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Dave Thomas was going back through his notes about the meeting in which the Agile Manifesto was crafted and found some real gems. It reminded me of a topic I've been meaning to blog about for some time.

The next time an acolyte of some methodology or another tries to force you into their favorite practice, "Because It's Agile!", ask them to show you, in the manifesto, the exact line.

You'll find some bits about constant communication, not pair programming, or any other specific practice. And there are many ways to accomplish constant communication, not just one.

Don't missunderstand. To continue on with this example, you ~should~ know what pair programming is, how to use it, and practice it from time to time. I use and enjoy pair programming. But you should never limit yourself to just the one tool.

Check out Dave's blog... then go read the entire Agile Manifesto. If you like it, go sign it

When you're done, look at your shop's pain points. The things that've been slowing down today and this week. (What are people complaining about over lunch?) See if you can't change something in the shop to reduce or remove the pain... add a process, drop a process... try a tool.

You know... observe... learn... adjust. Be Agile.