Has AI Doomed Agile? (Part 1 of 2)
It was 10 years ago that I joined my first consulting company, the now-defunct Quantum Monkeys (QM). We were a small yet boisterous startup, trying to earn the reputation for being the go-to agile consultancy in Montréal, Canada. Our days were dedicate to our respective agile transformation mandates. Our evenings, more often than not, were spent at the office, working feverishly to improve our business impact.
In the realm of knowledge a fresh insight or impactful reframing of an old idea leading could be like striking a gold vein. Often sparked by Maurice Lefebvre†, the discussion would often veer into the deeply philosophical as we looked for better footholds to distinguish QM from the competition. Nothing was off limits. Naturally, there were a few topics that caused significant friction, but none so much as the idea of post-agile.
”Nonsense! Agile might be incrementally improved upon, but it’s inconcievable that the fundamentals will become outdated… therefore, there is no such thing as post-agile.”
The thing we never anticipated in our lifetimes, and never fully factored for in our debates, was the realisation of agentic AI. Our hidden assumption was that humans would always be the primary creators of value. Amazingly, less than 10 years later, with the age of AI agents is well upon us. Because of this, I feel like it’s time to revisit an the idea of post-agile.
So, has the age of post-Agile actually arrived?
Let’s break it down by revisiting the Four Core Values of the Agile Manifesto.
The Four Core Values of Agile
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
Still relevant. At the time of writing this, humans are still in the loop, and humans still need to coordinate, regardless of relationship. AI Agents haven’t changed this. In fact, they add MORE voices to the conversation, and are even interacting with each other. Rigid relationships and restrictive tools increasingly only get in the way of interactions that can create value. Perhaps the age of genuine Wirearchy is rapidly approaching.
Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Still relevant. Results are everything. Now with AI being able to catalogue and associate all aspects of data, understand its relevance, and synthesise situationally-appropriate answers, documentation is losing ground to AI.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Still relevant. The customer relationship, the source of life-sustaining income, is fundamental to all companies. Understanding their need, even if they don’t understand it so well themselves, is still entirely relevant, and engaging them along the way is still critical. Even if new avenues of exploration, understanding, and collaboration are opening up, and the cycle time between input and outcome are shrinking, the mentality of customer collaboration still outperforms contract negotiation.
Responding to change over following a plan
Still relevant. Planning is still relevant, but the horizon of its efficacy, at least in software development companies, draws nearer with each quarter. Let’s not mince words. The rate of change that agentic AI has brought upon us has put the notion of following a longterm planning under immense pressure.
If there is such a thing as a post-Agile era, it’s still not on the horizon. AI-augmented workflows, autonomous agents, and continuous optimisation only reinforce the 4 Core Values of the Agile Manifesto. But what about the 12 principles? How will they stand up to the coming age of agentic AI?
In the follow-up article, Has AI Doomed Agile? (Part 2 of 2) Coming soon, we take a careful look at each of the 12 Principles and ask what still serves us, what needs reframing, and what must be reinterpreted for effective hybrid human-AI systems.