This isn’t a manifesto—it’s an exorcism of the Agile-Industrial Complex. And it's about damn time.
For years we watched “agile transformations” devolve into SAFe PowerPoint rituals and Jira-shaped bureaucracy. Ceremonies multiplied. Context vanished. Teams got frameworks instead of freedom.
Now AI shows up, and suddenly *everything* moves faster—except trust, autonomy, and actual human insight.
But Harmony? Certifying *agents* instead of humans? That’s the reversal we’ve needed since slide 5 of the original Scrum training.
If we ever want to escape the cargo cult of post-it worship and backlog hoarding, it won’t be with more standups. It’ll be with tools that understand us better than our OKRs do.
Agile’s not dead. It’s just been outsourced to compliance.
I’m in. I’ve been thinking about the reimagining agile initiative, which i helped start, had some of the same goals, in my mind. But while agility will continue to be important, there are now RA1 (before AI-current version) and RA2 (after AI). And, it needed a new name. I’m presenting at Agile 2025 a session called ‘The Next Management’, using that term to indicate that management/leadership from top to bottom will evolve rapidly, we just don’t know how. Harmony has a nice ring. Count me in.
While I love (and share) your techno-optimism, I think you are solutioning at a stack level that exclude the entire valuechain. How is a product valued etc? For me, it starts with how do we make work fun again ? (like in the 90s when the internet was taking off). There is a reason why retroware is so active.
Nice article, but I’m wondering how this relates to the broader business landscape.
Right now, we see a few companies consolidating ownership, reducing differentiation, and pushing for more uniform needs and desires. How can these organizations be genuinely interested in something that could potentially limit their power?
I believe the real risk isn’t AI taking over all our jobs it’s more about how human power is distributed and regulated. If we’re not careful, the real challenge will be the concentration and control of human influence, not the machines themselves
I particularly resonate with the call for HARMONY and your insights:
* On technology, I believe the real "threat" isn't the tech itself, but the incentives of the people using it. Like a tool, it's neutral until wielded with intent;
* That many jobs become unfulfilling and AI offers a huge opportunity to free us from corporate drudgery, allowing us to pursue more meaningful work;
* Building this future requires first of all system thinkers who can argue for a separation of power. Just as the US Constitution's design prevents collapse even when challenged, we need to establish a harmony as you call it between technological opportunities and human needs.
Overall the approach should preserve the values you mentioned of trust, diversity, and fairness as they are foundational for a resilient and harmonious future society.
This isn’t a manifesto—it’s an exorcism of the Agile-Industrial Complex. And it's about damn time.
For years we watched “agile transformations” devolve into SAFe PowerPoint rituals and Jira-shaped bureaucracy. Ceremonies multiplied. Context vanished. Teams got frameworks instead of freedom.
Now AI shows up, and suddenly *everything* moves faster—except trust, autonomy, and actual human insight.
But Harmony? Certifying *agents* instead of humans? That’s the reversal we’ve needed since slide 5 of the original Scrum training.
If we ever want to escape the cargo cult of post-it worship and backlog hoarding, it won’t be with more standups. It’ll be with tools that understand us better than our OKRs do.
Agile’s not dead. It’s just been outsourced to compliance.
Let’s build the bolt cutters.
I’m in. I’ve been thinking about the reimagining agile initiative, which i helped start, had some of the same goals, in my mind. But while agility will continue to be important, there are now RA1 (before AI-current version) and RA2 (after AI). And, it needed a new name. I’m presenting at Agile 2025 a session called ‘The Next Management’, using that term to indicate that management/leadership from top to bottom will evolve rapidly, we just don’t know how. Harmony has a nice ring. Count me in.
Brilliant, Jim. I'd love to collaborate with you on this.
Perhaps good not to wait until Denver and schedule an exploratory chat soon.
let’s schedule
How can I get involved or support the initiative?
We'll start the collaboration soon!
More info coming up this week.
While I love (and share) your techno-optimism, I think you are solutioning at a stack level that exclude the entire valuechain. How is a product valued etc? For me, it starts with how do we make work fun again ? (like in the 90s when the internet was taking off). There is a reason why retroware is so active.
There is no such thing as "the entire value chain."
There are only value networks, constantly adapting and evolving.
Nice article, but I’m wondering how this relates to the broader business landscape.
Right now, we see a few companies consolidating ownership, reducing differentiation, and pushing for more uniform needs and desires. How can these organizations be genuinely interested in something that could potentially limit their power?
I believe the real risk isn’t AI taking over all our jobs it’s more about how human power is distributed and regulated. If we’re not careful, the real challenge will be the concentration and control of human influence, not the machines themselves
Great article again!
I particularly resonate with the call for HARMONY and your insights:
* On technology, I believe the real "threat" isn't the tech itself, but the incentives of the people using it. Like a tool, it's neutral until wielded with intent;
* That many jobs become unfulfilling and AI offers a huge opportunity to free us from corporate drudgery, allowing us to pursue more meaningful work;
* Building this future requires first of all system thinkers who can argue for a separation of power. Just as the US Constitution's design prevents collapse even when challenged, we need to establish a harmony as you call it between technological opportunities and human needs.
Overall the approach should preserve the values you mentioned of trust, diversity, and fairness as they are foundational for a resilient and harmonious future society.
I agree on all accounts.
Color me skeptic, but interested.
How about jumping on a call (recorded), so we can explore this further? Who would you invite?
Positively skeptic is my default state of mind.
Happy to talk. I don't know yet who to invite.