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Agile 2: The Next Iteration of Agile
Agile is broken.
Most Agile transformations struggle. According to an Allied Market Research study, "63% of respondents stated the failure of agile implementation in their organizations." The problems with Agile start at the top of most organizations with executive leadership not getting what agile is or even knowing the difference between success and failure in agile.
Agile transformation is a journey, and most of that journey consists of people learning and trying new approaches in their own work. An agile organization can make use of coaches and training to improve their chances of success. But even then, failure remains because many Agile ideas are oversimplifications or interpreted in an extreme way, and many elements essential for success are missing. Coupled with other ideas that have been dogmatically forced on teams, such as "agile team rooms", and "an overall inertia and resistance to change in the Agile community," the Agile movement is ripe for change since its birth twenty years ago.
"Agile 2" represents the work of fifteen experienced Agile experts, distilled into Agile 2: The Next Iteration of Agile by seven members of the team. Agile 2 values these pairs of attributes when properly thoughtfulness and prescription; outcomes and outputs, individuals and teams; business and technical understanding; individual empowerment and good leadership; adaptability and planning. With a new set of Agile principles to take Agile forward over the next 20 years, Agile 2 is applicable beyond software and hardware to all parts of an agile organization including "Agile HR", "Agile Finance", and so on.
Like the original "Agile", "Agile 2", is just a set of ideas - powerful ideas. To undertake any endeavor, a single set of ideas is not enough. But a single set of ideas can be a powerful guide.
Most Agile transformations struggle. According to an Allied Market Research study, "63% of respondents stated the failure of agile implementation in their organizations." The problems with Agile start at the top of most organizations with executive leadership not getting what agile is or even knowing the difference between success and failure in agile.
Agile transformation is a journey, and most of that journey consists of people learning and trying new approaches in their own work. An agile organization can make use of coaches and training to improve their chances of success. But even then, failure remains because many Agile ideas are oversimplifications or interpreted in an extreme way, and many elements essential for success are missing. Coupled with other ideas that have been dogmatically forced on teams, such as "agile team rooms", and "an overall inertia and resistance to change in the Agile community," the Agile movement is ripe for change since its birth twenty years ago.
"Agile 2" represents the work of fifteen experienced Agile experts, distilled into Agile 2: The Next Iteration of Agile by seven members of the team. Agile 2 values these pairs of attributes when properly thoughtfulness and prescription; outcomes and outputs, individuals and teams; business and technical understanding; individual empowerment and good leadership; adaptability and planning. With a new set of Agile principles to take Agile forward over the next 20 years, Agile 2 is applicable beyond software and hardware to all parts of an agile organization including "Agile HR", "Agile Finance", and so on.
Like the original "Agile", "Agile 2", is just a set of ideas - powerful ideas. To undertake any endeavor, a single set of ideas is not enough. But a single set of ideas can be a powerful guide.
- GenresLeadership
432 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2021
42 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 20, 2024
While this book serves perfectly fine for those interested in contemplating Agile on a philosophical level (some would argue that Agile IS just a philosophy), I ultimately did not find it to be a useful source of actionable ideas for making improvements to one's Agile practices.
CONTENT
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this book is that it makes a ton of legitimate points about where Agile (at least in terms of how it is commonly practiced) has room to improve. The problem comes from how the authors seem so scared of coming across as prescriptive, that they end up not having much of anything at all to say that is actually helpful in terms of resolving these issues/gaps. One of the most disappointing examples of this to me is a chapter that comes later in the book on how Design often does not cleanly fit into Agile processes. This is something I very much agree with and have always struggled with, but I left with absolutely no ideas for how to handle this better. The effect is that reading this feels like the kind of conversation you might have with a really intelligent coworker who likes to complain and can break down problems in a highly detailed and super thoughtful way, but has no tangible suggestions for how to make those things better. It's a frustrating juxtaposition, especially since I think these authors probably do legitimately care about making Agile better, but ultimately failed to do so (at least in my opinion).
