a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty class·i·fic·at·ion

First Principal: Anchoring Agile Decisions in Immutable Truths

Foundational truths that anchor decision-making, validate practices, and define professional boundaries across complexity, delivery, and organisational change.

Foundational, non-derivable truths that anchor strategy, guide system design, and define the boundaries of professional practice.

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https://nkdagility.com/resources/first-principal/

Overview

A First Principle is an irreducible truth. It is not a heuristic, value, or belief. It is a foundational constraint on how complex systems behave, adapt, and deliver value.

First principles are not negotiable. They define the baseline of professional conduct in software delivery, product development, and organisational agility. If a practice violates a first principle, it is not contextually inappropriate — it is fundamentally wrong.

First principles are not what you believe. They are what is true — whether you believe it or not.

Why it Matters

Most Agile, Lean, and DevOps failures come from local optimisation, dogma, or blind mimicry. First principles provide a reference point to:

They enable coherence across roles, domains, and frameworks by framing what must be preserved regardless of tooling, domain, or context.

Characteristics

AttributeDescription
Non-DerivableCannot be deduced from other ideas. They stand on their own.
Domain-IndependentApply across all disciplines of delivery — from code to culture.
ImmutableDo not change with trends, tools, or roles.
ConstrainingDefine the edge of professionalism; crossing them is not a style choice.

These are not aspirational ideals. They are constraints you violate at your peril.

How It Differs From Principle

Principles are useful, contextual, and adaptable. First Principles are required, foundational, and absolute.

If a principle is optional, flexible, or advisory — it’s not a first principle.

Why This Is Useful for Teams

Scrum Teams, Product Owners, and Engineering Leaders use first principles to:

When you work from first principles, you don’t need to memorise rules. You reason from truth.

Learn More about First Principal

Tags

Competence

Competence is a first principle that demands continuous development and demonstrable capability. It is the foundation of professionalism—without it, there can be no trust, no quality, and no real progress.

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