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Agile Principle 10

The tenth principle of the Agile Manifesto states, "Simplicity - the art of maximising the amount of work not done - is essential."


In other words... continuous improvement and learning.


With this principle, there is an emphasis on two things equally; on the one hand, it's about people's ability ("Technical Excellence"), and secondly, it's about the product or service to be kept in "good shape" and thereby maximising unnecessary work.


The former demands continuous attention to the team's technical abilities and skills. Continuous learning is a fundamental part of agile. How do athletes become and stay "excellent"? Ongoing training! Agile teams and organisations need to do the same. They live the principle by seeing learning and improving as part of their daily life.


The second part of the principle is about the ongoing focus on "good design", - which means constant transparency to the quality of the product or service - including both internal and external quality. Agile teams not only have technical tools to understand the basis of continuously measured indicators to determine the state of the product or service, but they also understand that measured data is only one perspective.


Key to this principle is finding ways to maximise the amount of work not done. This means focusing on the essentials and avoiding unnecessary complexity or features that do not add value to the customer. By doing so, agile teams can create a simpler, more streamlined product or service and deliver something more focused and effective. One of the key benefits of this principle is that it helps to ensure that the team is focused on creating value for the customer. By avoiding unnecessary work and complexity, agile teams can ensure they spend their efforts on only the essential capabilities.


Of course, simplicity requires a certain degree of discipline and structure. Agile teams must be willing to prioritise the essentials and avoid unnecessary complexity, even if it means making difficult choices or saying "no" to certain features or functionality.


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