Agile or Winging It

The article critiques how many teams misuse Agile as an excuse to skip upfront planning, citing a 2024 Engprax study showing projects with documented requirements are 50% more likely to succeed. While acknowledging Agile projects are roughly three times more successful than Waterfall per the Standish Group's CHAOS report, the author argues the Agile Manifesto intended plans to be held loosely—not abandoned entirely. The piece calls for 'just enough' planning, noting that original Agile thought leaders like Robert Martin and Martin Fowler emphasized design quality, not the absence of forethought.