Is Agile Really Broken, or Are We Doing It Wrong? ??

?? Every few months, I hear someone say:

“Agile is broken.”

“Scrum is just endless meetings.”

“We tried Agile, but it didn’t work for us.”

And every time, I wonder: Is Agile the problem, or are we just doing it wrong?

Agile was designed to make teams more adaptive, collaborative, and customer-focused. Yet, many teams struggle, feeling bogged down by processes that were supposed to set them free. So, where is it all going wrong?

?? Agile Was Supposed to Set Us Free… But Here We Are

Let’s talk about some of the common ways Agile gets derailed:

?? Fake Agile (a.k.a. "Agile Theater") Some organizations slap Agile terminology onto old-school processes without embracing its core values. If your team is still following rigid workflows, prioritizing documentation over collaboration, and treating stand-ups as status meetings—guess what? That’s not Agile. That’s just waterfall in disguise.

?? Tool-Driven Chaos Jira, Azure DevOps —great tools, but they’re meant to enable Agile, not define it. When teams focus more on managing tickets than actual collaboration and delivery, we lose sight of what Agile is supposed to accomplish. Tools should support people, not replace Agile thinking.

?? Lack of Executive Buy-In Many leaders expect Agile to deliver fast, predictable results, but they still want rigid roadmaps and exact delivery dates (just like Waterfall). Without leadership support for incremental delivery, adaptability, and team autonomy, Agile will never reach its full potential.

?? Cargo Cult Agile Just because Google, Spotify, or Netflix use Agile their way doesn’t mean blindly copying their approach will work for everyone. Every industry, team structure, and company culture is different. Agile frameworks should be adapted, not blindly adopted.

?? So, What Does "Doing Agile Right" Look Like?

After managing Agile teams in logistics, 3PL, and restaurant tech, I’ve seen Agile work when done right. Here’s what actually makes a difference:

? Agile Should Fit the Business, Not the Other Way Around A logistics tech team operates differently from a SaaS startup. Instead of forcing one-size-fits-all Agile, we need to tailor frameworks that work for the business while staying true to Agile principles.

? TDD & Gherkin-Based Testing = Quality First Agile isn’t just about shipping fast; it’s about delivering the right features with high quality. Using Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Gherkin for behavior-driven testing ensures we catch issues early, reducing rework and improving maintainability.

? Cross-Functional Collaboration is Key Agile fails when teams operate in silos. Developers, testers, UX designers, and product owners must work together from the start—not just throw work over the fence. The more we collaborate, the smoother delivery becomes.

? Leaders Need to Go Beyond Buzzwords Executives often see Agile as a way to "do more with less." But real Agile success happens when leadership understands it’s about doing better with what we have. That means supporting continuous improvement, empowering teams, and embracing adaptability—not just demanding speed.

?? So, Is Agile Really Broken? Or Are We Just Breaking It?

The truth is, Agile still works—when we do it right. But to get there, we must ditch the bad habits, adapt to real-world needs, and embrace Agile beyond the rituals.

Now, over to you: What’s one Agile practice you think needs fixing? Let’s discuss in the comments! ??

#Agile #Scrum #ProgramManagement #TechLeadership #AgileFails #TDD #Gherkin #ContinuousImprovement