In r/agile, a user posed a quiet but pointed question:
“Are we doing Agile… just because?”
The replies were a chorus of familiarity:
Ceremonies without change.
Metrics over meaning.
Velocity over value.
Scrum boards are full. But momentum is fake.
What surfaced — Agile by name, not by nature
“We’re doing Agile... because clients expect it.”
Not because the team needs it. Or benefits from it. “Our retros produce nothing.”
Because action is never owned. Or tracked. Or remembered. “Standups became status meetings.”
No shared purpose, just daily theatre. “We tick all the boxes.”
But we’ve forgotten what the boxes were for. “The manifesto is missing.”
Principles replaced by Jira tickets and process police. “We call it Scrum. It’s actually waterfall.”
A two-week sprint doesn’t make it iterative.
Not because the team needs it. Or benefits from it. “Our retros produce nothing.”
Because action is never owned. Or tracked. Or remembered. “Standups became status meetings.”
No shared purpose, just daily theatre. “We tick all the boxes.”
But we’ve forgotten what the boxes were for. “The manifesto is missing.”
Principles replaced by Jira tickets and process police. “We call it Scrum. It’s actually waterfall.”
A two-week sprint doesn’t make it iterative.
The thread beneath the surface
These teams aren’t dysfunctional.
They’re disconnected — from the why.
From agility as adaptability.
From customers as co-creators.
From feedback as fuel.
And when that happens, the rituals stay…
…but the results don’t.
So how does it shift?
Not with new tools.
With a return to clarity.
Why this sprint?
Why this story?
Why now?
That’s where FOCUS-ROI helps —
A framing tool to reconnect process with purpose.
To name the value, not just the velocity.
Try the quick guide OR Download the free Quick Guide (PDF)
Clarity kills cargo cults.
FOCUS-ROI makes the conversation real again.
Agile is a mindset. Not a masquerade.