I think that this book would have greatly benefited from some actual case studies to illustrate the authors' points better. There are a couple of these in the final chapters and I found those rare sections to be markedly better than the rest of the book. Other "examples" that they give earlier on mostly felt like offhand gush-rants about big, successful companies like Facebook, Google, Tesla, SpaceX, and Netflix (that didn't say anything about them that hasn't been said a million times over). I also have to say, that I'm not convinced that these authors have as good of an understanding of what "true Agile" is in certain cases. When I read their complaints about the Daily Standup / Daily Scrum ceremony, the scenario that they described most definitely sounded ineffective, but it also isn't what a Daily is supposed to be. A Daily isn't a status update, it's a plan for the day and the fact that they didn't understand that really hurt their credibility in my eyes, especially since I found the tone of the writing to be rather haughty and flippant (perhaps even condescending at specific points). These folks also seem to hate the Scrum Master role, yet they never demonstrate an understanding for what it actually is or what value it is supposed to provide. There were just so many points in the first half of the book where I had to think to myself "well maybe you just have never done it right," or "maybe you've never worked with a Scrum Master or Product Owner who knew what they were doing."
The authors repeatedly state the importance of Leadership, but then actively disparage roles that are meant to provide different aspects of leadership. They also state that they really hope that one of the things people take away from the book is the importance of good/strong leadership. This felt so strange to me since I've never met anyone who doesn't think leadership is important to a company or team. The issue is how to get to a point where leadership is creating an environment that people can succeed in and that challenge is never really addressed outside of outlining what good leadership looks like (all of which was valid, if a bit obvious). This point also led me to wonder if this book was written for organizational leaders. That would explain why a lot of topics are discussed at such a high level, but a lot of my criticisms would still stand. It's also not great that I was honestly not sure who the intended audience is supposed to be. The authors gripe a great deal about how Agile ignores the individual in favor of the team. I haven't personally found this to be true. While there is certainly opportunity to be inclusive of those who are more soft-spoken and/or in need of better context/background prior to meetings/discussions, I don't think those are issues with Agile as much as they are with Western business culture in general. On one last, really petty note, they also don't seem to understand the true definition of an introvert vs. an extrovert, so their use of these terms in their arguments felt rather out of touch to me.
PAPERBACK
The simple yet eye-catching cover is kind of where my positives end when it comes to the overall packaging for this book. This is one of those annoying cases where it was literally cheaper to buy the print edition than the eBook, otherwise I'd advocate for getting this digitally (if you choose to pick this up at all). The feel of the paperback is rather bizarre. It's technically the same size as a 6x9 trade paperback, but it felt bulkier in the hand like a textbook. The book also feels strangely heavy to hold in spite of the thin/flimsy paper that is used. The effect is that this feels like it is caught between a quality trade paperback and a budget textbook. Cheap paper quality and relatively dull interior formatting further the impression that the folks putting this together (on the publisher side) did not do so with all that much enthusiasm or attention to detail.
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, AGILE 2 isn't a true sequel to Agile, it's not even a proper reboot. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table as far as I'm concerned (despite what the authors claim) and I'm certainly not leaving with anything I can put into action in my own work. I will say that I've started to see some of these half-baked concepts gain traction within the industry, so it may very well be worth reading this if only to understand what's going on.
(+) The authors make some really insightful points about where Agile has room for improvement
(+) Simple, yet striking cover design with some nice color choices
(-) This book would have benefited from including a greater number of proper case studies
(-) I did not leave with any actionable ideas for improving my Agile practices
(-) Somewhat pretentious tones in the writing
(-) Awkward book construction
(-) Lazily designed interior and poor paper quality
CONTENT
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this book is that it makes a ton of legitimate points about where Agile (at least in terms of how it is commonly practiced) has room to improve. The problem comes from how the authors seem so scared of coming across as prescriptive, that they end up not having much of anything at all to say that is actually helpful in terms of resolving these issues/gaps. One of the most disappointing examples of this to me is a chapter that comes later in the book on how Design often does not cleanly fit into Agile processes. This is something I very much agree with and have always struggled with, but I left with absolutely no ideas for how to handle this better. The effect is that reading this feels like the kind of conversation you might have with a really intelligent coworker who likes to complain and can break down problems in a highly detailed and super thoughtful way, but has no tangible suggestions for how to make those things better. It's a frustrating juxtaposition, especially since I think these authors probably do legitimately care about making Agile better, but ultimately failed to do so (at least in my opinion).
