What is agile and what is not agile dilemma?

Agile vs Non-Agile approaches dilemma is one of the common problems within the agile community and outside the community, is as following - is that we often find debates that leads us to nowhere - this is agile, this is good agile and this is not agile and this bad agile, while there is a merit in saying that, people in general see things in practice, meaning in reality what works and what is working as of now and not what is ideal and what should be ideal, here in this, because change has to happen in the way the organization needs, otherwise it will be a different change altogether is not it?

Embracing Pragmatism over Purity

The Agile Manifesto, as you've noted, emphasizes individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change over rigid adherence to processes, comprehensive documentation, contract negotiation, and strict plans. The core of this philosophy is adaptability and practicality—values that are sometimes lost in the debate over Agile purity.

In practice, organizations must adapt the principles of Agile to their unique circumstances—a process sometimes referred to as "Agile in the specific context." This means adjusting approaches to fit the organizational culture, current state, specific project requirements, understanding of value delivery, and the existing workflow, rather than strictly adhering to textbook definitions of Agile practices without the spirit agile mindset and why we adopt agile is for adaptability and value for everyone.

Problems with a Binary Agile vs. Non-Agile Mindset

A strict dichotomy between "Agile" and "Non-Agile" can be problematic for several reasons:

1. Context Ignorance: Every team and project operates within a unique set of constraints and environments. A one-size-fits-all approach, whether Agile or not, is likely to miss these nuanced differences.
2. Innovation Stifling: If adherence to a particular set of practices becomes the goal, rather than delivering value and fostering innovation, teams may miss out on opportunities to improve or adapt mindset-based processes that could better serve their goals.
3. Resistance to Change: Labeling certain practices as "bad Agile" can create resistance among teams that are accustomed to those practices, potentially leading to a rejection of Agile principles altogether.

Moving Towards Incremental Improvement

The key to resolving this dilemma is to focus on incremental improvement and context-specific adaptations, as suggested by the Agile principle of responding to change over following a plan. Here are a few strategies that might help:

• Continuous Feedback: Encourage ongoing dialogue between all stakeholders, including developers, management, and customers. Feedback loops can help adapt Agile practices to better fit the team’s and project's needs.
• Education and Training: Provide training that emphasizes the core values of Agile, while also highlighting the flexibility of its frameworks (like Scrum, Kanban, etc.). This can help prevent dogmatism and promote a more adaptive approach.
• Experimentation: Allow teams to experiment with different practices and observe what works best for their specific context. Documenting these experiments and their outcomes can contribute valuable insights back into the organization’s approach to Agile.
• Focus on Outcomes: Shift the conversation from adherence to process to outcomes. This means looking at the effectiveness of practices based on the quality and timeliness of the software produced and the satisfaction of the customers and developers.

By encouraging a culture that values practical applications of Agile principles and recognizes the diverse contexts in which these principles are applied, organizations can foster a more inclusive, adaptive, and ultimately productive approach to software development.