The Agile That Kills

What the talk is about

Bohdan Repekh argues that agile methods in the games industry often turn into a cult of rituals. He recalls the era of huge design documents and Gantt charts, when agile felt like fresh air: a working product, collaboration with the client and readiness for change. Over time, though, rituals such as standups and retrospectives began to replace real product value, and talk about process takes more time than talk about the game itself. Warning signs he lists: sabotaging team statistics, belief in an autonomous team that can do anything, and abstract values replacing hard skills. He believes that seniority, craft skills and creative vision matter most in games, and that agile is an adaptive tool, not a religion. Useful for producers, managers and leads shaping processes in a studio.