In 30 seconds
- Four principles, no prescribed practices.
- Make people awesome; make safety a prerequisite.
- Experiment and learn rapidly; deliver value continuously.
The four principles
- Make people awesome: customers, users and the team itself.
- Make safety a prerequisite: psychological and practical safety come first.
- Experiment and learn rapidly: small, safe experiments over big bets.
- Deliver value continuously: small, frequent value instead of big releases.
Origins
Joshua Kerievsky introduced Modern Agile in 2016, arguing that many teams had got lost in framework mechanics and needed a simpler compass.
How to use it
Treat the four principles as tiebreakers, much like the agile values. When choosing a practice, ask whether it makes people more awesome, keeps them safe, speeds learning, or delivers value sooner.
Myth vs reality
Myth · Modern Agile replaces the Agile Manifesto.
Reality · It's a fresh lens, not a replacement.
Myth · Without practices, it's too vague.
Reality · Teams pick practices that serve the principles.
Myth · Safety means avoiding risk.
Reality · It means making experiments safe to fail.
FAQ
Is Modern Agile a framework?
No; it's a set of guiding principles.
Can Scrum teams use it?
Yes, as a check on whether their practices still serve them.
What does safety cover?
Psychological safety plus avoiding harm to users and the business.