Reimagining Agile: Refresh, extend, and make Agility accessible to all.
About a year ago, we – the Reimagining Agile Launch Group – published an article on both LinkedIn and Agile Alliance announcing the Reimagining Agile: Back to the Basics, Forward to the Future. Our primary purpose in launching this initiative was threefold:
- To remind us about the historical intent of the Agile movement (partly so that newcomers might better understand, and old-timers might not forget).
- To accelerate the future of agility enterprise-wide by solidifying the foundation of Agile values and principles.
- To hear from organizations that have been successful at allowing agility to flourish so that we may learn how and what helps make that happen.
We asked ourselves this question: “Is it time to Reimagine Agile, to make it accessible to everyone, refreshing what needs to endure, and extending Agile to Agility and new horizons?”
Our goal was to get the ball rolling. And, we have done just that. Over the past year, the Launch Group has created a forum for furthering the conversation on LinkedIn; we have spoken on several panels and webinars to share our ideas about reimagining Agile; we have delivered several workshops at various conferences throughout the world to further explore reimagining Agile in the global Agile community; and, Jon Kern has created a website, Reimagining Agile. So yes, the ball is rolling.
We have discovered much over this past year. Perhaps the most humbling discovery is that Agile is indeed flourishing all over the world. Did you know that over 71% of US companies are now using Agile? And this is the important part; after adopting Agile, companies have experienced an average 60% growth in revenue and profit.1
As we begin the new year, we challenge you to ponder these 7 questions for Reimagining Agile:
- What is your hope for Agile in the coming year that is different than other years?
- How do you want to improve Agile this year?
- What do you want to contribute to the Agile community to make it a better place?
- How do you want Agile to be different by the end of the year?
- Whose life do you want to improve by adopting Agile values, principles, and practices and how will you do that?
- What changes are unfolding in your life with respect to Agile that you need to cooperate with and what does that mean?
- In what way or ways do you want to deepen your knowledge and practice of Agile values, principles, and practices?
Yes, as a Launch Group, our work is done. The ball is rolling – in some places faster than in others. But that doesn’t Reimagining Agile is done. Agile will always be evolving, perhaps in ways that none of us can predict or see today.
In gratitude to the global Agile community.
Individual comments (obviously, we don’t agree on everything)
Sanjiv Augustine
– Founder and CEO, LitheSpeed | Agile Leadership Academy
I joined the Reimagining Agile launch team with a vision to help organizations bridge the gap between traditional governance structures and true business agility. I’ve long believed that agility thrives when organizations shift their focus from managing projects or products to delivering measurable value through adaptive governance and strategic alignment. My goal has been to uncover and amplify stories of enterprises where Agile Engineering, DevOps, Lean Portfolio Management, and Agile Value Management Offices (VMOs) are not just concepts but an institutionalized reality that demonstrate how organizations can deliver value predictably, sustainably, and with purpose.
In parallel, I’ve been collaborating closely with executive leadership teams to help them navigate the intersection of agility and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). This work focuses on educating and empowering leaders to leverage AI as a strategic enabler for value delivery, decision-making, and organizational resilience. By combining executive consulting, strategic alignment, and AI-driven insights, I’m helping leaders shape adaptive organizations ready to thrive in an era of constant change and technological disruption.
Jim Highsmith
– Adventurer, Catalyst | Storyteller
Collaboration has always been a cornerstone of agile, but collaboration only thrives when we truly understand one another. Reflecting on this belief, I updated my bio a year ago to focus on who I am rather than what I’ve done. The three traits I chose—Adventurer, Catalyst, and Storyteller—guide how I approach every challenge, including the work of the Reimagining Agile Launch Group.
Over the past 18 months, the Reimagining Agile Launch Group has embodied these traits:
- Adventurers: We stepped into the fierce debates about whether Agile is alive, dead, moribund, or thriving. We sought to navigate this quagmire and spark renewed excitement about Agile’s accomplishments and its future.
- Catalysts: Instead of arguing over what Agile “should be” or promoting specific brands, we worked to unite the community in crafting a new Agile story—one that speaks to 2025, not 2001.
- Storytellers: Inspired by Margaret Wheatley’s words, “You don’t belittle people whose stories you know,” we recognized that many of Agile’s stories had grown stale. Through this effort, we aimed to inspire fresh narratives that reflect the dynamic world of today.
This reimagining launch is not an ending but a beginning. We hope it sparks a new chapter for Agile—a chapter that continues to evolve and inspire. As we pass the torch to you, we challenge you to take these stories further, build new ones, and shape a future for agile that reflects your vision. Let the adventure continue!
Jon Kern
– Software Engineer at Adaptavist | Agile Consultant | Co-author Agile Manifesto
In 2023 I had an inkling of an idea that we could help folks make a deeper connection to, and understanding of, the original intent of the Agile Manifesto values and principles. I hypothesized that we could find and amplify places where agility is flourishing, tell their stories – exemplars is how I have referred to them – and use them to provide new and seasoned agilists alike beacons of hope. The exemplars should also provide a rich bounty of small moves that we can see organizations embracing that help pave the way for and sustain agility. The more that folks can read about real agility, the more likely they can push back against the all-too-common fake agile plaguing our industry. And the more that folks can try to spot similar circumstances to their workplace and try out some “moves” to encourage a culture that promotes agile ways to deliver value and delight users.
Full disclosure, I am way behind on processing dozens of conversations that should provide exemplars that will be published on the Reimagining Agile website. I plan to remedy that in early 2025. Sincere apologies to my colleagues and the community.
Heidi Musser
– Board Member | Board Advisor | C-Level Executive | Author
The truths that I’ve discovered this past year are that people are more important than technology; organizations that are struggling with Agile will struggle with AI; transformation is the core business capability; and Agile and agility matter more than ever. For people-focused and product-driven businesses, these are the keys to operating at market speed – the speed of technological innovation! The ability to adapt to constant change is already playing an integral role in determining the winners and losers in this next economic revolution, the Age of AI!
Modern Business Demands Modern Ways of Working.
Modern business demands fundamentally different ways of working, thinking, and being. Modern business demands that we reimagine leadership, management, education, information technology, and Agile. Modern business demands that we reimagine everything to outcompete and thrive in the age of AI.
Everything must change. Including YOU. #EmbraceChange #BeAgile
- Zippia, “16 Amazing Agile Statistics [2023]: What Companies Use Agile Methodology” Zippia.com. Nov. 27, 2022 ↩︎
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