Let’s be real: If Agile were a movie, this value would be the opening scene. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. Not exactly a tagline that sells popcorn, but stick with me.
It’s easy to misread it, like Agile’s secretly telling us, “Forget tools! Gossip at the water cooler until progress magically happens!”
Nope. It’s a lot deeper (and a lot more important) than that.
The Real Message
Tools are great. Processes are helpful. But people (the messy, brilliant, frustrating humans) are the engine.
Your Jira board isn’t going to save a sinking project. Your daily standup tool won’t repair trust issues. What actually drives success is a team that talks, listens, and adapts.
Agile’s first value reminds us: Tools and processes exist to support humans, not to replace them.
A Cautionary Tale: The Tech Titans
Once upon a time, I coached a team I’ll call the Tech Titans (because calling them the Tool Tyrants felt meaner than necessary).
They had every shiny tool under the sun. A workflow for everything – including scheduled coffee breaks (no, seriously). At first? Everything looked amazing. But slowly, the wheels fell off.
Deadlines missed. Quality dipped. Morale tanked. Why?
Because while the Titans worshipped their tools and processes, they forgot about each other.
No open conversations. No trust. No real collaboration. Just perfectly formatted reports documenting their slow-motion crash.
We hit reset. Less process worship, more human connection. Team huddles. Honest conversations. Real laughter (even without mandatory coffee protocols).
The result? They got their mojo back. Deadlines met. Quality soared. Coffee tasted better somehow.
The Real Takeaway
Processes and tools aren’t evil. But if they’re running the show instead of the people, you’re not Agile, you’re just busy.
The first value of the Agile Manifesto isn’t optional. It’s the oxygen mask. People first, then process.
So next time you’re knee-deep in workflows and new tech, stop and ask:
- Are people talking?
- Are people trusting?
- Are people building something together?
If yes? You’re doing it right.
If not? Maybe it’s time to put the tool catalog down and go find your people.