Whenever someone finds out I work in Agile, the inevitable question follows: "Oh, you mean Scrum, right?" Cue eye roll.

Here’s the thing: Agile is not Scrum. It’s time we set this straight once and for all.

Most teams think they know what they’re working on. The backlog is there, tasks are moving, and everything seems under control.

Then, you put all the work in front of them – every feature, every fix, every half-finished task, every ad hoc request – and suddenly:

• “We’re doing way too much.”

• “Why are we working on these things instead of finishing what matters?”

That’s the difference between seeing work and actually looking at it properly.

Not all conflict is bad. Healthy, respectful debate usually means people care - and that passion can lead to better outcomes. I hate it when people just nod along with something they clearly don’t agree with. The right kind of conflict sharpens ideas. The wrong kind derails momentum.

Why do smart people do stupid things at work?

Every day at 8:59am, something strange happens in offices across the world. People arrive bright, capable, and full of ideas. And then, just as they clock in, they quietly remove their common sense, place it in a metaphorical tray marked: "Leave your common sense here" ...and settle in for a long day of obedient nonsense.

There’s a phrase I love: the curse of knowledge. It’s what happens when you know something so well, you forget what it’s like not to know it. You start skipping steps, using jargon, and confusing the very people you’re trying to help.

A service-aligned team is cross-functional and built around delivering a specific outcome, not just completing tasks. It contains all the necessary skills, including engineering, design, QA, operations, and even business stakeholders, so there is no need for external dependencies to move forward.

If your backlog feels like a never-ending argument, stop trying to rank everything in one list.

Instead, separate, balance, and adjust as needed.

Common sense? Yes.

Surprisingly rare? Also yes.

Some people I’ve worked with might call me negative (is that right, LM?), but it’s more complicated than that. I’m not a glass-half-full person, but I don’t see it as half-empty either. What I see is an opportunity to fill the damn glass even more. There’s always room for improvement - especially if half your glass is just sitting there, waiting to be used.