Global Agile Summit Preview: How to Escape the Agile Doom Loop with Pete Oliver-Krueger and "Agile Mike" Dougherty

In this BONUS Global Agile Summit preview episode, we explore the concept of the "Agile Doom Loop" with Pete Oliver-Krueger and Michael "Agile Mike" Dougherty, co-authors of "Shift: From Product to People." They share insights on recognizing when teams are stuck in endless cycles of planning, failure, and rework, and introduce their PAGES framework that helps teams break free and communicate effectively with leadership.

Recognizing the Agile Doom Loop

"When change doesn't happen and there is nothing that seems to go anywhere, that's when you know you're in that doom loop, because we're all about improving."

The Agile Doom Loop is that dreaded feeling when teams get stuck in endless cycles with no real progress. Michael explains that a clear indicator is feeling "stuck in a rut" where the status quo becomes permanent. When teams are constantly planning and executing without seeing improvement, they're trapped in the loop. This often happens when organizations lack psychological safety, making people afraid to speak up or try new approaches because it might be "career limiting."

Warning Signs Your Team is Stuck

"Most teams can't tell me what leadership wants. They're like, 'Oh, we just have to get the product done' or 'We have to deliver by this particular date.'"

Pete shares that when teams can't articulate what leadership truly wants, it's a warning sign. Teams stuck in the doom loop focus solely on delivering more stories without understanding the broader context or purpose. They don't track whether their improvements are actually solving problems that matter to leadership. When teams feel they have no choice but to follow orders without questioning, they've lost the agency needed for continuous improvement.

Personal Experiences with the Doom Loop

"I've been fired for trying to change things more than once."

Both Pete and Michael share personal experiences with the Agile Doom Loop. Michael shares the story of being in environments where people were afraid to be visible during meetings, keeping cameras off during virtual sessions out of fear of judgment. He describes seeing teams resist new ideas unless they came from management, showing how hierarchical thinking reinforces the doom loop. Communication breakdowns between leadership and teams create disconnects that feed the cycle of frustration and stagnation.

The PAGES Framework

"We basically took what we have to put in these quarterly business reviews and said to teams: 'This is how you're being represented at the organizational level, so you should participate in this.'"

Pete introduces their PAGES framework, which helps teams break out of the doom loop by teaching them to communicate in "leadership language." While the acronym doesn't appear explicitly in their book, all elements are present. The framework focuses on:

• Problems being solved

• Actions being taken

• Goals being pursued

• Evidence being collected

• Solutions that demonstrate value

This approach bridges the communication gap between teams and leadership by creating a shared language focused on business outcomes rather than just activities.

Implementing PAGES for Team Motivation

"We can't boil the ocean. With 500 people, it's hard to change all at once, so we started with one team that became the catalyst."

Michael explains their implementation strategy of starting with a single team and using their success to spread change organically. By creating metrics and dashboards that leadership could access in real-time, they reduced the need for constant status meetings. Leadership could see progress happening, which built trust and created space for teams to work more autonomously. The result was a shift from delays and frustration to timely delivery of what truly mattered to customers.

One Tip to Start Right Away

"My first tip would be to go Problems first. Think about what problem you want to see go away and don't introduce anything unless it's going to directly affect that problem."

Pete recommends focusing on problems before solutions, particularly identifying recurring patterns that prevent teams from achieving goals. He suggests prioritizing problems and addressing them one by one, starting with problems the team cares about to build buy-in, then tackling leadership problems. This creates a virtuous cycle of solving team and leadership problems alternately, building trust and momentum.

Michael adds that building trust is essential - find low-hanging fruit that shows quick wins, share relevant stories from past successes, and collect evidence that demonstrates progress. He references the book "Atomic Habits," suggesting teams should start small with changes that are easy to maintain rather than attempting massive transformations that might overwhelm them.

In this segment, we refer to the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.

About Pete Oliver-Krueger and "Agile Mike" Dougherty

Pete Oliver-Krueger is an Executive Coach with the Library of Agile, and co-author of the book "Shift: From Product to People", a novel that tells the complex story of how leading "people-first" is required to solve tomorrow's biggest problems. He is the other co-author of "Shift: From Product to People".

You can link with Pete Oliver-Krueger on LinkedIn, and visit Pete OK’s website at https://www.shiftingpeople.com/.

Michael Dougherty aka "Agile Mike" has over 30 years of experience with solution development and product leadership, working in nearly every IT role that exists and literally hundreds of companies during his career. Michael has taught multiple Agile courses to over 1000 people, spoken at multiple events and podcasts, written dozens of blogs, and has been recently serving the US Government. He is the other co-author of "Shift: From Product to People".

You can link with Michael Dougherty on LinkedIn.