Agile is not dead, it's the new that is killing us.

I want to push back against all the so-called experts proclaiming that Agile is dead. Honestly, it’s starting to wear me out. Right now, I’m coaching at a large organization that is only just beginning its agile journey. Using frameworks like Scrum and Kanban is effective, but they require significant guidance. Much of this is new to the teams, and slowly people are beginning to realize that adopting new ways of communicating and working could actually be a good idea. I know many colleagues experiencing the same thing. There are still countless organizations taking their first tentative steps into agile, even though the philosophy was articulated back in 2001. Agile is far from dead—it hasn’t even been fully brought to life in many places yet. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater now would be a real shame.

I get the impression that the experts claiming agile is dead are themselves a bit dead inside. I can understand that, though. Delivering Scrum training year after year and sticking to the same principles can become monotonous. People want to feel challenged, to climb back on top of the innovation ladder with a shiny new model or framework. But it seems to me that many of these experts are doing this primarily for their own benefit. After all, the bills need to be paid, and announcing that something is outdated and needs to be replaced—especially with a model you’ve created yourself—is a tempting path to take.

Does this mean we should blindly follow agile principles and practices without question? Of course not. Agile itself, along with the frameworks it encompasses, evolves and adapts. But growth doesn’t mean abandoning the foundation entirely. Instead, adapt it where needed, refine it, and give it a fair chance to succeed. I’ve seen frameworks like Scrum and Kanban become enriched with influences from surrounding methodologies. Organizations are discovering new ways of communicating and working based on these existing models. People don’t want to be bombarded with a new framework every year. And frankly, we coaches and trainers are tired of taking yet another certification exam every year just to boast a certificate with a higher version number. We’re perfectly capable of updating our material based on real-world experiences and insights. Stop reinventing the wheel every chance you get. That’s what makes agile feel stagnant and overcomplicated. It’s not the frameworks themselves; it’s the constant need to churn out "the next big thing."

Artificial intelligence is the latest trend, and many of us are experimenting with it and integrating it into our work. Suddenly, new AI-based frameworks are popping up everywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them were actually designed by ChatGPT. The key principle to remember is that AI should never replace the human element. It needs to be fed with real information from real situations and should never make decisions for us. That still aligns with agile principles: people over tools. Tools like ChatGPT are already making their way into Scrum teams, helping to draft user stories or articulate visions. And they’re great for that! But the human remains central. We don’t need a brand-new way of thinking or working to accommodate AI. Sure, AI sells well, and people are capitalizing on it, which is fine. I do it too. But I’m not claiming that the existing models are suddenly inadequate or outdated.

Agile is not dead or dying—it just needs some fresh energy. Often, it simply needs to be explained well and treated as a means to an end, not the end itself. When I hear phrases like “we need to work Agile” or “let’s do a bit of Scrum,” I get frustrated. These statements often come from beginners in change management or coaches still at the start of their own journey. I don’t know what the future holds. Maybe I’ll be replaced by a coaching robot or an "ErwinGPT" system. Who knows? But until then, we should focus on what we already have, on what works, and on where we can improve or adapt. The bathwater is still warm—it doesn’t need replacing. Our ways of working can evolve, be enriched, and be refined without being discarded altogether.

At the end of the day, people remain more important than processes or tools. Somewhere in all this noise, the customer or end-user has been pushed to the background. Let’s bring them back to the forefront, where they belong. Stop trying to be heroes by repackaging old ideas with new buzzwords. Agile isn’t dead. It’s just waiting for us to use it wisely and with courage.