Why can Agile only apply to Software Development?

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that it is difficult to get the notion across that Agile is not limited to development of software. In Agile communities people seem to be extremely focused on development of software, preferably a web application.

I have always worked in ways which are Agile in value, mechanisms and effect. But they are applicable to development of anything, from systems including hardware to businesses and enterprises as a whole.

When I met Ken Schwaber in September 2007 we talked about his new book, “Scrum and the Enterprise”. I immediately recognized some of the patterns he seemed to paint. Or maybe the patterns matched what I had been looking for.

However, Ken seems to have had the same problem that I seem to face, when I talk to agilists about a broader perspective of Agile. Or maybe that is “out of scope” of Agile…