Is Agile Dead—or Are We Just Getting Started?

You’ve probably come across headlines like “Agile is Dead” in recent months. Let me say this loud and clear: unless the Earth starts spinning in the opposite direction, I don’t see that happening anytime soon. In fact, the opposite is more likely true. The world needs more agility, not less.

The pace of change that organizations and individuals are facing is accelerating—fueled by AI, quantum computing, and other disruptive forces. Agility is no longer optional. What is on the decline, however—and for good reason—are frameworks like Scrum or SAFe.

Are those frameworks dead? No. But some of them are starting to look like they’re on life support. In this post, I’ll explore why Agile isn't going away, even if frameworks are becoming less relevant. And I’ll show why patterns like the Agile Kata can take agility to the next level.

The Big Confusion: Agile ≠ Scrum

First, let’s get one thing straight: Agile and Scrum are not the same.

Over the years, Scrum became so widespread that many professionals now equate the two. That’s unfortunate. Agile (with a capital A) defines values and principles, not a methodology or process. Scrum, on the other hand, is a framework with defined roles, rules, events, and artifacts described in the Scrum Guide. Using Scrum can help you become Agile—but following a framework doesn’t guarantee agility.

When Framework Labels Hide Reality

It’s not uncommon for organizations to say they “do Scrum,” yet their ways of working are anything but agile. I’ve heard countless team members say they learned the Scrum vocabulary in training, but nothing really changed in how they work. I’m not surprised.

Often, teams attend training and try to implement new practices—but their leaders don’t. That mismatch creates friction. It’s not the team’s fault, and it’s not even Scrum’s fault. It’s a lack of organizational commitment to change. The Agile mindset may start in pockets, but without broader support, it fizzles out. Old habits return. The grand vision of "being Agile" turns into a hollow label. If you keep working in the same way, how can you expect new outcomes? And outcomes is what Agile is all about. It’s like putting a lawnmower engine in a Porsche and expecting it to perform like the real thing.

Why Frameworks Are Losing Steam

Agility is not a fixed destination. It’s a commitment to a journey of continuous of improvement. And here lies the core dilemma: while agile coaches push for deeper agility, process frameworks like Scrum now become the limiting factor. Scrum was once a groundbreaking shift away from waterfall thinking. But today, many teams are used to working as a self-organized team and using short cycles. The original urgency created by the concept of the Sprint for example can now become a bottleneck to creativity and innovation. What made sense in 2005 may not serve teams in 2025. Take a look at the Agile Manifesto. You won’t find the word “Sprint” or “iteration” among its values or principles. Instead, you’ll see words like frequently and intervals—suggesting flexibility. Frameworks offer one path, but not the only path to solve the challenges ahead for your business. When a problem space is complex, timing and context are as important as the exploration of options through experimentation. And that’s where Agile Kata comes in.

The Agile Kata: A Pattern, Not a Prescription

Unlike a framework, the Agile Kata is a pattern. It’s a deliberate practice routine that builds new habits. When you align those routines with agility goals, they become powerful tools for lasting change. Think of a soccer team running drills—not for their own sake, but to prepare for the real game. The more you practice, the more second nature it becomes. (Agile Kata Book)

The real beauty of Agile Kata? You can challenge, assess, and adapt the rules and behaviors you’ve been using—including those learned through Agile Kata itself. Why? Because even well-intended practices may not deliver the results you expect. That’s agility in action. In contrast, the Scrum framework is immutable. If you change a single rule, role, or artifact, it’s no longer Scrum.

Building Agility, Not Installing a System

Frameworks are often installed like software—pre-packaged and rigid. The Agile Kata, by contrast, helps you design your own way of working—with your context, your team, and your goals in mind. This calls for a shift in coaching. Agile coaches aren’t interpreters of framework rules—they must guide individuals and organizations through mindset shifts. The Agile Kata enables new behaviors across all layers of an organization, including leaders and managers.

It’s not about plug-and-play agility. It’s about growing your own Agile culture, one improvement cycle at a time. Think of the popular Spotify model. It evolved constantly over time. Instead of copying what worked for Spotify, Agile Kata helps you create your own version of agility—custom-fit for your business, domain and context.

So, Is Scrum Dead?

Not at all. Scrum still plays an important role—especially as a powerful learning tool for teams new to agile ways of working. It provides structure, shared language, and rhythm, which can be incredibly helpful for teams just getting off the ground. For some, Scrum’s consistency and clarity are exactly what they need to succeed.

But here’s the challenge: what helps a team get started isn’t always what helps an organization evolve. Scrum can become limiting when enforced uniformly across departments, functions, or even the whole enterprise. Ironically, strict adherence to a framework—even one designed for agility—can conflict with the Agile principle: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” If you're not allowed to adapt the system itself, you’re no longer practicing agility—you’re just following instructions.

That’s why Scrum may become less relevant for mature organizations seeking true business agility. Scrum is not the problem—but it’s not the whole solution either.

Agile Kata on the other side enables organizations to move beyond installation of frameworks toward deliberate, context-driven improvement. It respects the foundational role frameworks like Scrum can play, while empowering teams and leaders to build their own path to agility—one improvement cycle at a time.

Closing Thoughts

Frameworks are still a great fit for teams who enjoy and benefit from structure. If it works for you—keep using it. But if you're looking to build agility across multiple teams, departments, or your entire organization—especially beyond IT— Agile Kata offers a flexible, empowering path. It helps you design your own way of working, grounded in continuous improvement and scientific thinking. Agility isn’t dead. It’s evolving. And with Agile Kata, you can evolve with it.