Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear is a lightweight [agile] software development methodology designed for small, co-located teams of up to eight people working on non-life-critical systems. It was created by Alistair Cockburn and is the smallest and most accessible variant within the broader Crystal Methods family, the heaviest variant being Maroon/Diamond.

Crystal Clear places heavy emphasis on human communication over formal process. Its most distinctive concept is osmotic communication: the idea that in a co-located team, information flows naturally between members through ambient conversation, without requiring explicit meetings or documentation.

Other core properties include frequent delivery of working software, reflective improvement (regular retrospectives), personal safety (an environment in which team members can speak freely), and easy access to real users throughout development.

Crystal Clear was developed around the same time that Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber were working on Scrum. However, the Crystal Methods have not gained as much widespread adoption as Scrum, and Crystal Clear remains a niche approach within the agile community.