Agile, without the theater

Agile, in the sense that still helps operators, is a promise: you will see working software often, and you can change direction because the last increment was small.

Keep a cadence measured in days or a couple of weeks. Each cycle ends with something a real user can try. A demo of slides is not the end of a cycle.

Write acceptance as an observable change. 'The dispatcher can assign a job without opening the spreadsheet' is a story. 'Improve the experience' is not.

Limit work in progress. A team that starts five things will finish none of them in a way you can measure. Finish the slice that moves the number, then pick up the next constraint.

Retrospectives should change the system of work: the handoff, the environment, the size of the slice. If the notes never change next week's plan, stop holding the meeting.

We pair this with gemba. Agile tells you how to deliver. The walk tells you what is worth delivering. Without the walk, you will efficiently build the wrong thing.