The story of the word “agile” started exactly 17 years ago when 17 practitioners met in Utah and drafted the famous Manifesto for Agile Software Development. That was the turning point and turned the IT industry completely upside down. Ever since it spreaded across various sectors.

Surprisingly, this small gathering turned out to be a global earthquake of the way we see the world we live in. From finance to business to organizations, “agile” is everywhere now. The downside of this revolution is that the word “agile“ is now an adjective used and overused and abused everywhere as well. By becoming mainstream, some shortcuts were taken to expand it to mass adoption and its original flavor was diluted along the way.

LOST IN AGILITY

Over the years many communities emerged, gathering specialists around the new trending methods and games that are created every year. Around ZĂŒrich, a dozen of groups coexist around the same subject, “uncovering better ways of [working] by doing it and helping others do it“, as a tweak to the introduction of the manifesto.

One can easily be lost into the multiplication of new names and subgroups. Especially when you are new to agility. Where to start? Where to meet practitioners?

We miss a place to gather all together, to open the stage to newcomers, to share anecdotes and challenges. To freely talk about “agile”. To get back to the roots sometimes or to launch crazy ideas!

An open space is definitely needed.

Inspired by the successes of the strong Agile Tour communities around the globe... let’s launch Agile ZĂŒrich!!

OPEN SOURCE

Like open source software that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance, Agile ZĂŒrich is an open source community. It is especially open for all. From any industry. From beginners to advanced practitioners, from curious minds to established professionals, from skepticals to believers
 Agile ZĂŒrich intents to make people share.

And because it is always better to start early, its membership is free for students, as well as for unemployed people.

BY AND FOR THE COMMUNITY

No company nor person owns it, it belongs to its members and intents to evolve through the years, based on its members’ actions.

Agile ZĂŒrich is also not for profit so every cent is spent to make it live, to bring value to the community.

SHARING AND LEARNING TOGETHER

Agile ZĂŒrich is not about preaching “agile” either, it is about sharing stories and learning techniques to face the complexity of the world. No one is right here, and no one is wrong either.


“At Agile ZĂŒrich, we are uncovering better ways of working by doing it and helping others do it.”

Join the group now and start sharing your thoughts! We’ll post the date of the first gathering soon, so let’s keep in touch!

Also, follow Agile Zürich on Twitter.