The term agile manifesto refers to a set of guiding principles that promote adaptive planning, iterative development, and flexible responses to change in the context of software development. Introduced in 2001, the manifesto emphasizes individuals and interactions over processes, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. It is the foundation of various agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, aiming to enhance product quality and accelerate delivery timelines.