See it on Slideshare

In some SAFe and Scrum setups, the user is so astronomically far removed, they become a myth.
The product? Unclear.
The focus? Process.
Working software? Closing Jira tickets.
Customer feedback? A demo to a proxy of a proxy.
Customer value? A velocity chart.

Agility becomes a prescribed ritual. Agile becomes a performance, not a mindset.

Welcome to the Agile business:

  • where certifications are dispensed like snacks from vending machines behind a 7/11 in a back alley of Kiyamachi,
  • where framework templates are sold like magic potions,
  • where Waterfall masquerades in Scrum clothing,
  • where Prime One-Day delivery “out-of-the-box” rigid processes are deployed in the name of adaptability.

And yet…

  • Some do scale value.
  • Some focus on real outcomes.
  • Some remember the customer is not a persona in a deck; but someone who actually uses the product and relies on it to succeed.
  • Some do involve the customer along the way.

➔ And this is the very first principle of the Agile Manifesto.

📊 Not your typical SAFe deck.
⚠️ Viewer discretion advised: this deck may challenge conventional thinking.
🃏 Only the jester can speak truth to power.

Feel free to check out my LinkedIn post for further discussion: linkedin.com/posts/merckel_agile-infinity-when-the-customer-is-an-abstract-activity-7312733124726018051-yvvp