Again . . . make an actual argument. This is just flinging shit like monkeys, or like an arrogant junior dev who thinks the world revolves around their specific role because they just figured out lambda functions or something.

Agile is like communism, the only reason it never works is that Real(tm) Agile has never been tried. This is the argument you have been making this whole time while accusing the other commenter of flinging shit like a monkey.

I think it is wrong to look for "true agile", as it's not a set of checkboxes to fill. I agree with other comments that sprints, backlogs, etc. are just tools to pick from based on the problems you're facing. You see them proposed time and again because many organizations face the same, boring problems as everyone.

To me, the only one true principle of Agile is to: - Always take time to reflect on the way you and your team work - Discuss openly if it's appropriate or not - Be ready to accept ANY solution that is discussed, be it organizational, technical, or self-improvement.

I would even go as far as calling it a basic principle of engineering. It is very simple to state, but very hard to implement due to our human nature (ego and feelings get in the way of open discussion and self-change) and budgets (taking time to discuss and implement change feels like a cost to most management, not added value).

There were examples of this principle and mindset in many organizations long before Agile was codified, and it can actually cause valuable results in organizations that look nothing like the stereotype of Agile !

For example, the NASA software department was famous for stopping all developments any time their QA detected any bug, and taking the time needed to ensure this kind of bug can never be committed again in the future. This kind of behavior is extremely Agile to me : continually improving your process to match your requirements. It is very slow and expensive for them, but it matches the stakes (potential loss of lives).