Robert Cecil Martin, colloquially called "Uncle Bob", is an American software engineer, instructor, and author. He is most recognized for promoting many software design principles and for being an author and signatory of the influential Agile Manifesto.

Agile software development is the mindset for developing software that derives from values agreed upon by The Agile Alliance, a group of 17 software practitioners in 2001. As documented in their Manifesto for Agile Software Development the practitioners value:Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan