In what ways might the Agile Manifesto suffer from unconscious bias?
| Resource information | Details |
|---|---|
| Article title | Rethinking Agile in the Light of Diversity and Inclusion: A Retrospective Process |
| Author | Marian Nodine |
| Length | ~4,000 words, 15 min. read |
| Focus | Inclusivity |
Its no secret that the Agile Manifesto was crafted by a group of people who were almost exclusively older, white, western, males. What assumptions and biases might have crept in as a result?
In the article we link to here, Marian Nodine identifies several assumptions she believes were baked into the Agile Manifesto and are worth reviewing through the lens of inclusion. A common thread Nordine weaves through her review of the Agile Manifesto is related to assumptions about communication.
Is it possible for a team with mostly remote workers, for example, to address the principle of "The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation"? Must we read "face-to-face" in this principle, as it was written in 2001, literally and as excluding many of the tele-work options we have available today?
The article identifies 6 assumptions the author believes were baked into the Agile Manifesto and outlines how those assumptions may impact inclusivity in software projects.
