Azure & DevOps Podcast

Scott Ambler: The State of Agile - Episode 334

Jan 27, 2025

Scott Ambler, a leader in Agile methodologies and creator of Agile Modeling, shares insights from his extensive career in the Agile landscape. He discusses the evolution of Agile practices, highlighting the importance of addressing enterprise data debt and the potential for a new Agile gold rush. Scott critiques the rise of meaningless certifications and the need for contextual applications of Agile methods. He emphasizes database refactoring and continuous data operations, offering best practices for teams to enhance their Agile journeys.

46:38

Creator website

Episode guests

Scott Ambler

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Scott Ambler emphasizes the need to evolve Agile methodologies by adopting flexible approaches, enhancing adaptability, and addressing technical debt in data management.

The podcast critiques the dilution of Agile certifications, urging practitioners to prioritize practical skills and contextual understanding over mere titles.

Deep dives

The Evolution of Agile Practices

The podcast discusses the transformation of Agile methodologies over the years, particularly how the Agile community evolved from rigid processes to more flexible approaches. Early practices often relied heavily on defined methodologies and prescribed steps, but this changed with the introduction of Agile principles that emphasized adaptability and responsiveness to change. Scott Ambler highlights how he and others contributed to rethinking modeling and documentation, moving away from complex tools to simpler methods like sketches and Post-it notes for project planning. This shift underscored the importance of continuous learning and adapting to the circumstances faced by development teams.

Intro

4min

Navigating Agile: Past, Present, and Future

7min

Rethinking Agile: Challenges and Evolution

25min

Navigating Database Refactoring Challenges

7min

Navigating Interface Evolution in Software Development

2min

Connecting with Agile Expertise

2min

Scott Ambler helps people and teams adopt new ways of working (WoW) and evolve their ways of thinking (WoT), particularly around data warehousing and data quality. He is the creator of the Agile Modeling (AM) (AgileModeling.com) method and Agile Data (AD) (AgileData.org) methods. With Mark Lines, he co-created PMI’s Disciplined Agile (DA) toolkit. As a conference keynote speaker, he speaks about continuous data warehousing (DW)/business intelligence (BI), how to address enterprise data debt, how to succeed at corporate AI, and agile architecture. He has also (co-)authored several books, including Choose Your WoW!, An Executive’s Guide to Disciplined Agile, Refactoring Databases, and Agile Modeling. For a full list of his books, visit Scottambler.com/my-books/.

Topics of Discussion:

[4:29] Scott talks about his career journey.

[6:53] Scott’s early involvement in Agile.

[8:34] Needing to up our game in the Agile space.

[8:55] Agile2025 Conference this summer in Denver, CO.

[11:20] Challenges and evolution within the Agile community.

[20:01] Are we going to have a new Agile gold rush?

[21:47] Keeping an eye out for inappropriate processes.

[25:38] How we can do better.

[28:17] The Agile Manifesto.

[35:03] Importance of database refactoring and continuous data operations.

[36:46] What best practices does Scott recommend?