Agile development is a phrase that it appears no buzzword-compliant software development project can be without. However, it is a proper understanding of the motivation and practices, rather than the buzzword conformance, that makes the actual difference in development.

The concept of agility has differing (mis)interpretations and (ab)uses. Sometimes it is used as a synonym for Extreme Programming. By contrast, others use it to mean a generic notion of something that is not quite Extreme Programming, but may borrow ideas from it. Some developers may label a project agile just based on the occasional use of JUnit. Others may use the label to justify not writing any documentation or not agreeing to scope or delivery dates. To be fair, not all uses of the term are cynical or misguided, but the term has lost some of its potency through dilution.

This session begins by revisiting the motivation for agile development, and goes on to explore the wide-range perspectives that are encompassed by approaches that can claim to be agile, including both technical and non-technical aspects, the relationship between agility and architecture, the effect of skill and attitude, the role of organisation, and the support of practices and tools.