I think that this book would have greatly benefited from some actual case studies to illustrate the authors' points better. There are a couple of these in the final chapters and I found those rare sections to be markedly better than the rest of the book. Other "examples" that they give earlier on mostly felt like offhand gush-rants about big, successful companies like Facebook, Google, Tesla, SpaceX, and Netflix (that didn't say anything about them that hasn't been said a million times over). I also have to say, that I'm not convinced that these authors have as good of an understanding of what "true Agile" is in certain cases. When I read their complaints about the Daily Standup / Daily Scrum ceremony, the scenario that they described most definitely sounded ineffective, but it also isn't what a Daily is supposed to be. A Daily isn't a status update, it's a plan for the day and the fact that they didn't understand that really hurt their credibility in my eyes, especially since I found the tone of the writing to be rather haughty and flippant (perhaps even condescending at specific points). These folks also seem to hate the Scrum Master role, yet they never demonstrate an understanding for what it actually is or what value it is supposed to provide. There were just so many points in the first half of the book where I had to think to myself "well maybe you just have never done it right," or "maybe you've never worked with a Scrum Master or Product Owner who knew what they were doing."
The authors repeatedly state the importance of Leadership, but then actively disparage roles that are meant to provide different aspects of leadership. They also state that they really hope that one of the things people take away from the book is the importance of good/strong leadership. This felt so strange to me since I've never met anyone who doesn't think leadership is important to a company or team. The issue is how to get to a point where leadership is creating an environment that people can succeed in and that challenge is never really addressed outside of outlining what good leadership looks like (all of which was valid, if a bit obvious). This point also led me to wonder if this book was written for organizational leaders. That would explain why a lot of topics are discussed at such a high level, but a lot of my criticisms would still stand. It's also not great that I was honestly not sure who the intended audience is supposed to be. The authors gripe a great deal about how Agile ignores the individual in favor of the team. I haven't personally found this to be true. While there is certainly opportunity to be inclusive of those who are more soft-spoken and/or in need of better context/background prior to meetings/discussions, I don't think those are issues with Agile as much as they are with Western business culture in general. On one last, really petty note, they also don't seem to understand the true definition of an introvert vs. an extrovert, so their use of these terms in their arguments felt rather out of touch to me.
PAPERBACK
The simple yet eye-catching cover is kind of where my positives end when it comes to the overall packaging for this book. This is one of those annoying cases where it was literally cheaper to buy the print edition than the eBook, otherwise I'd advocate for getting this digitally (if you choose to pick this up at all). The feel of the paperback is rather bizarre. It's technically the same size as a 6x9 trade paperback, but it felt bulkier in the hand like a textbook. The book also feels strangely heavy to hold in spite of the thin/flimsy paper that is used. The effect is that this feels like it is caught between a quality trade paperback and a budget textbook. Cheap paper quality and relatively dull interior formatting further the impression that the folks putting this together (on the publisher side) did not do so with all that much enthusiasm or attention to detail.
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, AGILE 2 isn't a true sequel to Agile, it's not even a proper reboot. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table as far as I'm concerned (despite what the authors claim) and I'm certainly not leaving with anything I can put into action in my own work. I will say that I've started to see some of these half-baked concepts gain traction within the industry, so it may very well be worth reading this if only to understand what's going on.
(+) The authors make some really insightful points about where Agile has room for improvement
(+) Simple, yet striking cover design with some nice color choices
(-) This book would have benefited from including a greater number of proper case studies
(-) I did not leave with any actionable ideas for improving my Agile practices
(-) Somewhat pretentious tones in the writing
(-) Awkward book construction
(-) Lazily designed interior and poor paper quality
February 3, 2025
I was intrigued by the book’s promise as part of the "new agility" movement. While the read didn't fully meet my expectations, it offers several thought-provoking insights into Agile and its evolution.
The book is structured as a collection of opinion articles and essays that explore various perspectives on the challenges of implementing Agile effectively. While these articles provide valuable recommendations for adopting a more mature approach to Agile, they don’t offer specific practices or concrete solutions.
With its bold title, one might expect groundbreaking concepts, but many of the ideas presented are fundamental to Agile. For instance, it emphasizes measuring the contribution of value over the volume of delivery, which aligns with core Agile principles. While this is important, it's not a new concept—frameworks like Evidence-Based Management (EBM) have already addressed this, and the Agile Manifesto has prioritized value delivery since 2001. The book’s approach encourages a focus on applying Agile correctly, rather than evolving it, and it could provide more practical guidelines on how to do so.
