Agile software development delivers work in smaller increments so users can provide feedback sooner and the team can adapt. Its value depends on collaboration across development and business, not merely on adopting a framework. section 1.1.1 section 1.2.4
BigScreen’s refactoring attempt
BigScreen adopted Agile after years of waterfall delivery, but its interconnected system remained difficult to change. During refactoring, disagreements about architecture, weak communication, and implementation without shared understanding caused tension and extensive rewrites. The team also neglected architecture after an architect left, misreading “no upfront design” as no architectural attention. section 1.1.1 section 1.1.2
Agile can become theater when development teams use Scrum while business hierarchies and the idea-to-production chain retain a waterfall mentality. Faster increments alone do not create shared ownership, meaningful collaboration, or adaptability. section 1.2.4
Figure 1.2 BigScreen’s current software system highlights how the ticketing, back-office, and business logic sections are intertwined, showcasing a clear absence of defined boundaries. This overlap leads to functionalities within the codebase being shared across these blurred lines, complicating efforts to segment and modify the software. Such a setup means that alterations in one area of the system could trigger a domino effect that affects other parts of the system.
Trace how ticketing, back-office functions, and business logic overlap in BigScreen’s system, making changes risky and boundaries difficult to establish. section 1.1.1
