Agile Alliance

Agile Sustainability Manifesto

The Agile Sustainability Initiative is an effort to create awareness about sustainability within the Agile community and explore how Agile can contribute to a more sustainable future.

We recognize the critical role Agile can play in building a sustainable and resilient world. We believe by embracing Agile values and principles and by evolving our practices, we can address the complex challenges facing our society, economy, and environment.

Inspired by the Agile Manifesto and the contributions of Agile Alliance members, we are uncovering better ways of working by doing it and helping others do it. Acknowledging, that the following Agile Sustainability Manifesto will change as we all learn over time, we have come to value:

The Agile Sustainability Manifesto

1. People & Planet over Profit

We prioritize the well-being of place (ecosystem services and biodiversity) and people (individuals, communities, and future generations) over short-term financial gains, fostering a regenerative and equitable world.

2. Adaptability over Rigidity

We embrace change as an opportunity for growth, resilience, and sustainability, valuing adaptability over rigid plans and structures. Being adaptable to changing conditions is a key skill in the face of climate change.

3. Abundance over Scarcity

We recognize that global challenges require cultivating cooperative relationships and collaborative efforts, and we commit to working together across boundaries to find sustainable solutions and most importantly put them into practice. #BetterTogether. We advocate for open and transparent communication to build trust, share knowledge, and address sustainability issues honestly.

4. Value over Consumption

We strive to reduce the consumption of energy, materials, and transport in all that we do, with the courage to ruthlessly prioritize value and advocate for responsible resource use and mindful consumption on our finite planet with the pursuit of regeneration across all our stakeholders.

The Agile Sustainability Principles

  1. Sustainable Practices: We pledge to incorporate sustainable practices into all aspects of our work, seeking to minimize environmental impact and promote ecological balance.
  1. Embrace and Respond to Global Challenges: We welcome the ever-evolving challenges posed by climate change, social inequality, and environmental degradation as opportunities to innovate and drive sustainable change.
  1. Deliver Sustainable Value Frequently: We commit to delivering sustainable solutions incrementally, with a preference to shorter timescales, to address urgent and long-term sustainability issues. Infusing and shortening feedback loops to rapidly assess to either pivot or pPersevere.
  1. Collaborate with Diverse Stakeholders: We actively engage with diverse stakeholders, including communities, governments, and organizations, to co-create sustainable solutions that benefit all.
  1. Empower Agile Sustainability Leaders: We nurture a new generation of Agile Sustainability leaders who champion ethical, equitable, and environmentally responsible practices.
  1. Support Academic Adoption of Agile Sustainability: We encourage the integration of Agile Sustainability principles into academic curricula to educate future generations about the importance of sustainable development.
  1. Innovate for the Well-being of Society and the Environment: We explore how Agile can be a force for positive social and environmental impact, striving for innovative solutions that improve lives (beyond just anthropocentric) and ecosystems.
  1. Evolve Agile for Modern Sustainability Needs: We adapt Agile practices to meet the evolving needs of a sustainable world, continually improving our practices to create a better tomorrow. Leaving the place better than how we found it.

By embracing the Agile Sustainability Manifesto, we commit to using Agile principles to address the urgent challenges of our time, striving for a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous world for current and future generations. Together, we can build a resilient and harmonious future that prioritizes human well-being, adaptability, collaboration, and transparency in the pursuit of sustainable development.

– Ines Garcia, Jutta Eckstein, and  Maryse Meinen

©2023 – The Sustainability Manifesto Authors

This declaration may be freely copied in any form, but only in its entirety through this notice, and with a link back to this page.

Every act matters, and everyone has something to contribute to creating a nature-positive and regenerative society. So, roll up your sleeves!

Sign the Manifesto and join the tribe!

Independent Signatories of the Agile Sustainability Manifesto

As an Agile professional, I commit to the above and strive to break free from complacency and the status quo to help each individual, team, organization, product and community to evolve and confront the biggest challenge our species has faced to date.

List here in 3 columns ppls names

[for this to happen we could:

  • add 1 checkbox in the current ‘join the tribe’ form so then on we as explicit ‘optin’ for name to be added
  • 1 permission pass email to who has ‘join the tribe’ already asking explicit consent to be added]

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