✋ Not Every Project Needs Agile—Let’s Stop Forcing It

When I hear "Let's go do Agile!" or "We tried Agile and it was a failure." I see confusing a mindset with some specific methodology. I have certainly been through it. Someone went to a seminar, and now we must reorganize the entire team, eliminate assigned seating, and follow a specific, ill-fitting formula. I call that rigid agile.

I often try to avoid the word and use the principles to avoid scaring people off. It's more about picking the right processes for the situation. Just because elements of the job require a very well sequenced predictive plan, doesn't mean many other elements, like exploring potential trade studies need to follow the same approach.

Amanda Harris
I’ve seen transformations where “Let’s go Agile!” became a rallying cry without real strategy.
Teams rushed, suppliers were confused, and the project’s actual needs got lost.
Agile isn’t magic—it’s a mindset that only works when the context allows it.
When you have fixed contracts, critical dependencies, or heavy regulatory constraints, a hybrid or even predictive approach often delivers better outcomes.
For me, the real skill isn’t in choosing Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid.
It’s in knowing when to adapt, how to balance structure with flexibility—and never letting KPIs replace common sense.

Absolutely! Agile if not handled properly can be a real nightmare, especially when the clients are too smart. If we do not draw a line with respect to the scope, we will end up doing everything the client wants.

Simple: include a Business Analyst into each initiative. No more than that. And just follow IIBA standards or PMI standards. 
In your post is a big mistake which contributes to what you are trying to avoid: comparing agile and waterfall. Big, big, big mistake.
So, start for not doing this mistake.

Hi Sergio,
Can you explain why you say it's a mistake to compare the Agile and Waterfall methodologies? I'm interested in understanding your perspective.