Too many organisations hide behind excuses:"

TL;DR

Even large, regulated, and traditionally slow organizations like the DOD and FBI have successfully adopted iterative delivery, showing that excuses for not embracing agile are unfounded. Agile helps reduce risk, increase flexibility, and deliver value incrementally, which is especially important in regulated industries. Development managers should challenge resistance and prioritize agile practices to improve outcomes regardless of organizational constraints.

7 June 2025
Written by Martin Hinshelwood
1 minute read
Comments
Subscribe

Too many organisations hide behind excuses:

“We can’t do that here.”
“We’re not a software company.”
“We’re regulated.”

The DOD and FBI are proof that excuse is dead. You can be large, slow, and bureaucratic, and still move to iterative delivery.

Agile is not about being cool or trendy. It’s about reducing risk, increasing optionality, and delivering real value incrementally.

Regulated industries aren’t excluded from agility. They’re the ones that need it most.

Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Comments
Subscribe

What to read next

Signal Product Development

US Department of Defence and the History of Waterfall Delivery

Explores the US Department of Defence’s shift from traditional waterfall delivery to lean-agile methods, highlighting new procurement rules …

Read article
Signal Product Development

Companies often say "we-are going Agile!" as if declaring it makes it so

Many companies mistake adopting Agile frameworks for true agility, but real success comes from customising ways of working to respond …

Read article
Signal Scrum

Why Most Companies Fail at Adopting Agility Beyond IT

Most companies struggle with agility due to rigid structures, outdated processes, and cultural barriers, not technical issues. True agility …

Read article
Signal Leadership

Hybrid Agile often combines the worst of both traditional and Agile methods

Mixing Agile with traditional methods often leads to slow, inefficient processes that lack true adaptability, making it harder for …

Read article
Signal Engineering Excellence DevOps

Why Organisations Believe Their Software Is Too Complex for CD

Many organisations cite software complexity as a barrier to continuous delivery, but real obstacles are technical debt and lack of …

Read article
Article Product Development Scrum

You can't stop the signal! But you can ignore it!

Explores why teams ignore clear signals from Agile and Scrum, highlighting how culture and fear hinder continuous improvement and effective …

Read article