The Agile Enterprise: A Case for Ethical Memory in Agile Product and Project Delivery

  Agile   Ethics   Leadership  

Ethical memory is essential for modern Agile and project‑delivery professionals, especially when acknowledging the origins of the practices they use daily. Commercial failure is not the same as irrelevance, noting that “Agile practices we use every day…did not spring from nowhere in 2001,” and that ethical storytelling requires crediting pioneers whose ideas shaped today’s frameworks even if their ventures did not succeed commercially.

Through three major case studies—General Magic, Extreme Programming (XP), and the Agile Manufacturing Forum—the presentation illustrates how breakthrough innovations often came from organizations that never achieved market success. For example, the Agile Manufacturing Forum articulated Enterprise Agility ten years before the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. In each case, the deck applies PMI’s ethical values to show how practitioners can correct historical half‑truths by acknowledging the real originators rather than only the later promoters.
The presentation concludes that ethical memory is a professional responsibility: practitioners must accurately represent the lineage of Agile practices, credit the people history forgot, and ensure that Enterprise Agility is grounded in truth rather than popularity. This ethical approach strengthens professional integrity and aligns Agile adoption with PMI’s values.
The webinar is based on the author's 40 years of experience with product development as a Product Manager, Software Development Manager, Scrum Master and Senior Project Manager. The webinar will conclude with a comprehensive Q&A session.

• Recognize the ethical importance of accurately crediting the origins and pioneers of Agile and Enterprise Agility practices.
• Examine how innovations from General Magic, Extreme Programming (XP), and the Agile Manufacturing Forum influenced modern Agile approaches.
• Apply PMI ethical values to promote truthful storytelling and professional integrity when discussing Agile history and practice.