As The Tools Changed, Did Your Process? From Rigid Frameworks to Flexible Cadences

Episode notes

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.