Back in 2001, having recently arrived in the UK from New Zealand, I stumbled upon Extreme Programming (XP). This framework, and its relatives, promised to revolutionise software development. At the time, “Agile” was an enigma – a term met with puzzled looks and raised eyebrows. Fast forward 24 years, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. “Agile” has come and gone. People are shouting “Agile is Dead!” If somebody says “Agile” they are met with scepticism and, in some circles, outright disdain. Anti-Agile is the new Agile dogma but I’ve never been much for dogma. I care about what works. Despite the changing tides of terminology and perception, the core principles that drew me to Agile remain the bedrock of my daily practice. I just don’t often say that.
The Rise and Fall of Agile’s Popularity
In the early 2000s, Agile methodologies like XP and Scrum were niche concepts, embraced by a select few who sought alternatives to the rigid Waterfall model. The Agile Manifesto, crafted in 2001, emphasised individuals and interactions over processes and tools, a revolutionary idea at the time. However, convincing stakeholders to adopt these practices was an uphill battle. The term “Agile” was foreign, and its advocates were often seen as mavericks challenging the status quo.
I was one of those mavericks but I didn’t bother challenging with words. In fact, for 12 months after I left the XP team, I didn’t mention Agile at all. I just delivered. Successfully. In a massively complex and challenging situation. Using Agile techniques of course.
I wasn’t alone. As success stories emerged, Agile gained traction. Companies like Spotify and ING showcased how Agile practices could lead to increased innovation and customer satisfaction. Agile certifications became coveted, and consultancies flourished, offering to transform traditional organisations into Agile powerhouses. This transformation required investment. Companies that invest in Agile coaching saw a 70% higher success rate (Flowlu, 2023). Educating teams on the “why” behind each practice ensured that ceremonies fostered communication and collaboration. Providing comprehensive training and ongoing support encourages continuous learning. Agile thrives in environments that value transparency, trust, and empowerment. Engaging leadership in Agile education and demonstrating its business value through pilot projects showcases tangible benefits.
The term “Agile” became ubiquitous, a badge of honour for teams striving for efficiency and adaptability. Today everybody says they know Agile.
Unfortunately, with widespread adoption came dilution. Organisations eager to label themselves as “Agile” often missed the essence, focusing on rituals over principles. Sometimes, merely adopting the terminology was considered sufficient for an Agile transformation. In one company I know of, teams were renamed “Scrum Teams,” but Scrum was rolled out by simply emailing a presentation. The language was used, but nothing actually changed.
While Agile’s values and principles remain sound, their misapplication has tarnished its reputation. Implementing Agile ceremonies without understanding their purpose reduces them to empty rituals. Daily stand-ups become status updates that no one cares about, overhead, rather than an opportunity to Plan the Day. Sprints became just a schedule of compulsory meetings, yet meaningful communication remained absent — let alone a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. The approach that once promised flexibility became, in many cases, just another bureaucratic hurdle. No wonder we now hear chants of “Agile is Dead!” Research backs this up: 48% of Agile projects fail because organisations focus on process over people (Computer Weekly, 2023). In rigid, hierarchical organisations resistant to change, Agile often devolves into a buzzword without substance — organisational resistance is cited as a primary barrier in 42% of cases (Parabol, 2024).
The Essence of Agile: You can’t beat the data
Despite the shifting perceptions, the core tenets of Agile – the values and principles – remain as relevant today as they were two decades ago. Agile prioritises people over processes, fostering collaboration, open communication, and trust within teams, which leads to innovative solutions and a more engaged workforce. Studies have shown that teams practising Agile methodologies report higher job satisfaction and productivity (Melnik & Maurer, 2006). Agile shifts the focus from exhaustive documentation to delivering functional software, ensuring alignment with customer needs and swift adaptation to feedback, with organisations reporting a 60% faster time to market (Echometer, 2023). Engaging customers throughout the development process ensures alignment with expectations and reduces costly misalignments, increasing customer satisfaction scores by 20% (Businessmap, 2023). Agile equips teams with the flexibility to adapt, with companies experiencing a 30% improvement in project success rates due to enhanced adaptability (Notta, 2023).
My Journey: From Developer to CIO
Reflecting on my career, the principles of Agile have been a constant compass for over twenty years. Agile didn’t exist when I was an engineer, but I was immediately drawn to it as a project manager. I liked Agile’s efficiency and collaboration. Its pragmatic approach, with iterative cycles, estimates I could believe, and continuous learning. Agile helped me survive my first big fixed price project in the UK. It gave me the skills to educate my customer, so when he asked for something stupid (and they always do) he knew it was stupid without me having to tell him. He started the project expecting his fixed price to cover all of the rather vague and aspirational scope carefully written into a huge requirements document. He learnt he was better off leaving the spec behind. We focused on building useful functionality, which he saw emerging every week. He learnt to value working functionality over the contracted spec. Of course my customer also had to learn to accept that these changes had an impact; he could not get everything (both specified and new) for the same fixed price. Both parties were thinking Waterfall and I gave them Agile. A nice journey and both parties came away happy.
Looking around I see a lot of people in our industry, particularly managers, suffering from The Fallacy of Control. For myself, I learnt a long time ago that I couldn’t control everything. Certainly not in a team of 100 people spread Europe. But I knew I didn’t have to. Agile gave me the confidence to empower my teams and allow them to make decisions in their patch. I don’t have to control everything, but just have to have people I trust doing a good job.
As a member of the C-Suite – Chief Digital Officer, Chief Information Officer – Agile provided the framework for iterative development, prioritising customer feedback, and rapid innovation, leading to successful digital product launches. Agile should be a mindset that permeates the organisation, creating an environment where adaptability, collaboration, and customer focus are ingrained in the company’s DNA. That doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t happen by renaming teams or sending an email. It is hard work. Worthwhile, but hard.
Today
The term “Agile” has lost its sheen. 24 years ago, I was “Agile” but didn’t use the term because it was unpopular. And today I find myself in exactly the same situation. I was never interested in the dogma (except perhaps my pet hatred for Scrum — I can be a bit dogmatic about that). My interest is in doing my job well. I also want the people who work for me to excel at their jobs. So I will continue to take a people-first and collaborative approach. I will stay focused on delivering value and aligning with business needs while remaining adaptable to change. And I will continue to hold a continuous improvement mindset for example by using an iterative-incremental approach to development.
I don’t have to say the word; “Agile” won’t even pass my lips. I will just continue to do what works.
References
Businessmap. (2023). 17 Agile statistics you need to know in 2025. https://businessmap.io/blog/agile-statistics
Computer Weekly. (2023). Lack of upfront specifications kill agile projects. https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366587792/Lack-of-upfront-specifications-kill-agile-projects
Echometer. (2023). 23 Agile statistics: How relevant are Agile frameworks? https://echometerapp.com/en/agile-statistics/
Flowlu. (2023). Project management statistics: 33 most important stats for 2025. https://www.flowlu.com/blog/project-management/project-management-statistics/
Melnik, G., & Maurer, F. (2006). Comparative analysis of job satisfaction in agile and non-agile software development teams. *International Conference on Extreme Programming and Agile Processes in Software Engineering*, 32-42. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221592515_Comparative_Analysis_of_Job_Satisfaction_in_Agile_and_Non-agile_Software_Development_Teams
Notta. (2023). 50+ Agile statistics you need to know in 2025. https://www.notta.ai/en/blog/agile-statistics
Parabol. (2024). 300+ Agile and Scrum statistics for 2024. https://www.parabol.co/resources/agile-statistics/
