Agile is often framed merely as a process or methodology, when in reality it’s a philosophy, a culture. This is my observation from reading several articles on the web and including LinkeIn top voice content. This inspired me to explore and present why a shift in mindset and behavior is critical for the success of any Agile transformation. In this article, I’ll highlight how Agile’s principles, rooted in its manifesto, emphasize this philosophy, and how organizations can effectively adopt Agile by embedding it into their culture. I’ll also visually map these principles to one the execution framework – SCRUM.
Agile – from my personal journey
Reflecting on my journey of transforming from Waterfall to Agile over a decade ago, our initial approach treated Agile as project management process, a set of steps to follow that we learnt from online resources. The senior leadership in the company and our customers saw no real benefits from the move to Agile. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same! This was because we missed a deeper understanding of Agile’s philosophy, as well as the need for a cultural shift across the organization to see true benefits. We implemented just as a change in our software project delivery and management.
It wasn’t until a new CTO joined and pointed out we were still doing Waterfall under guise of Agile—that we realized our mistake. We went ahead with another Agile transformation, but this time, with a solid understanding of Agile principles and a comprehensive approach. In hindsight, we could have gotten it right the first time.
I’ve since observed many other organizations make the same misstep. So, why does it matter if you don’t fully grasp the philosophy as long as you’re following the framework? It matters because Agile is designed around core principles that emphasize delivering value to customers in frequent increments, gathering timely feedback, welcoming change, and empowering teams to drive continuous improvement. Without embracing these tenets, following the framework leads to partial or superficial benefits. The result can be worse. You end up with a process that is neither traditional (like Waterfall) nor truly Agile. Teams claim victory for “going Agile,” but leadership struggles to see the promised results from the transformation. At this point, you’re left with no choice but to pivot—again—as I did. Such pivots can be costly and disruptive. So, how can you get it right from the start?
Agile Requires a Shift in Culture and Mindset
Start with understanding Agile as a philosophy and the underlying principles. Align these principles with your organization’s specific goals and challenges. Once the reasons for ‘why Agile is right for us’ is clear, ensure that everyone—from leadership to development teams—understands them. This alignment is crucial for gaining commitment and making Agile successful. Then, choose the appropriate Agile framework (e.g., SCRUM, KANBAN) and stick to it with discipline. Avoid cherry-picking convenient aspects—it’s not about ease but about adapting to a new normal.
Many Agile transformations fail, not due to flawed processes, but because they lack the critical cultural and mindset shift. It’s easy to change processes—follow a new set of steps—but far harder to change organizational mindsets or embed new behaviors into the company culture. Let’s dig deeper with an example to understand the Agile principle, challenges to implement it and the correlation to organizational alignment & mindset.
Agile Mindset & Culture – Core tenet, Example #1
Manifesto: Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Principle: Working software is the primary measure of progress.
The Agile philosophy centers on delivering value to customers as quickly as possible. This enables rapid feedback and avoids untoward surprises or a positive reinforcement of being on the right path. What better way to deliver value than working software? While project plans and progress reports are valuable, true progress is measured by delivering functioning software. To effectively implement this principle, teams must adjust their development processes to produce shippable software at regular intervals, giving customers a tangible product to interact with.
In SCRUM, this translates to having working software at the end of every sprint. For teams unaccustomed to this rhythm, or without the necessary development process maturity, it requires a significant shift in mindset and appropriate investment to implement changes. It also requires strong support from engineering leadership and alignment with the executive team. It’s like comparing Oranges to Apples when Organizations get stuck at prematurely comparing engineer-level productivity metrics in the new Agile process with the old process. Success in Agile is measured by the value delivered to customers frequently, not by features built per engineer as in traditional measurements.
It is crucial for the entire organization—from top to bottom—to understand the power of delivering smaller sets of functionality more frequently, and the corresponding benefits in customer experience. This kind of cultural change isn’t easy, but like a challenging mountain trek, the rewards are worth the effort once you reach the summit. This journey must be undertaken by the entire organization, not just the technology teams—it’s crucial!
Agile Mindset & Culture – Core tenet, Example #2
Let’s examine a couple more Agile principles to understand what they mean, and the cultural attributes or behaviors necessary for successful implementation.
Manifesto: Responding to change over following a plan.
Principle: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
When people hear ‘Agile,’ they often think of change. At its core, Agile thrives on welcoming change, even late in the development process. This ensures that what the team builds aligns closely with what the customer needs. This principle also ties back to the previous one: delivering working software early enables the customer to provide timely feedback and pivot as necessary. In traditional models, when the customer receives a large feature after it’s fully built and is not satisfied with the end product it leads to a lot of waste – resources, time and money. Being nimble in quickly delivering small sets of functionality keeps your projects on track, reduces surprises, and keeps you on track to achieve business goals. Grasping this is crucial for the organization and its leadership as they implement Agile.
However, embracing change in product development isn’t just procedural—it’s behavioral. It requires a mindset shift within the organization, especially for leadership teams accustomed to long-term, predictable project plans. To successfully adopt Agile, leadership must embrace this mindset and enable a culture that encourages flexibility and responsiveness.
Finally:
Agile Mindset & Culture – Core tenet, Example #3
Principle: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
Leaders with a command-and-control management style often struggle to adopt this principle. Agile advocates for ownership and empowerment, where self-organizing teams drive progress. To make this shift, leadership must trust their teams to make decisions, innovate, and pivot based on evolving customer needs. Creating an environment of psychological safety, where teams are empowered to take ownership, requires a deep cultural change that starts at the top. Leadership should focus on fostering trust and enabling team autonomy. Those who struggle to adapt may benefit from coaching to embrace the shift.
Similarly, we could extend this thinking to all the Agile principles. I mapped key steps and practices in software development to Agile principles in the manifesto and the SCRUM framework (see attached flyer). Review it and share your thoughts. I would also love to hear about your own Agile transformation journeys and the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
Summary:
Agile is a philosophy and is grounded in the Agile Manifesto and its principles. For an Agile transformation to succeed, two critical elements must be in place:
- A deep understanding of Agile’s principles and why the move to Agile is important for the company
- A comprehensive and disciplined implementation of the chosen framework (whether it’s SCRUM, KANBAN, or others).
Agile implementation requires a mindset shift that transforms the engineering culture and broader organization, starting with the leadership team. If your organization is on the Agile journey or thinking about it, now is the time to revisit your mindset and culture and evaluate your alignment with Agile’s manifesto and principles.
Is your organization truly embracing Agile’s core principles, or merely following a framework? What leadership shifts could unlock greater innovation and drive real results?
Resources:
The original Agile Manifesto – https://agilemanifesto.org/
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