John Cutler’s piece, Let Teams Figure It Out, is one of those posts that makes Agile purists nod along while also making middle managers clutch their pearls. It’s about giving teams real autonomy in continuous improvement – not just lip service about “empowerment” while forcing them to follow a rigid playbook.
Let’s go point by point.
The Setup
Cutler lays out the ideal scenario: a motivated team with long-term org support and a clear idea of what “awesome” looks like. They do their research, choose Scrum with XP practices, and modify a few things (rotating Scrum Masters, ditching story point commitments).
👉 Sounds great. Also sounds like a unicorn.
The reality? Most teams don’t get this kind of freedom, because leadership wants to run the change rather than create conditions for it. If you need a meeting to form a committee to decide whether teams should improve, you’re already in trouble.
The Questions
Here’s where Cutler starts addressing the skeptics.
“But this never happens in real life. Management won’t allow it.”
JC: Maybe that is why 2/3rds of change efforts fail?
Yes. This. A lot of Agile transformations are doomed from the start because they’re forced rather than enabled. You don’t drive continuous improvement by saying “we’re doing Agile now” and calling it a day.
Agile works best when it’s organic. The problem is, companies don’t want organic change. They want predictable outcomes wrapped in a Gantt chart.
“You can’t do Scrum like that. At least get certified.”
JC: Are you telling me a team of motivated people can’t self-learn 2 days’ worth of certification?
I love this take. If a team can’t figure out how to apply Agile principles by reading books, watching videos, and, you know, doing the work, how are they supposed to handle complex customer problems?
Certification is fine, but if your argument is “teams can’t do this unless they take a two-day class,” you’ve missed the point.
“People don’t have this mindset. They just want to be told what to do.”
JC: Hmmm. Maybe that viewpoint is part of the problem?
Biggest myth in corporate life: employees don’t want autonomy. Most people aren’t born craving bureaucracy. They adapt to it because the system punishes independent thinking.
People want clarity, not control. Give them a clear vision and let them figure out how to execute it. You’ll be shocked at what they can do when they’re not waiting for approval on a ticket.
“What if they don’t know what awesome looks like?”
JC: Are you really telling me that someone with an Internet connection can’t figure out what better looks like?
Exactly. If your team can’t Google “what makes a great Agile team,” you’ve got a bigger issue. And if they don’t careenough to figure it out? That’s an engagement problem, not a process problem.
“What if they pick the wrong stuff?”
JC: They’ll adapt.
Yep. That’s the whole point. Agile isn’t about getting it perfect the first time – it’s about iteration. The entire system is designed around feedback loops. If your biggest fear is “we might do it wrong,” congratulations, you’ve identified the single most obvious benefit of Agile.
“Everyone can’t be an expert. You’re belittling experience.”
JC: Correct, but anyone can be a learner.
🔥🔥🔥
The best Agile teams aren’t full of experts. They’re full of people who learn fast. If you think expertise is the only way forward, go find a 10-year Scrum Master and watch them fail in a company that resists change. The problem isn’t the framework – it’s the system.
The Real Takeaway
Cutler wraps up with the main point:
What matters is an intrinsic commitment to continuous improvement, long-term support from leadership, and a clear vision of success.
Bingo. The framework doesn’t matter. The commitment to improvement does. That’s why you can have companies succeeding with Kanban, Scrum, XP, SAFe, or some bizarre homegrown Frankenstein method. It’s not about the method – it’s about the environment that makes improvement possible.
You can mandate Agile, but you can’t mandate Agility.
Final Thoughts
This post is a great reminder that Agile isn’t about following rules – it’s about getting better at delivering value. Teams that own their own improvement will always outperform teams that are forced into a framework.
Cutler nails it: If your team isn’t engaged, the framework doesn’t matter. And if your company isn’t willing to invest in creating a real culture of improvement, you might as well skip Agile entirely and just write “move faster” on a whiteboard.
That’d be just as effective – and a lot cheaper.
