In this episode, Ian Banner and Steve Forbes tackle one of the most contentious debates in modern software development: why teams are slowly moving from traditional Scrum practices. Drawing from the latest State of Agile Report data, they reveal how Scrum adoption has plummeted from 58% to 51% whilst Kanban and custom frameworks surge ahead.
But this isn't another "Agile is dead" rant. Instead, Ian and Steve make a provocative case that whilst Agile principles remain vital, lockstep time boxing has become a relic of the 1990s. They explore how modern tools—from Git to AI—have fundamentally changed the game, making two-week sprints feel like an eternity in today's development cycles.
The conversation dives deep into practical alternatives, from "sneaky peeks" for product owners to strategic six-week reviews for stakeholders. Steve shares war stories from teams that have successfully implemented mixed cadences, whilst Ian provides hard-won insights about avoiding the "Frankenstein hybrid" trap that combines the worst of all methodologies.
This episode offers a blueprint for evolving beyond rigid frameworks whilst maintaining the discipline that makes Agile effective.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Initial Thoughts
06:01 Transitioning from Scrum to Kanban
12:04 Defining Agile Frameworks
17:57 The Evolution of Software Development Practices
25:57 Retrospectives: Frequency and Necessity
34:47 Planning: Short-term vs Long-term Perspectives
40:51 Strategic Value and Measuring Success
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