Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
– Agile Principle #5
The fifth Agile Principle focuses on the project team and emphasizes the importance of trust, support and motivation. By following this agile principle you will encourage:
Productive and cost-efficient project execution: Motivating people goes a long way to successfully executing your agile projects in the most productive and cost-efficient manner possible. In an agile environment, superior technical knowledge is not enough of a prerequisite for a successful team. Team members must also be motivated to help not only the team and the project succeed, but also the organization as a whole. With individuals who are enthusiastic team players who are able and willing to explore other areas of expertise (cross-functionality), a development team will have the main ingredients in the recipe for successful project execution.
Motivated and self-organized teams: Helping to motivate individuals on a development team is part of the basic agile philosophy. You can maximize this motivation by letting the team be self-organizing and self-controlling. Team members are much more stimulated about a job when they understand that their input is welcome and valued. Self-organizing development team members select the specific tasks they would like to work on, instead of being dictated what specific tasks they have to work on (which is micro-management). When development team members get to choose their own tasks, the end result is maximum quality, creativity and team member collaboration. The productivity of the team as well as the quality and value of the delivered product increases exponentially.
