Agile has lost its spark.
Gabor Stramb
On the mission to help 10,000 People Pass CAPM/PMP by 1st Try ?? | Available for 1:1 Coaching | Best Practice Into Action
What once drove innovation is now mired in superficial processes and empty rituals, stripping teams of the creativity and agility that defined its early days. I’ve seen this decline firsthand.
As Agile gained traction after its debut in 2001, it became a buzzword.
Large companies started packaging it into rigid frameworks, certifications, and methodologies, often losing sight of Agile’s core values of flexibility, collaboration, and craftsmanship.
By 2008, I witnessed Agile morphing into a cumbersome, process-heavy approach, more focused on ticking boxes than solving real customer problems.
That’s when I decided to step back and reassess, leading me back to lean principles. After all, Agile was inspired by lean, so why not return to the roots?
Agile was never just about delivering features faster; it was about creating sustainable, scalable products that provide long-term value to customers.
On my journey/experience back to the basics, I discovered something even more crucial.
Building great products isn’t just about the software or design; it’s about honing the skills of the people behind them.
The lean mantra captures it perfectly: “build people before you build products.”
Companies thrive or falter based on the everyday decisions of everyone, not just the leaders.
When individuals continuously improve their judgment, refine their craft, and find smarter solutions, the results are clear: better products, better decisions, and a company that truly excels.
Do you share this sentiment? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.??
#agile
#projectmanagement
Senior Scrum Master & Agile Coach
5 个月You bring up an interesting point! It does feel like Agile has become more of a checkbox for some organizations than a mindset. Do you think there’s a way to bring back that original flexibility and creativity?
Strategic thinking in business,public sector and non-profit organisations.Managing corporate finances, Project Management, Research, University Lecturer
5 个月Hi Gabor, you have succinctly stated a seemingly widespread concerns regarding agile losing its pomp and pageantry. Your postulation must ignite a call to action by project professionals and stakeholders to bring back those key principles of flexibility, collaboration, and customer centric approach to developing project results, services and outcomes. Thank you very much.
Consultant/Project Leader
5 个月I am never one to be overly enamored with the 'new shiney things'. Folks would become evangelical when talking about agile, using all the new buzz words and I was like 'so what', That would irritate them.
Hindernisse sind nicht IM Weg - Hindernisse sind DER Weg
5 个月Hi Gabor, I totally agree with you. Curiously, I stumbled over the book "Clean agile", which addresses this issue and hinted me to https://manifesto.softwarecraftsmanship.org/ I recommend the book as a must-read!
IT Specialist | Internal Revenue Service | PMP, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+
5 个月“Stick to process” does defeat the point.