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About this Episode
Pivot your career by becoming an Agile Business Outcomes Partner. Help companies get what they’re begging for – real, measurable business value from their Agile investments. Buy the audio+PDF playbook here.
The State Of Agile Report Finally Dropped
For a bit there, I thought I’d missed it. I’m not 100% sure if there ever was a 2025 report, but for no good reason, I checked this week, and voila! There it was. The 2026 edition.
I don’t exactly set my watch to the annual State Of Agile report, but it IS very very good. What I like most about it is the data focus. We’re not hearing from pundits or experts. The authors poll 350 organizations with a set of prepared questions about Agile as it is today; in doing so, they’re able to draw contrasts to how it looked in past years. They ask about adoption rates, satisfaction, quality issues or improvements, Agile role definitions, Agile’s impact on planning and business strategy…and the answers give a good internal temperature of how we’re impacting business and technology.
Calling Out Trends
The State Of Agile Report spends a good amount of space on trending stats. It’s good to know how things ARE, but even better to know where they’re going. There’s been some sharp changes since the last report, and they reflect what you’ve probably been feeling out there in the field.
Investment Is Up, But Trust and Quality Are Down
When you see all of the layoffs and dried-up opportunities, you’d likely assume that spending on Agile is down. That was the big surprise in the 18th State Of Agile Report…Investment is actually UP. Most companies are increasing or sustaining existing investment in Agile. And yet, we can clearly see that interest is waning. How can this be? Whether its sunk-cost fallacy or the commitment and consistency principle, companies are not ready to cancel all their Agile programs quite yet. For reasons discussed later, there is a lot more order and automation in development operations, and apparently that’s worth spending to keep in place.
Buyers Demand Proof of ROI
But at the same time, one of the biggest jumps in this year’s State Of Agile Report is the increased scrutiny on Value. Folks want to know – how is Agile impacting my core business metrics? Where is this investment mapped to improved business outcomes? The answer is often “we don’t know”. That’s causing a lot of shifting in how much companies invest – which is why we see roles being eliminated, repurposed, combined or redefined. Three quarters of respondents say there is an increased pressure to defend or prove the ROI of their Agile spend.
Three quarters. This is a huge signal.
Roles are Changing
Most respondents reported that their Agile roles have changed in some small way. A small number have shifted off of Agile tasks altogether, but most have found their roles hybrid-ized with traditional PM or project/product roles. Some have found that the coaching-only role is diminished. Others still report that they are responsible for ensuring Agile has traceability back to business outcomes, as described above.
Systems are Nice, But They Don’t Help Make Better Decisions
It’s subtle, but its there….what we’ve professed all along is actually supported by data. Systems, tools and processes, while important, take a back seat to business imperatives. Many respondents in the State Of Agile Report describe satisfaction with they’re systems, in terms of visibility into the development pipleine. But again, the link between that pipeline and measurable value is cloudy at best.
Ai Can Help (But Maybe Not Yet)
But wait! Isn’t AI going to save Agile? Maybe someday, but not quite yet, according to The State of Agile Report. The problem with AI is the spotty, disorganized adoption. Guardrails are few and inadequate. Agentic AI shows promise for automating end-to-end workflows, but only if we treat AI like any other employee or business partner.
Reading Between The Lines
There’s good news and bad news in The State Of Agile Report. After a quarter-century, Agile has definitely settled in. A lot of what we used to be tresured for has become table-stakes. But the future belongs to those who can become Business Outcomes Partners – those who are able to tie Agile investment to business value.
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