The methodology isn't dying, respect for technology workers is.

Packed together in "open seating,"
a style that has since been proven to be worse for focus and collaboration.

I been working as an Agile leader for 13 years, mostly as a contract Scrum Master for big companies like Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Disney, Expedia, JPMorganChase, Microsoft, and Providence Health. As the years progressed, it became more and more difficult to keep Agile practices from becoming a series of checklists to be minded, exactly the opposite of what Agile was intended to be.

It wasn't until my contract ended at my most recent assignment that I realized that the commitment to technology employees had eroded big-time. Not having been a full-time employee for a while (by choice) I hadn't noticed that the permanent employees with whom I worked side-by-side were being laid off as nonchalantly as the contractors were.

I spent a year working in the corporate offices of a large coffee company (you can probably guess who), where it wasn't at all unusual for employees to work there (in Corporate) for 15, 20, 25 years, or more. When layoffs began there in 2024, those who were dismissed were in complete shock.

I never liked having my contract shortened (which happens for a variety of reasons), but I was accustomed to looking for work about every 12 months. By contrast, those poor employees spiraled into depression, unable to bring themselves to update their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

For both employees and contractors alike, the practice of the Agile software development methodology was deteriorating.

An Agile favorite, the burndown chart, which shows whether tasks are being accomplished within the specified timespan. The reality is that most of the work is completed in the last 3 days or so of the sprint.

Stakeholders, people managers, and project managers became glued to the task-tracking tool dashboards, monitoring statistics in fancy-looking charts without paying much attention as to why the data wasn't making them happy. Project effort was under-estimated (see the aforementioned coffee company), project timelines were slipping, and the demand for more meetings to explain the problems kept increasing.

The software coders and testers were beleaguered by ever-shortening timelines and the rush to ship code that really needed more time to settle (i.e. testing). Add meetings to their day, and many software developers found themselves working overtime evenings and weekends just to keep up.

What happened? Why did this software development methodology lose its primary focus: providing value for the customer? As with too many things these days, the push for profitability (read: money) overtook the commitment to shipping quality software. Pushed and prodded to release new features all the time, plus having the ability to rapidly roll back error-prone code, speed became the goal rather than quality.

Determined to get to the bottom of the problem, I started spending time on my projects diagramming the flow of work (especially between teams): who controlled what, and how teams communicated among themselves and between teams.

From my video on Critical Thinking at YouTube.com/@tooliem

What I saw was a snarl of miscommunication and competing priorities. And in some of those companies, internal politics had more to do with control of the projects than facts, figures, and features. In some cases the situation resulted in a stalemate that would require a top-down overhaul to shake things loose and get the teams back to Agile basics.

I decided to use my skills and experience to speak out and make Agile functional again. My plan to get Agile practices back on track now has 3 parts:

  1. Providing leadership strategies for the Agile Professionals (Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Masters, Dev Teams) to help them deal with their immediate situation. Those you can find on my YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@tooliem.
    > What you get: how to lead people by influence rather than authority.
  2. Teaching Agile Certification Classes, not just to help Scrum Masters and Scrum Product Owners earn their credentials, but to use Agile training to get everyone on a project talking to each other using the same vocabulary and practices. https://www.remotescrumstudy.com
    > What you get: A very thorough understanding of Scrum that gives you confidence in leading Scrum/Kanban teams.
  3. Delivering customized Agile Transformations to companies who are ready to get Agile working again within their teams. I work with leaders to set priorities, with Scrum Product Owners to sharpen their analytical and requirement skills, with Scrum Masters to be the caring and effectively leaders their teams deserve, and with Dev teams to empower the people actually writing the code. Remember, Agile works from the ground up. We want the Scrum Team Members to speak up and stand their ground as the experts in the product that they truly are. https://www.corporateagilemastery.com
    > What you get: a software team that operates effectively and delivers quality software in a timely manner.

And my blog here on Medium? This is also where I'll share my experiences and solutions, especially for corporate leaders who may not have the depth of Agile knowledge their direct reports have, but who are seeking answers as to why their teams are unable to ship a coherent product.

I'm fully aware that some authors think Agile is over; it's not. It's just been sidelined by the lack of commitment to the people doing the work. We can change that situation with determination, patience, and effective leadership.

Does this sound like your company? Are you ready to pull your Agile team into a better future? If so, book time with me at https://www.talktotoolie.com and let's get started.