Please see Agile Advice for current work done by Mishkin Berteig.
Agile methods promise early and continuous delivery of valuable results. Agile methods such as Scrum and Lean can be used in many domains. Software development is where agile methods started, but these methods are now being applied to many other fields. Documentary videographers are using an agile approach to iteratively create their videos. Agile gurus are using agile methods to do home renovations. People who have used Scrum, an agile management method, in their large enterprises are now applying it to their personal lives. Small businesses are using agile work methods to do business and organizational development. Human resources departments are using agile methods to understand how to get people to work together effectively.
Agile methods include several simple practices: self organizing teams, iterative and incremental delivery, adaptive planning, test-driven development, measuring value, effective face-to-face communication and ruthless removing of obstacles. These common-sense practices allow agile methods to expose and address many problems that often lie hidden... constantly slowing down work efforts, and frustrating team members.
There are many different agile methods including Scrum, Lean, Extreme Programming, Crystal Clear, Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), and many custome methods. The term "agile" is really an umbrella term that emcompasses all these different methodologies and processes. Each specific methodology has its own set of core practices and principles, but they share the common values expressed in the Agile Manifesto.
Agile processes and approaches are substantially different from other approaches. The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a popular methodology for software development in large organizations. The RUP is heavy on documentation and a phased approach to gradually delivering software. The Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) is strongly influenced by civil engineering project constraints and cannot be considered appropriate for many creative efforts. Both of these approaches have different underlying value systems from an agile approach, primarily in that they consider humans to be ideally treated as robots that follow precise instructions with little creativity.