In February 2001, 17 software development practitioners gathered at a ski resort in Utah to solve a common problem in software development: “How can we deliver quality software if what we deliver is already outdated when we present it to our clients?”

Despite having widely varying opinions on the right way to approach software development, the crew agreed on at least one thing: the status quo was not working. There was an increasing need for an alternative to documentation-driven and heavyweight software development processes.

The group named themselves “The Agile Alliance.” Out of their gathering in Utah that winter came The Agile Manifesto, a brief document built on 4 values and 12 principles for agile software development.

It’s important to note that Agile in itself wasn’t born then. Before this, its creators and many other software development practitioners had long been applying various agile values and principles piecemeal. But The Agile Manifesto made these ideas and values tangible and so its use got more widespread. Generally, the writing of the Agile Manifesto is considered the start of the Agile philosophy that has permeated numerous organizations and industries these days.