Agile project management is built on four core values and twelve principles from the Agile Manifesto (2001). Here are the essential pillars you should know:

1. Iterative Delivery Work is broken into short sprints (typically 1–4 weeks), delivering working increments at the end of each cycle rather than waiting for a complete final product.

2. Customer Collaboration Continuous stakeholder involvement is prioritized over contract negotiation. Regular demos and feedback loops ensure the product evolves with real user needs.

3. Responding to Change Agile embraces changing requirements, even late in the project. Backlog refinement allows teams to reprioritize continuously.

4. Cross-functional Teams Self-organizing teams with combined skills (dev, design, BA, QA) work together without rigid silos — increasing speed and accountability.

Great follow-up question! The choice between Agile and Waterfall depends on your project's nature and constraints.

Waterfall works best when:

• Requirements are well-defined and unlikely to change
• The project has regulatory/compliance requirements that need extensive documentation
• You're working with fixed budgets and deadlines where scope is non-negotiable

Agile is preferable when:

• Requirements are expected to evolve based on user feedback
• Time-to-market is critical and incremental delivery adds value
• The team can work closely with stakeholders throughout the project

Many organizations now use Hybrid approaches — combining Waterfall's structured planning for governance with Agile's iterative delivery for execution.