What I appreciate about Agile 2 is that it challenges some of the mainstream Agile practices, particularly the reliance on predefined frameworks. It advocates for building organic structures through reflection and experimentation, which can lead to more effective and tailored solutions for organizations.
Although the writing could be clearer at times (hence the 4-star rating), the book brings valuable insights that encourage us to focus on mindset and principles over simply adopting specific implementations. The authors remind us that Agile is not just about frameworks—it’s about continuous improvement and the ability to adapt based on real-world experiences.
This book covers a wide range of relevant topics across the entire product value stream. While I don't agree with everything presented, it does spark important reflections on how we can refine the practices in our own organizations to better align with Agile values. It is certainly a useful reference for anyone looking to explore Agile in greater depth.
Though at times the authors’ tone can be strong, this is often part of the territory when writing an opinionated book aimed at challenging established norms. Overall, the book serves as an encouraging reminder to prioritize value-driven results and adapt Agile principles to fit the unique needs of your organization.
The book is structured as a collection of opinion articles and essays that explore various perspectives on the challenges of implementing Agile effectively. While these articles provide valuable recommendations for adopting a more mature approach to Agile, they don’t offer specific practices or concrete solutions.
With its bold title, one might expect groundbreaking concepts, but many of the ideas presented are fundamental to Agile. For instance, it emphasizes measuring the contribution of value over the volume of delivery, which aligns with core Agile principles. While this is important, it's not a new concept—frameworks like Evidence-Based Management (EBM) have already addressed this, and the Agile Manifesto has prioritized value delivery since 2001. The book’s approach encourages a focus on applying Agile correctly, rather than evolving it, and it could provide more practical guidelines on how to do so.
What I appreciate about Agile 2 is that it challenges some of the mainstream Agile practices, particularly the reliance on predefined frameworks. It advocates for building organic structures through reflection and experimentation, which can lead to more effective and tailored solutions for organizations.
Although the writing could be clearer at times (hence the 4-star rating), the book brings valuable insights that encourage us to focus on mindset and principles over simply adopting specific implementations. The authors remind us that Agile is not just about frameworks—it’s about continuous improvement and the ability to adapt based on real-world experiences.
This book covers a wide range of relevant topics across the entire product value stream. While I don't agree with everything presented, it does spark important reflections on how we can refine the practices in our own organizations to better align with Agile values. It is certainly a useful reference for anyone looking to explore Agile in greater depth.
Though at times the authors’ tone can be strong, this is often part of the territory when writing an opinionated book aimed at challenging established norms. Overall, the book serves as an encouraging reminder to prioritize value-driven results and adapt Agile principles to fit the unique needs of your organization.
May 10, 2024
I have several years of experience leading teams in agile environments and some of the points made in this book are just nonsense. Some of the passages are so outlandish that it is possible it was writen by an AI
Here are a few egregious quotes
“But a scrum master is severely handicapped because they cannot make an agreement on the team’s behalf. Negotiating with someone usually requires that if they agree to do something, then you agree to do something that they want in return. A Scrum Master cannot do that.”
This is ridiculous. I have never worked for a company that required teams to bargin with each other. This isn' a flaw in a scrum master. It is a flaw in a company
“If you are on a team … you will never progress in your career. Your income will never increase because the value of your experience will not be acknowledged.
I don't even know where to start with this one. I have never led a team and thought everyone on the team was completely equal. Just because people are working on the same projects doesn't mean some aren't more talented than others.
“Does this make Agile incompatible…? People need to be selective about Agile ideals and apply them in their own way, rather than using a one-size-fits-all set of practices”
There are a lot of things I would call Agile, one-size-fits-all is one of the least accurate descriptions I have ever heard.
Please do not support this book.
Here are a few egregious quotes
“But a scrum master is severely handicapped because they cannot make an agreement on the team’s behalf. Negotiating with someone usually requires that if they agree to do something, then you agree to do something that they want in return. A Scrum Master cannot do that.”
This is ridiculous. I have never worked for a company that required teams to bargin with each other. This isn' a flaw in a scrum master. It is a flaw in a company
“If you are on a team … you will never progress in your career. Your income will never increase because the value of your experience will not be acknowledged.
I don't even know where to start with this one. I have never led a team and thought everyone on the team was completely equal. Just because people are working on the same projects doesn't mean some aren't more talented than others.
