The undervaluation of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches is a growing issue across industries, often leading to role reductions during organizational restructuring. This phenomenon is rooted in several systemic causes and misconceptions. To truly Unf*ck Your Agile, it’s crucial to dissect the underlying problems and propose actionable solutions.

Agile Success Redefined

The apparent contradiction between successful Agile transformations and the increasing layoffs of Agile roles like Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches highlights a deeper issue.

In recent years, Agile transformations have become a focal point for organizations aiming to enhance adaptability, speed, and customer-centricity. However, the journey toward agility is fraught with challenges, and success rates vary. To effectively Unfck Your Agile*, it’s essential to understand current industry trends, assess the efficacy of these transformations, and identify areas necessitating change.

Agile isn’t a methodology to follow—it’s a capability to develop.

It’s not about sprints and ceremonies—it’s about delivering value faster, better, and more sustainably.

It’s not about protecting Agile from critics—it’s about making Agile undeniable because the results speak for themselves.

If you want to Unf*ck Your Agile*, stop asking, “Are we doing Agile right?”

Start asking, “Are we getting better at delivering value, adapting to change, and winning in the market?”

One of the most common phrases in Agile transformations is “meet the organization where they are.” While this sounds like a pragmatic and empathetic approach, it’s often used as a justification for slow-walking change rather than as a stepping stone toward real transformation…

Gratitude in the workplace creates a culture of appreciation, builds stronger relationships, and reinforces a sense of belonging and purpose. When team members feel valued, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and collaborative, ultimately driving productivity and satisfaction. It shifts the focus from problems to possibilities, turning a potentially toxic environment into one of trust and continuous improvement.

The digital landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, requiring businesses to be more adaptable, responsive, and innovative than ever before. This has led to the widespread adoption of Agility as a mindset and a way of being in product and software development. Agile software development isn't just a set of practices or methodologies—it's a fundamental shift in how organizations think, operate, and deliver value to their customers. In this article, we'll explore the modern ways of thinking, doing, and being in agile software development, with real-world examples of companies that have embraced these principles to stay competitive in today's market.

Performance and effectiveness are often mistaken for one another, but they serve distinct purposes in assessing both individual and organizational success. Performance concerns how well work is executed, focusing on efficiency and output. Effectiveness, however, is about achieving the desired outcomes, focusing on whether the right actions are taken to meet specific goals. While high performance can lead to fast, accurate work, it does not guarantee that the work done is impactful or aligned with strategic objectives. On the other hand, effectiveness ensures that the outcomes contribute to broader goals, even if it means taking more time or deviating from the initial plan. Understanding these differences is crucial for leaders who want to balance efficiency with meaningful results.

While meeting teams ‘where they are at’ is important, it’s also critical to lead teams with clear direction and purpose. Scrum isn’t just about practices you sneak in over time. It’s about delivering value, building transparency, and creating collective accountability from day one.

As we navigate through this ever-changing VUCA environment, traditional methods of project management and software development are proving inadequate. Transitioning from legacy ways of thinking, doing, and being to more agile mindsets, processes, and toolsets has become imperative.

In the ever-evolving landscape of agile methodologies, one framework stands out for its simplicity and efficacy: Scrum. According to the Scrum Guide, Scrum is immutable, meaning its core principles and practices are fixed and must be adhered to for the framework to be effective. Despite being adapted over time in response to market and industry changes, the fundamental essence of the Scrum Guide remains immutable. Let’s delve into what this immutability means and why adhering to it is crucial for achieving true agility.

In agile transformation, the "3 Things First" approach is the crucial Litmus Test to determine an organization's readiness for agile practices. These 3 foundational elements— 1) Teams, 2) Backlogs, and 3) Working Tested Software—are essential for establishing a stable and predictable agile environment. Without these components firmly in place, agile practices are unlikely to succeed or be sustainable.

Ensuring code quality is crucial, particularly in highly regulated environments where compliance with standards like GxP, CSV/CSA, and 21 CFR Part 11 is mandatory. Every line of code must be rigorously tested before reaching production, whether directly interacting with end-users or supporting the application in the background. Testing ensures the robustness and functionality of the software, preventing significant issues, including potential audits by the FDA, data integrity, privacy breaches, or compromising patient safety. This principle applies universally, ensuring all aspects of the application are reliable, secure, and safe. Quality assurance practices such as unit, integration, functional/non-functional, regression, and acceptance testing are essential to maintain these standards. Even when software development is contracted to a third party, Lilly is liable for its quality and compliance and must conduct its own System testing. Addressing misconceptions about testing non-user-facing features is vital, as any application part can impact overall system integrity and regulatory compliance.

Velocity is a key metric in agility, that measures the amount of work a team completes during a sprint. Calculated in story points, it provides insights into a team's capacity, throughput, stability, and predictability. Velocity differs between teams due to various factors and should not be used for comparison. Instead, it helps teams forecast future work, improve processes, and set stakeholder expectations.

A team's Working Agreement is a foundational document that sets the tone for how team members will collaborate, communicate, and hold each other accountable. It aligns with Scrum's values and serves as a guide to foster a productive and harmonious working environment. This article explores the origins, benefits, components, timing, and potential consequences of not having a Working Agreement.

As we grow and strive to maintain agility at scale, the need for robust tools to synchronize efforts across teams becomes paramount. Jira Align is designed to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, providing enterprises with the visibility and alignment necessary to succeed. This article delves into the relationship between Jira Cloud and Jira Align, its purpose and capabilities, its evolution, and the importance of good Jira practices and data hygiene.

User stories have become a cornerstone in modern software development, particularly within Agile frameworks. Their simplicity and focus on user-centric requirements make them indispensable for creating effective and efficient Software. This article explores user stories' origins, evolution, format, key principles and how they differ from traditional requirements.

Systemic organizational barriers are the entrenched obstacles within an organization's structure, culture, and processes that hinder effective transformation.

In modern software development and delivery, the Fibonacci sequence is used to represent story points in relative-sizing because it naturally captures the increasing uncertainty and complexity associated with estimating complexity. Here’s why it is used...

To gauge project success, traditional project management often relies on stoplight vanity metrics such as Cost, Schedule, Scope, and Resources. While these metrics provide a snapshot of project performance, they can be misleading and insufficient in today's dynamic business environment. Focusing solely on these metrics can lead to a false sense of security and overlook critical factors determining long-term success and adaptability.