What is Agile?

Great question. If you’re asking me this, it already tells me a lot. Agile isn’t magic. It’s a set of tools and ways of thinking that help teams, and leaders, focus on delivery. Not quick and wild, but thoughtful and deliberate.

For me, Agile and Lean are about being mindful and deliberate in getting value into customers’ hands faster and better, while keeping them close enough to know you’re building what they actually want.

I’ve not really heard of Agile and don’t think it’s relevant to me. Can I still get value from this?

Absolutely. Agile is just one tool in my toolbox, and in practice it’s most commonly associated with software development. But the thinking behind it, focusing on flow, clarity, and getting the right work finished, applies far beyond technology. I’ve used the same delivery focused approach in defence, where success depended on clear plans, captured requirements, and disciplined sign off, and in insurance and HR environments where the challenge was improving how work flowed through teams. Don’t be put off by the term. In simple terms, Agile is about a team’s ability to respond to changing demand and focus on doing the right things in the most streamlined way possible. Most people find that much easier to relate to once it’s framed that way.

Why do I need you?

You might not. If everything flows smoothly, priorities are clear, and your teams deliver value without drama, keep doing what you’re doing.

But many small companies hit the same traps: too much work in progress, everything labelled priority one, long lead times, and no clear sense of what “done” looks like. That’s where I come in.

I won’t give you frameworks for the sake of it. I’ll give you honest feedback, targeted advice, and practical steps to help you deliver more of what matters, faster and with less noise.

What if I want to sense-check my situation before speaking to you?

That’s exactly why the Flow Check and AI exist.

If you’re trying to work out whether what you’re seeing is normal, a temporary wobble, or a genuine delivery issue, the quickest way to start is to use the Flow Check. It helps you surface the patterns that often get lost in the day-to-day noise and gives you a few grounded things to try.

You can then use the AI to explore those patterns in more detail, based on my writing and experience, to help you think things through in your own context.

For many people, that’s enough.

And if it helps you realise you’d like a second opinion from a real person, you can reach out at that point and we’ll already have shared context to work from.

You can start here:

https://app.agilesecondopinion.com

What is Agile Second Opinion?

It’s a way for smaller businesses to get clear, experienced Agile advice without the cost of a full-time coach. You get targeted conversations, honest feedback, and practical steps that focus on delivery, not empty ceremonies.

How is this different from hiring an Agile coach full-time?

A full-time coach can be a fantastic way to drive long-term change, especially if the culture needs a reset. Agile Second Opinion is leaner: focused help when you need it, without the overhead. The difference is simple, I’m here to help you deliver, not enforce frameworks.

What kind of problems can you help with?

Typical ones include: work starting faster than it finishes, too many “priority ones”, long lead times because “done” isn’t clear, and teams chasing perfect instead of good enough. Whatever slows delivery, I’ll help you cut through it.

How does it work in practice?

We start with an initial call to understand your situation. From there, we’ll have focused conversations with the right people in your business. You’ll get straight answers and practical steps you can act on, no gimmicks, no buzzwords.

How much does it cost?

For pilot clients, you decide the value after the session and that’s what I’ll invoice. Longer term, you can buy blocks of time to draw down as needed. You’re paying for outcomes, not hours in a room.

Do I need to know Agile already?

No. You don’t need Scrum, Kanban, or any other framework. The focus is on delivery outcomes that matter for your business, not “Agile theatre.”

What types of companies benefit most?

Smaller businesses that don’t have the budget or need for a full-time coach, but still feel the pain of delivery slowing down. If you’re running lean, juggling priorities, and want clarity without ceremony, this service is for you.

What do we need to do to make this work?

You don’t need to know Agile, but you do need to be present and willing to engage, stay focused on outcomes not theatre, encourage improvement and allow experimentation, and make time to act on the advice. If those things are in place, Agile Second Opinion will make a real difference.

What’s the measure of success?

For you: less chaos, clearer priorities, smoother flow, and faster value to customers. For me: clients who say thanks, call me again, and recommend me to others.

Is Agile Second Opinion the same as agile coaching or a transformation programme?

No. Agile Second Opinion is deliberately not a coaching engagement or a transformation initiative. It is a second opinion, clear, experienced delivery judgement applied to a specific situation. People usually come to me when they do not want another coach embedded in the team or another framework rolled out, they want clarity on what is actually slowing delivery and what to do next.

Who typically uses Agile Second Opinion or fractal support?

Agile Second Opinion is typically used by CTOs, Heads of Engineering, delivery leaders, and senior managers who already sense something is off but cannot quite see where the real problem sits. They often feel delivery is harder than it should be, teams look busy without progress landing, or decisions feel heavier than expected.

How is this different from hiring another consultant or contractor?

Most consultants are hired to deliver a programme, fill a role, or stay for a defined period of time. Agile Second Opinion and fractal support are different. You are buying senior judgement on demand, not capacity. The goal is clarity and momentum, not long-term dependency or theatre.

What does fractal support actually look like in practice?

Fractal support is short, focused access to senior delivery thinking. That might involve joining a stand-up to listen for patterns, sense-checking a decision before it becomes expensive, reviewing a board or set of metrics, or helping a leader articulate the difficult thing cleanly. If I am in the room, I am thinking, and that thinking is the value.

When is Agile Second Opinion not the right fit?

Agile Second Opinion is not a good fit if you are looking for a long-term embedded coach, a full-scale transformation programme, or someone to run ceremonies on your behalf. It also will not suit organisations that want reassurance rather than honest insight.