Manifesto, focusing on being professional and skilled.
• In 2011, the Agile Alliance, a group of agile enthusiasts, made the Guide to Agile Practices (later called Agile Glossary). This was like a shared document where agile people from around the world put down their ideas, terms, and guidelines. It’s a bit like a dictionary for how to do agile things.