Agile Value- Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation

There were times when service providers used to negotiate with the customer for what services shall be provide and what not. There were all permutations and combinations done and finally both the party signs the contracts. The contracts has all the details right from what requirement going to be delivered to contract about how to handle changes. Any changes that comes later to the contract negotiation goes through a big bureaucratic process to ensure that each part project each other better. One of the important value of Agility is that there is a contract but rather than negotiating on the contract there is more and more collaboration with the customer . There are cases which we have come across where there are teams to which the customer says “ I don’t want the requirement as of now”, there is reply from the team that “ It is mentioned in the contract so we will deliver. After delivering we will take up change requirement”. This a good example of “waste”. An Agile team focus on delivering value and focus more on collaborating with the customer.