Agile is...
If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character…Would you slow down? Or speed up?
~ Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
Recently (and I’m quite late to the conversation), there has been a growing murmur within certain circles claiming, “Agile is dead” (well, in reality the conversation started years ago). The reasoning behind this statement often points to over-commercialization, the dilution of core principles, and the rise of trendy new methodologies like SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework, or as Martin Fowler puts it, Shitty Agile For Enterprises). Critics say that agile has lost its original edge, been reduced to a bureaucratic checklist, or simply outlived its usefulness.
agile: A Philosophy, Not a Product
One of the primary misunderstandings that fuels the “Agile is dead” narrative is the misconception that agile is a rigid methodology. Agile was never intended to be a one-size-fits-all product. Instead, agile is a mindset — a set of values and principles , outlined in the Agile Manifesto, that emphasize adaptability, collaboration, and customer-centric delivery.
It’s easy to misinterpret agile as a framework, like Scrum or Kanban (the latter being more related to lean than agile). But these frameworks are merely implementations of a view on how to deliver agile projects, not agile itself. Just as agile adapted and evolved from earlier methodologies (like Waterfall), it is more than capable of evolving again to meet modern challenges.
If agile is a philosophy, then it’s about the way we think about and approach work.
Philosophies don’t “die” — they evolve, shift, and adapt. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing today.
“Agile is not a noun, is not something you can buy. Agile is something you are, something you become”
As Dave Thomas, one of the original signers of the Agile Manifesto, puts it: “Agile is not a noun. Agile is not something you can buy. Agile is something you are, something you become.”
Many organizations focus on agile rituals but miss its core values. This leads to “zombie Agile”—going through the motions without understanding the purpose. Agile is failing because we are misusing an adverb/verb and shoehorning it into a noun.
This highlights the core of the “agile problem”—it’s not about ways of working, processes and practices, it’s about moving with effortless grace.
The real power lies in agility—the verb, not the noun.
If you are struggling with your agility, you are caught up in a noun, I’ll be happy to help you and your team move with effortless grace again.
Book your free consultation today and let’s tackle your challenges head on !