I recently read a post on Medium titled “The Death of Agile.”
While the headline blames Agile, the article mostly critiques Scrum, the structured methodology, not the mindset Agile was built on.
It caught my attention, not because I agreed entirely, but because I recognized the tension it described.
Maybe you have bought into the agile mindset: move fast, iterate, empower your team to solve problems instead of waiting for permission.
But somewhere along the way…it stopped working. Or worse, it never really got off the ground.
Let’s call it what it is: Agile didn’t fail
The structure around it did.
Agile is a mindset: a way of working, thinking, learning.
But in many mid-sized companies, it gets layered with standups, product boards, sprint planning, performance dashboards…and none of it seems to move the business forward.
The team feels busy. But not aligned.
Accountable. But not empowered.
Structured. But still dependent on you to push it over the finish line.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Here’s what I think typically happens
We adopted the playbook but we didn’t build the team.
Agile assumes you have:
• Clear roles with real ownership
• Team members close enough to the customer to solve real problems
• A lightweight operating structure that supports initiative; not one that chokes it
But most mid-sized businesses haven’t built that yet.
They’re still running a team that was great at 30 people, stretched across 90, and showing signs of strain at 130.
In that environment, “Agile” becomes a word you throw into meetings, but not a way of working you can trust.
People OS was built for this exact moment
People OS is not a replacement for Agile, it’s the system that makes agile work again.
It gives you clarity around who owns what, how teams make decisions, and how execution actually happens when you’re not in the room.
It’s not about more process.
It’s about making sure your people have the structure and support to own their roles fully, so agility can thrive again.
But let’s stay in the tension for now
How are things working in your business?
• Are your teams structured to solve problems—or just execute handoffs?
• Does your “Agile” feel like momentum or meetings?
• Is your playbook missing a team?
If this hit a nerve, you’re not alone.
The promise of Agile still matters.
But it needs a system behind it that fits your business—not one you borrowed from a company 10x your size.
Curious what that could look like?
Let’s grab a 30-minute brainstorm.
No pitch. Just clarity. And maybe some next steps to rebuild momentum in a way that fits you.
People OS is the framework behind our work and thinking and it might be the missing system your business needs.
