Abid Quereshi on No Such Thing as the Agile Manifesto

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Dec 3, 2025

Join Agile and XP coach Abid Qureshi as he delves into the misconceptions surrounding the Agile movement. He argues that the Agile Manifesto is misleading and highlights the evolution from lightweight methods to cumbersome processes. Abid emphasizes the importance of reducing the cost of change through technical excellence and modern practices. He critiques academia for still teaching outdated models like Waterfall and advocates for innovation in software education. Discover how non-technical voices can bring valuable insights to Agile teams.

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INSIGHT

Manifesto Is About Software Development

The Manifesto's subject is software development, not "Agile" as a standalone noun.
Abid Qureshi urges reclaiming it as a manifesto for software development to refocus intent.

INSIGHT

OOP And Tech Drove Early Agility

Early agile grew directly from object-oriented advances that enabled close collaboration.
Abid links OOP, automated tests and CI to the movement's technical foundations.

ADVICE

Understand Then Distill Processes

Learn heavyweight processes before criticizing them so you can argue from understanding.
Study and then distill templates to fit your unique context instead of copying them wholesale.

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In this Mob Mentality Show episode, we sit down with Abid Qureshi for a candid and eye-opening look at what Agile Software Development was meant to be versus what the industry turned it into. If you’ve ever wondered why “Agile” feels bloated today, why teams still struggle to adapt quickly, or why universities are still teaching outdated models like Waterfall, this conversation will hit home.

Abid shares his perspective on why the original movement focused on lightweight methods, experimentation, and uncovering better ways of developing software. He explains how the software industry drifted toward heavyweight processes and off-the-shelf frameworks, and what gets lost when organizations treat Agile as a set of fixed best practices (independent of a code context) instead of an ever evolving software craft. He also challenges long-held assumptions about technical excellence, design, and the true sources of agility in modern software development.

We dig into:
- The contrast between early agile software development and what “Agile” represents today.
- Why the title “Agile Manifesto” is misleading and what the document was actually about.
- How advances in technology, object-oriented programming, automated testing, and continuous integration made genuine agility possible.
- Why real adaptability comes from reducing the cost of change, not adding more process.
- The danger of scaling up bureaucracy instead of scaling down and improving engineering practices.
- How non-technical contributors sometimes unlock unconventional, high-value ideas that technical experts overlook.
- Why many higher education programs still teach waterfall-style thinking and how that hurts new developers entering the industry.
- The missed opportunity for universities to lead innovation in software development instead of echoing outdated industry norms.

If you care about XP, Lean thinking, software craftsmanship, technical excellence, or getting back to the heart of agility, this episode offers a practical and refreshing reset. Abid’s stories and insights challenge the assumptions that hold teams back and point toward a more grounded, engineering-driven approach to modern software development.

Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/nJI-veSJdkQ