Agile Without the Dogma

Agile methodology has been over-complicated by certifications, frameworks, and consultants. At its core, Agile is about iterative development, regular feedback, and continuous improvement. Small teams and startups should adopt Agile practices that add value and skip the ceremony that adds overhead. At Nexis Limited, our engineering teams use a pragmatic blend of Scrum and Kanban that fits our product development cadence.

Scrum for Product Development

Scrum organizes work into time-boxed iterations called sprints (typically 2 weeks). Key ceremonies:

Sprint Planning

The team selects work items from the backlog for the upcoming sprint. Each item should have a clear definition of done, an estimated effort, and a priority. Avoid over-committing — leave buffer for unexpected work and technical debt.

Daily Standup

A brief daily sync (15 minutes maximum) where each team member shares what they did yesterday, what they plan today, and any blockers. This is a coordination meeting, not a status report. Keep it short, keep it standing, and move detailed discussions offline.

Sprint Review

Demo completed work to stakeholders at the end of each sprint. This is the primary feedback mechanism — stakeholders see working software, not slide decks, and provide input that shapes the next sprint's priorities.

Sprint Retrospective

The team reflects on the sprint — what went well, what could improve, and specific actions for improvement. This is the most valuable Agile ceremony. Skip everything else before skipping retrospectives.

Kanban for Operations and Support

Kanban is better than Scrum for work that is not easily planned in sprints — bug fixes, customer support, operational tasks. Kanban principles:

  • Visualize work on a board with columns (To Do, In Progress, Review, Done).
  • Limit work-in-progress (WIP) — a team member should have at most 2 items in progress.
  • Pull work (team members choose the next task) rather than push (manager assigns tasks).
  • Measure and optimize flow — track how long items take from start to finish.

Practical Tips for Small Teams

  • Two-week sprints: Long enough to produce meaningful work, short enough for regular feedback.
  • Prioritized backlog: Maintain a single, ordered backlog. The most important item is always at the top.
  • Definition of Done: Agree on what "done" means — code reviewed, tested, deployed, and documented.
  • Velocity tracking: Track how much work the team completes per sprint to improve planning accuracy over time.
  • Skip unnecessary roles: A 4-person startup does not need a dedicated Scrum Master. Share the facilitation role.

Common Mistakes

  • Sprint scope creep: Adding work to an active sprint undermines planning and predictability.
  • Skipping retrospectives: Without regular reflection, the same problems recur indefinitely.
  • Standup meetings becoming status reports: Long standups waste everyone's time.
  • Estimating in hours instead of relative complexity: Story points or t-shirt sizes are more reliable than hour estimates for planning.

Conclusion

Adopt Agile practices that help your team deliver better software faster, and skip the practices that add overhead without value. Start with sprint planning, daily standups, and retrospectives. Add more structure only as the team grows and the need arises.

Need help with engineering process? Our team can help you implement practices that work for your size and culture.