Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Enterprise Agility has become a buzzword in modern business circles, often equated with rapid software development, DevOps, and IT project management. Many leaders and employees mistakenly believe that agility belongs solely to technology teams, leaving HR, Finance, Operations, Legal, Risk, and Customer Experience departments to operate in more traditional, rigid ways. This misconception limits the potential of organizations to truly compete and adapt in today’s fast-changing markets.
The origins of the Agile product development approach go back further than most assume. In 1991, the concept of the “Agile Enterprise” was introduced, describing organizations that could quickly adapt to market and environmental changes. Later in the last decade of the 20supth/sup Century, the Agile Manager book series explored how agile thinking could transform functions like finance, marketing, sales, and training. These early works make it clear: Agility is not just for IT—it’s a holistic approach for the entire enterprise.
This blog post explores why restricting agility to IT is a costly error, highlights challenges in broadening Agile adoption, and provides recommendations for building a truly Agile Enterprise.
Which non-IT department in your organization could benefit most from embracing agile principles?
What barriers have you observed when trying to extend agility beyond software teams?
How might your role change if your entire organization operated with true enterprise agility?
Blog post Enterprise Agility Is NOT Just for IT: Busting the Biggest Myth in Modern Business
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
One barrier I have observed is trying to extend agile practices across functions without changing the dependencies between them.
A team may shorten feedback loops and adapt its own work, but if priorities are set elsewhere, funding changes slowly, Legal or Risk enters too late, or decisions still require long escalation chains, local agility quickly reaches a systemic boundary.
For me, the challenge is not convincing every department to work in Sprints or adopt the same practices. It is redesigning how functions coordinate, share context and make interdependent decisions when reality changes.
Perhaps enterprise agility begins when adaptation stops being a local team capability and becomes a property of the organizational system.
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1 reply by Stelian ROMAN
Sep 06, 2026 9:25 PM
Stelian ROMAN
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Luis Branco, excellent observation. Agile is not limited to a role or function. IMHO, it is changes, or it should change, the entire organisation's culture and interactions.
Program Manager| HARPER SRLSanto Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
One of the biggest barriers I've seen is the belief that Agile is only for software teams. The principles apply just as well to areas like HR, Finance, PMOs, and Operations, even if the practices look different. Another challenge is changing the mindset. Adopting Agile practices is much easier than building a culture that supports collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
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1 reply by Stelian ROMAN
Sep 06, 2026 9:27 PM
Stelian ROMAN
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Sadly, unknown to many, in the 1990s, someone had the idea to write a series of books about "The Agile Manager". None of the almost 20 books were dedicated to software developers or software development managers.
Senior IS Project Manager| Baycare Health SystemsClearwater, Fl, United States
The major barrier that I have experienced in rollout of Agile, in both software development and other areas of organizations, is the lack of executive support. If your CEO is leading the charge and expecting everyone to get onboard the Agile Express, change will happy quickly.
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1 reply by Stelian ROMAN
Sep 06, 2026 9:29 PM
Stelian ROMAN
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The CHAOS report had the lack of executive support as the #1 reason for project failure. Unfortunately, many executives were led to believe by consultants that Agile transformations are as easy as relabeling roles and sending some people for training.
Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jul 09, 2026 6:00 AM
Replying to Luis Branco
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One barrier I have observed is trying to extend agile practices across functions without changing the dependencies between them.
A team may shorten feedback loops and adapt its own work, but if priorities are set elsewhere, funding changes slowly, Legal or Risk enters too late, or decisions still require long escalation chains, local agility quickly reaches a systemic boundary.
For me, the challenge is not convincing every department to work in Sprints or adopt the same practices. It is redesigning how functions coordinate, share context and make interdependent decisions when reality changes.
Perhaps enterprise agility begins when adaptation stops being a local team capability and becomes a property of the organizational system.
Luis Branco, excellent observation. Agile is not limited to a role or function. IMHO, it is changes, or it should change, the entire organisation's culture and interactions. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jul 09, 2026 10:48 PM
Replying to Lissette Indhira Pimentel Sosa
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One of the biggest barriers I've seen is the belief that Agile is only for software teams. The principles apply just as well to areas like HR, Finance, PMOs, and Operations, even if the practices look different. Another challenge is changing the mindset. Adopting Agile practices is much easier than building a culture that supports collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
Sadly, unknown to many, in the 1990s, someone had the idea to write a series of books about "The Agile Manager". None of the almost 20 books were dedicated to software developers or software development managers. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jul 10, 2026 1:26 PM
Replying to Michael King
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The major barrier that I have experienced in rollout of Agile, in both software development and other areas of organizations, is the lack of executive support. If your CEO is leading the charge and expecting everyone to get onboard the Agile Express, change will happy quickly.
The CHAOS report had the lack of executive support as the #1 reason for project failure. Unfortunately, many executives were led to believe by consultants that Agile transformations are as easy as relabeling roles and sending some people for training. Saving Changes...
The biggest hurdle is that non-IT departments still rely on strict rules and long-term planning instead of being flexible. For example, marketing can't easily run quick, test-and-learn campaigns if finance demands a fixed, year-long budget upfront. Saving Changes...
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