The Agile ABCD is a community of Harvard Agile practioners at all levels of Agile experience. It is part of Harvard's broader ABCD community (not a HUIT PMO initiative), an informal, University-wide association promoting communication and collaboration on technology-related topics across organizational boundaries. All Harvard affiliates are eligible and welcome to join ABCD.
These events are designed to offer opportunities for the Harvard community to strengthen understanding of Agile while creating a network of colleagues across Harvard and its affiliates. We wish to activate and support participation and collaboration on Agile values, principles, and practices with input from across Harvard. We will use the Agile ABCD mailing list to announce Agile events at Harvard you can attend or may be interested in co-leading.
Members of Harvard's Agile Working Group collaborate to host the monthly Agile ABCD events. The Agile Working Group is comprised of Agile enthusiasts from across Harvard. The Agile ABCD monthly meetings are one of several initiatives delivered by the Agile Working Group. The vision of the Agile Working Group is to provide a pathway for successful Agile adoption at Harvard through the formation of a supportive community that provides tools for proactive collaboration, recommendations for improvement, and valuable resources including coaching and learning opportunities. To learn more about the Agile Working Group visit our Confluence page.
Additionally, you can visit the Agile ABCD Group in the Harvard Training Portal. This page is a great place to continue your discussions after completing an Agile class or Agile ABCD event. It will also allow you to share Agile questions, challenges, and success with the Harvard community or answer the questions of other Harvard Agile professionals. Check it to see updates on the IT Academy Agile classes, ABCD Events, and other Harvard Agile initiatives. If you are not a member of the group, click the Join Now button to be able to view the content.
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Agile ABCD Co-Chairs:
- Matt Carlson
- Meenakshi Pandey
- Deirdre Schreiber
- Lisa Sheehan
The Agile ABCD values, along with Agile Values and Principles, are:
- Leave titles at the (virtual) door
- Assume good intent
- Everyone’s input is valued
- Inspect, Learn and Adapt
Agile Principles
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the Users and Stakeholders (e.g. customer) through early and continuous delivery of valuable solutions (e.g. software, programs, infrastructure training, marketing, etc.).
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in the solution development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
- Deliver working solutions frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
- Users & Stakeholders (e.g. business people) and the Agile Team must work together daily throughout the endeavor (e.g. projects, programs, etc.).
- Build endeavors around motivated individuals. Give the Agile Team the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done.
- The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within an Agile Team is to find the most effective way to communicate based upon your Agile Team (e.g. face-to-face conversation).
- Delivering a working solution (e.g. software, programs, infrastructure training, marketing, etc.) is the primary measure of progress.
- Agile processes promote sustainable solution development. The Users & Stakeholders (e.g. sponsors) and Agile Team should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
- Simplicity - the art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential.
- The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
- At regular intervals, the Agile Team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.