Apr 16, 2023
The word agile has been hijacked.
Once a mindset rooted in adaptability and collaboration, it's now a corporate buzzword. Tossed around in meetings. Slapped on slide decks. Used to explain, excuse or justify decisions that have nothing to do with actual agility.
Somehow, agile started meaning “we change our minds a lot.” Or “we don't need a plan.” Or worse, “we build things quickly without thinking.”
That's chaos in disguise, that's not agility. Real product strategy gives agility something to work with.
Agility doesn't mean you skip strategy and tools like the SCQA framework exist precisely to make strategic thinking fast and communicable. It means you adapt it when the market shifts. Being agile without strategy is like running fast without knowing the destination. You might be moving - but you're not going anywhere.
Strategy gives teams a spine. It draws the line between thoughtful iteration and reactive panic. Yet in some companies, strategy barely exists. They call it agile. What they really mean is they make emotional, uncoordinated decisions and hope it works out.
That's not agility. That's just bad leadership wrapped in trendy language.
Agility is a delivery method. Strategy is the compass. The two aren't interchangeable. One helps you move fast. The other helps you move in the right direction.
So before you throw “agile” into your next meeting, pause.
Ask: Do we have a strategy? Or are we just running in circles and calling it speed?
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I'm a father of 3 from Sydney, a product and technology leader. I write about leadership, product management, technology and the messy reality of making work work.
I'm currently building and experimenting with a mildly alarming number of things. I also work as a fractional product leader, stepping in where the founder or CEO is still carrying product decisions on their own, and offer 1:1 product leadership coaching for senior PMs and emerging product leaders. I founded SoundingBoard, practical peer exchange for product people. Connect via LinkedIn, or follow me on X.
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