Episode 30: The ski lodge meeting that reshaped how the world codes and grows.

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For our 30th episode, we wanted to go big. Today, we’re breaking down the backbone of JumpSeat, our agency-wide approach to Agile GTM Sprints.

In early 2001, 17 software developers from different corners of the industry gathered at a ski lodge in Snowbird, Utah.

Many had no formal or prior ties; in fact, many were even competitors, representing approaches like Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, DSDM, Adaptive Software Development, and Crystal Clear.

But they shared a frustration:

Software projects were too slow, too rigid, and too bogged down in process. Teams were drowning in documentation, endless planning phases, and heavyweight approvals, all while customers’ needs changed faster than the software could ship.

The Shared Realization

For years, software development had been trapped in boardrooms.

Projects dragged on for months, sometimes years, under the weight of thick binders, rigid plans, and endless sign-offs. Teams shipped documentation instead of working software. Customers waited while the world moved on.

Many people might see rebels in hoodies in their minds, but they were anything but. They were seasoned practitioners. Veterans who had lived through waterfall’s molasses pace. And they’d had enough.

So they skied. They talked. They argued.

And somewhere between the slopes and the lodge, something clicked.

A manifesto took shape. Four values. Twelve principles. A spark that would set off a movement.