Scope creep. Sudden project changes. Indecision. Endless “iteration.” Half-baked plans. These aren’t just annoying—they’re symptoms of a deeper problem: not doing the hard work upfront—figuring out what you want!
This is why Agile has turned into the chaotic mess it is today. People show up with unclear goals, vague specs, and lean it all on their developers—then call it “agile.” But that’s not agile. That’s a project meltdown waiting to happen, and developers are the ones who absorb it as frustration and the burnout.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what’s been eroding the joy from my work—one thing keeps showing up: the annoyance of things constantly changing—not because they need to—but because people can’t make up their minds! A lack of thoughtfulness has created this bloated, ever-shifting “iteration” culture we’ve all somehow come to accept. But constant indecision and poor planning isn’t a sign of agility—it’s just a frustrating distraction!
This might not sound flattering on a resume, but the reality is real: the noise, the pivots, the wasted work—it all just sucks for developers!
This is where I still have hope for AI: It should make it easier for leadership roles to visualize, prototype, and clarify their vision—before pulling developers. This way developers can enjoy their work, build exactly what you want, and do deep work! Figuring out what you really want is amazing, and in my reflecting I have found well-planned out projects the most rewarding.
Small tweaks are fine—don’t get me wrong—but rethinking everything constantly?—or, gutting huge chunks of the project at the end? That’s not agile—it’s frustrating and demoralizing!