Agile without a usable working product is just expensive theatre

TL;DR; Agile only delivers value if each sprint results in a usable working product; focusing on rituals, documentation, or velocity without real output wastes time and resources. The key measure of success is having something shippable at the end of every sprint, which enables feedback and reduces risk. Development managers should ensure their teams are consistently delivering usable products rather than just going through the motions.

Published on 20 April 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/CBIAsEX7a86

Agile without a usable working product is just expensive theatre.

Yet, so many teams get lost in rituals, Jira tickets, and endless documentation, completely missing the point. Agile is about delivering value continuously—not accumulating unfinished work, endless “technical discussions,” or chasing vanity metrics.

A sprint that doesn’t produce a potentially shippable product is wasted time. A backlog filled with items that never see the light of day is a black hole. And don’t get me started on teams that celebrate velocity without considering whether they’re building anything worthwhile.

The real metric? A usable working product at the end of every sprint. That’s how you mitigate risk, get feedback, and stay relevant in the market. Everything else is noise.

Is your team delivering something usable every sprint, or just running in circles?

Also published on: LinkedIn

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.