“Does this make Agile incompatible…? People need to be selective about Agile ideals and apply them in their own way, rather than using a one-size-fits-all set of practices”
There are a lot of things I would call Agile, one-size-fits-all is one of the least accurate descriptions I have ever heard.
Please do not support this book.
August 20, 2024
Tenía bastante interés por ver qué proponía este libro como parte de todo el movimiento que hay de "nueva agilidad" y en general ha sido una lectura bastante decepcionante.
El libro se presenta como una colección de artículos de opinión y ensayos que exploran diferentes perspectivas sobre lo que sus respectivos autores creen que no funciona de Agile. De manera desestructurada, porque como digo es una colección de artículos, proporciona recomendaciones que pueden servir de guía para adoptar un enfoque más maduro de Agile, pero no prácticas ni soluciones concretas.
Con un título tan pretencioso te esperas que realmente venga a aportar cambios importantes pero las cosas que te encuentras son del estilo de que hay que medir el aporte de valor por encima del volumen de entrega. Pues evidentemente, pero eso es de primero de Agile, no es Agile 2, hay marcos de trabajo concretos para el tema como EBM desde 2015, el manifiesto Agile de 2001 ya prioriza la entrega de valor... No me puedes escribir un libro en 2021, llamarle Agile 2 y venir a contarme esto.¿Hay empresas que vienen haciendo una mala implementación de Agile y por ejemplo no midan el valor? Cierto, pero no es que haya que evolucionar Agile, es que hay que aplicarlo bien, y el libro no da demasiadas pautas sobre como hacerlo.
No le doy una sola estrella porque no ha sido una pérdida de tiempo total, me ha servido para poder hablar con propiedad con la gente cuando surja el tema.
El libro se presenta como una colección de artículos de opinión y ensayos que exploran diferentes perspectivas sobre lo que sus respectivos autores creen que no funciona de Agile. De manera desestructurada, porque como digo es una colección de artículos, proporciona recomendaciones que pueden servir de guía para adoptar un enfoque más maduro de Agile, pero no prácticas ni soluciones concretas.
Con un título tan pretencioso te esperas que realmente venga a aportar cambios importantes pero las cosas que te encuentras son del estilo de que hay que medir el aporte de valor por encima del volumen de entrega. Pues evidentemente, pero eso es de primero de Agile, no es Agile 2, hay marcos de trabajo concretos para el tema como EBM desde 2015, el manifiesto Agile de 2001 ya prioriza la entrega de valor... No me puedes escribir un libro en 2021, llamarle Agile 2 y venir a contarme esto.¿Hay empresas que vienen haciendo una mala implementación de Agile y por ejemplo no midan el valor? Cierto, pero no es que haya que evolucionar Agile, es que hay que aplicarlo bien, y el libro no da demasiadas pautas sobre como hacerlo.
No le doy una sola estrella porque no ha sido una pérdida de tiempo total, me ha servido para poder hablar con propiedad con la gente cuando surja el tema.
February 16, 2022
Good counter points to main stream agile.
I love books that make me think. Agile 2 provides some good counter points to main stream agile. Mainly Agile 2 criticizes the adoption of frameworks as implementation rather than doing the hard work of creating organic structures through deep reflections and experimentation.
It’s not the most well written book (thus 4 stars). Some of the information provides superlatives instead of trade-offs and some of the arguments are circular (particularity the last chapter). But overall it’s a good reminder to invest effort in mindset and principles over grabbing an implementation and pushing it forward.
I love books that make me think. Agile 2 provides some good counter points to main stream agile. Mainly Agile 2 criticizes the adoption of frameworks as implementation rather than doing the hard work of creating organic structures through deep reflections and experimentation.
It’s not the most well written book (thus 4 stars). Some of the information provides superlatives instead of trade-offs and some of the arguments are circular (particularity the last chapter). But overall it’s a good reminder to invest effort in mindset and principles over grabbing an implementation and pushing it forward.
September 10, 2021
Very informative book. Covered a broad range of relevant topics across the whole product value stream. I don't agree with everything that was stated in the book and some of what was suggested many people are already doing. I thought it was a good reference book for the whole value stream and was worth reading because it made me think about the practices used in my organizations and how to potentially improve upon them.
Sometimes the authors do come across as a bit too sanctimonious, but I guess that comes with the territory of writing an opinionated book.
Sometimes the authors do come across as a bit too sanctimonious, but I guess that comes with the territory of writing an opinionated book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews