A principle is a fundamental, actionable belief or guiding rule that shapes decision-making and behaviour within an organisation. It serves as a framework for action, ensuring that teams know how to approach their work in alignment with the organisation’s broader goals and values.
Principles provide clarity in dynamic environments. They are not abstract ideals but actionable guides that teams rely on to navigate complexity and uncertainty. For example, the principle of Empiricism encourages teams to make decisions based on evidence and experience, helping to ensure that choices are grounded in real-world data rather than assumptions. Similarly, the principle of Self-Management enables teams to organise themselves, take ownership of their work, and make decisions autonomously, which fosters empowerment and accountability.
Unlike values, which express what an organisation stands for, principles are actionable and directly influence behaviour. For example, the Continuous Improvement principle emphasises the need for teams to reflect on their processes and outcomes, striving to enhance their performance over time. This action-oriented focus ensures that principles don’t just shape what teams care about but also how they execute.
Principles also differ from tenets in that they are not specific doctrines or philosophies; they are guidelines that teams can actively apply to improve their processes. For instance, the principle of Adaptability encourages teams to respond to changing environments, ensuring they remain flexible and resilient.
The long-term value of principles lies in their systemic nature. They provide a stable foundation for decision-making across all levels of the organisation. Whether it’s delivering value to customers, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration, or driving innovation, principles provide a consistent and coherent framework for achieving goals.
In summary, principles are the guiding beliefs that inform decision-making and influence how teams approach their work. They ensure alignment, drive continuous improvement, and enable teams to navigate challenges with confidence. By embedding these principles in the organisation’s culture, teams can adapt to change while staying focused on delivering sustainable value.
The strongest work on Principle — ranked by substance, not recency. How this is ranked
Flow of Value vs Flow of Work – Misnomer or Useful Shorthand?
Compares “flow of value” and “flow of work” in Kanban, explaining why only validated outcomes count as value and stressing the need for …
Rethinking Capacity Planning
Explores how effective capacity planning shifts focus from individual hours to system-level flow, using Lean and Agile principles to improve …
Why “Done” Only Counts When It’s Live: Moving Beyond Fake Finishes to Real Value in Software Delivery
Discover why “done” means live in production, not just code complete. Learn to deliver real value, close feedback loops, and drive outcomes …
Navigating Technical Debt: How to Transform Challenges into Opportunities for Quality and Efficiency
Explains how managing technical debt and distinguishing it from poor quality can boost product efficiency, reduce costs, and support …
Are We Still Pretending Coding Was the Bottleneck?
AI exposes that coding was never the main bottleneck in software delivery; real constraints are in system flow, team practices, and …
Resilience is Part of the Product, Not an Afterthought
Resilience must be designed into products from the start, not added later. Build systems to detect, contain, and recover from failures, …
Delivery is the only Measure of Progress in Scrum
Scrum teams must deliver working software to real users every Sprint; true progress is measured by delivery to production, not just by …
Transforming Engineering Excellence: The Power of Naked Agility in Quality and Leadership
Explores how adopting naked agility boosts engineering excellence, quality, and leadership by addressing technical debt, shifting left, and …
Why Your Definition of Done Is the Secret Weapon for Real Business Impact and Agile Growth
Transform your definition of done into a strategic advantage, deliver real value, reduce risk, and drive business impact with every sprint.
Flow of Value vs Flow of Work – Misnomer or Useful Shorthand?
Compares “flow of value” and “flow of work” in Kanban, explaining why only validated outcomes count as value and stressing the need for …
Rethinking Capacity Planning
Explores how effective capacity planning shifts focus from individual hours to system-level flow, using Lean and Agile principles to improve …
Are We Still Pretending Coding Was the Bottleneck?
AI exposes that coding was never the main bottleneck in software delivery; real constraints are in system flow, team practices, and …
Resilience is Part of the Product, Not an Afterthought
Resilience must be designed into products from the start, not added later. Build systems to detect, contain, and recover from failures, …
Why Measuring Individual Cycle Time is Killing Your Flow (And What to Do Instead)
Measuring individual cycle time in Kanban misleads teams, hides real bottlenecks, and harms flow. Focus on system-wide metrics like PCE, …
Stop Promoting Branches
Explains why promoting code through multiple branches slows delivery, increases risk, and suggests GitHub Flow or Release Flow as simpler, …
Delivery is the only Measure of Progress in Scrum
Scrum teams must deliver working software to real users every Sprint; true progress is measured by delivery to production, not just by …
Risk Mitigation: Agile Usable Products vs Documentation in Traditional Project Management
Compares Agile’s risk mitigation through incremental, usable products with traditional project management’s reliance on documentation, …
Story Points & Velocity are a sign of an unsuccessful team
Explains why relying on story points and velocity signals team immaturity in Scrum, and highlights better ways to build confidence and …
Why “Done” Only Counts When It’s Live: Moving Beyond Fake Finishes to Real Value in Software Delivery
Discover why “done” means live in production, not just code complete. Learn to deliver real value, close feedback loops, and drive outcomes …
Navigating Technical Debt: How to Transform Challenges into Opportunities for Quality and Efficiency
Explains how managing technical debt and distinguishing it from poor quality can boost product efficiency, reduce costs, and support …
Transforming Engineering Excellence: The Power of Naked Agility in Quality and Leadership
Explores how adopting naked agility boosts engineering excellence, quality, and leadership by addressing technical debt, shifting left, and …
Why Your Definition of Done Is the Secret Weapon for Real Business Impact and Agile Growth
Transform your definition of done into a strategic advantage, deliver real value, reduce risk, and drive business impact with every sprint.
Unlocking Legacy Systems: How to Embrace Automation and Drive Innovation
Learn how to automate legacy systems by shifting organisational mindset, adopting DevOps practices, and making incremental improvements to …
Unlocking Sustainable Growth: Why Leadership is the Key to Successful Scaling
Effective scaling depends on strong leadership, empowering teams, removing bottlenecks, and decentralising decisions to enable sustainable …
Why More Teams Won't Speed Up Delivery: The Truth About Scaling Effectively
Adding more teams doesn’t guarantee faster delivery; effective scaling requires reducing dependencies, aligning goals, and minimising …
Unlocking Product Value: Why Real User Feedback is Your Best Asset
Real user feedback is essential in product development to validate assumptions, guide improvements, and ensure your product delivers real …
Transforming Agility: How Azure DevOps Went from Two-Year Releases to 880,000 Deployments
Explores how Azure DevOps shifted from slow, two-year releases to rapid, continuous delivery, highlighting the benefits of fast feedback, …
Kendall Guide - A System of Work for AI Adoption
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
Evidence-Based Portfolio Management
199 resources, newest first
From Control to Collaboration: How Project Managers Can Embrace Agility and Thrive
Explores how project managers can shift from control to collaboration, adopt agile mindsets, embrace uncertainty, and foster team …
Unlocking Team Potential: The Essential Role of a Scrum Master in Agile Success
Explains how a Scrum Master empowers Agile teams by bridging business, technical, and organisational needs to boost effectiveness, …
#1 tip for a new Scrum Master
New Scrum Masters should start by thoroughly reading the Scrum Guide to understand Scrum principles, roles, and practices, forming a strong …
Redefining the Scrum Master: From Misconceptions to Empowering Leadership
Explores common misconceptions about the Scrum Master role, highlighting the shift from tool admin to empowering leader who fosters team …
Worst agile advice you've ever heard?
Highlights why rigid rules in Agile and Scrum, like mandatory stand-ups, undermine flexibility and inclusivity, stressing the importance of …
Mastering the Art of Product Ownership: Balancing Innovation, Customer Needs, and Team Dynamics
Explores how product owners balance innovation, customer needs, and team collaboration, with insights on hypothesis-driven engineering and …
Celebrating Jernimo Palacios: A Beacon of Mentorship and Community in Agile Practices
Highlights the impact of Jernimo Palacios on agile practices through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and community building, emphasising …
Embracing Hierarchies of Competence: How Respect and Expertise Transform Workplaces
Explores how valuing expertise and respect over authority fosters collaboration, continuous learning, and better outcomes in modern …
Why I love heirarchies of competence
Explores how competence-based hierarchies foster effective leadership and decision-making by valuing expertise over authority, leading to …
Why Agile Success Lies in Principles, Not Tools: A Shift in Focus
Agile success depends on core principles like adaptability and collaboration, not just tools or frameworks. Focusing on principles leads to …
Unlocking Value in DevOps: My Role as a Consultant in Driving Change and Overcoming Bottlenecks
Explains how a DevOps consultant identifies and resolves technical and process bottlenecks, driving continuous improvement and value …
Beyond the Rituals: Embracing the Core Principles of Scrum for True Agile Success
Explores how focusing on Scrum’s core principles, empiricism, transparency, and value delivery, leads to true agile success, beyond just …
Redefining the Scrum Master: From Boss to Empowering Facilitator
Explains how effective Scrum Masters empower teams through facilitation, support, and coaching, moving away from authority and …
What is Your Peeve in DevOps
Explores common DevOps frustrations, debunks the myth that continuous delivery is unattainable, and highlights the importance of empowering …
Empowering Agile Teams: The Transformative Power of Teaching the "Why"
Explores how teaching the reasons behind Agile practices boosts team engagement, collaboration, and continuous improvement, helping teams …
Worst trait in unskilled scrum masters?
Highlights the most damaging traits of unskilled Scrum Masters, such as micromanagement and bossiness, and contrasts them with effective, …
One critical skill for a Scrum Master and why?
Teaching is the key skill for Scrum Masters, enabling teams to understand Agile principles, embrace change, and achieve deeper engagement …
Is a scrum master an agile micromanager?
A Scrum Master empowers teams by facilitating, mentoring, and supporting, not micromanaging, fostering trust, collaboration, and continuous …
Unlocking the True Potential of Scrum: Why Professionalism Matters in Agile Teams
Explores how true professionalism in Scrum enables Agile teams to deliver production-ready products, highlighting the importance of …
Would you recommend the APS course to a newbie scrum team, and Why?
Explains why the Agile Practitioner Series course is ideal for new Scrum teams, focusing on practical Scrum skills, organisational change, …
Transforming Training: How Immersive Learning and DevOps Drive Real Value in Organisations
Explores how immersive learning and DevOps practices improve training effectiveness, boost knowledge retention, and deliver real value for …
Why do you think that 4 half days is a better format than 2 full days?
Explains why spreading training over four half-days improves learning, retention, and application compared to two full days, highlighting …
What is your best advice for becoming a Scrum Master outside software engineering?
Practical guidance on becoming a Scrum Master outside software, covering certification, skill development, validated learning, and applying …
What is the most common Aha moment people have in a scrum course?
Most people in scrum courses realise the true value of empiricism and purpose behind scrum’s events and artefacts, shifting from rote …
From Developer to Agile Advocate: How My Journey Unveiled the Power of Scrum and DevOps
A personal account of moving from traditional project management to Agile, highlighting lessons learned with Scrum and DevOps to improve …
If you could teach just one thing about Scrum, what would it be?
The most important aspect of Scrum is empiricism, using transparency, inspection, and adaptation to navigate complexity and drive effective …
Why do you think the PSU course has become so popular for product development?
The PSU course bridges the gap in product development by integrating user experience and design into Scrum, enabling teams to deliver more …
What is a common mistake made by rookie agile consultants?
Rookie agile consultants often mistake strict adherence to frameworks like Scrum for success, overlooking the need for context, team buy-in, …
Why are recessions a great time for organizations to evaluate the opportunity of agile?
Explains why recessions are ideal for organisations to adopt agile, highlighting adaptability, rapid learning, and customer-focused growth …
What is the hardest part of working with a brand-new scrum team?
The biggest challenge with new scrum teams is overcoming misconceptions about scrum and shifting focus from process mechanics to core agile …