Agile Publishing - Even late changes in requirements are welcomed

Even late changes in requirements are welcomed -- Principle Number 4 of the Agile Software Development approach . What does this mean for an Agile Publisher?

As the publishing world changes to include more and diverse assets in a publication, we introduce the possibility (or even probability) that changes will occur during the product development life-cycle. These could be as simple as changes in artwork or as complex as an overhaul in related assets.

One of the significant features of the iterative nature of Agile development is that the stakeholders (client reps) can see if the product is taking shape as was expected. If not, changes are not only possible, but encouraged, at just about any point in the development cycle. This same benefit obtains for changes to the underlying business model -- should the market conditions for the product change, we can respond to these changes.

Retaining this ability to accept changes to the requirements, no matter when they occur in the development cycle is a pre-eminant feature of Agile and applies equally to Agile publishing as it does to Agile software development.