Is Agile Just Tech Jargon Now?

We all know that nothing in tech lasts long without updates. However, does that truth extend to the Agile manifesto?

Written 21 years ago, agile principles were created in a time when software was treated like a rocket launch, with months or years of meticulous preparation leading up to a single high-stakes release. Today, by contrast, everything is continuous, and some have started to question if the principles of the Agile manifesto still bear the same credence as they did upon their writing. 

In the decades since the cultural ratification of the Agile manifesto, the methodology has fractured into many offshoots. It has spawned an entire industry of project management. It’s a responsive and flexible approach to building digital products while keeping the user at the forefront.

But in some cases, agile has become a type of theater, with companies that do or say the words, but don’t embody the principles in practice. It has created dogma and purists. Some say the term has been bastardized and turned into a buzzword that belongs in the graveyard of tech jargon.

Some tech professionals believe Agile has lost its essence, some remain loyal and others can argue for both sides. No matter which way you slice it, it’s a divisive topic. Built In NYC asked, “Is Agile still relevant in 2022?” And local engineering leaders answered. 

Abby Daya

Head of Engineering Operations • Aetion

Aetion is a healthtech platform that determines the potential risks and benefits of medications.

Does your team leverage the principles of agile in its methodology?

Aetion’s agile journey has evolved over the years to fit the needs of our teams and our business. In 2019, we shifted from a dogmatic scaled agile framework, or SaFE, approach to a more iterative process based on agile principles but not adhering to a strict methodology. At the time, we found that the level of operational overhead and complexity offered by the SaFE approach far outweighed any benefit. Moreover, we found that although we worked within a regulatory environment, and our customers often utilized more waterfall implementations, modified agile principles — thoughtfully administered — held a great amount of promise.

When agile principles are used to inform a thoughtful philosophy on product delivery, it can work quite well. In my experience, self-organizing teams with a customer focus, delivering iteratively, can incentivize an ownership mentality while mitigating risk to the business. Where I’ve seen agile go wrong, which was also how I found it to be when I first started at Aetion, is when the process becomes a prescriptive model, an end in and of itself. When a commitment to agile begins to replace thoughtfulness, it loses its luster.

When a commitment to agile begins to replace thoughtfulness, it loses its luster.”

What methodology do you use to guide how your teams ship new products and features?

I truly believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to software delivery. We utilize agile principles and deploy in a way that some might label waterfall. Our delivery method adheres to the needs of our business and industry. Is it wrong to do that? Maybe if you ask the agile pundits, the answer is yes, but it works for us. We test this through a monthly retrospective to ensure that our process helps, not hurts. If at any point we find an agile method is not helping our organization succeed, it’s time to critically examine what changes need to be made, regardless of adherence to a specific methodology.

As a technical project leader at Aetion, I reflect a belief in fit-for-purpose processes and am consistently asking, “But does it work?” I strive to hold strong opinions loosely, building the tools and automation necessary for our teams to find success again and again. These stakes in the ground guide the path along Aetion’s agile journey and serve as markers of success for those looking to join us in our pursuits. 

John Downs

Software Engineer • ActionIQ

ActionIQ is a data insights platform for marketers. 

Does your team leverage the principles of agile in its methodology? 

Yes, we believe the values and principles of agile match our commitment to people over processes. At ActionIQ, our domain is complex, ambiguous and changes rapidly. We need to be able to adapt to changes quickly and flexibly. We use constant feedback to know if we are going the right way. Using agile principles means we can adjust our processes to provide rapid feedback, effective interactions and customer collaboration. Working at a sustainable pace keeps our team effective in the long term to avoid lengthy speculative projects or ineffective documentation. Instead, we strive for fast feedback on our product and documentation, which serves our users.

One drawback of agile methodology is that it lacks a prescriptive process, so you need to deeply understand the principles or you will end up with “agile theater” that fails to meet the value it promises. You can fall into a routine that is easy to follow, but still falls short. Additionally, there is costly overhead to producing small batches of deliverables for new products and features for constant feedback.

You need to deeply understand the principles or you will end up with ‘agile theater’ that fails to meet the value it promises.”

How do you ensure that agile principles are properly implemented so that they help developers and product managers, rather than hinder them? 

This question is a bit strange to me because it doesn’t take into account the customer experience. After all, the first agile principle is, “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.” My team’s methods do not help developers crank out code all day nor do they help product managers get roadmap items done regardless of their value.

However, if we look at helping and hindering in terms of satisfying the customer, we do not focus on implementing agile principles. Instead, we hold those as values and principles. At each retrospective we see how our process serves those values. The team works together to modify our process when it does not satisfy our goals.

Following these principles, we seek out motivated people with good collaboration skills. They use these skills to self-organize around real problems. We provide coaching on what worked before and give them room to try new things. We pair- or mob-program as needed. Meetings are voluntary so the team can choose how they work most efficiently.

Chris Sorrells

Engineering Manager • Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a pet insurance provider. 

Does your team leverage the principles of agile in its methodology?

Like many companies, Pumpkin uses the principles of agile heavily, but also looks for other ways to help boost the efficiency of its software development life cycle. Agile development suggests a way of working that allows for frequent improvements and iterations. We pair that with other code practices that all ultimately help to deliver context when it is needed and help limit cognitive load on our teams.

What methodology do you use to guide how your teams ship new products and features?

We are constantly measuring, learning and experimenting with different processes based on feedback from the team or new ideas that people within the company have. Our secret is that we have a low bar for trying something new, which keeps our process from becoming stale and helps ensure that good ideas emerge.

Having a low bar for trying something new keeps our process from becoming stale and helps ensure that good ideas emerge.”