There is an annual "State of Agile" report which has been produced by Digital.ai for the past 17 years. One of the most interesting questions that is asked in this survey is around why companies are adopting Agile in the first place. What I find fascinating is that for 14 of the last 17 years, the answer has almost always been "Accelerate Time to Market" or "Accelerate Software Delivery" or "Accelerate Product Delivery". Last year, for the first time, the answer changed pretty significantly.
The chart above is a histogram which shows the number of times that the top reason for adopting Agile has been "Accelerate time to market", "Enhance ability to manage changing priorities" or "Prioritize, deliver and measure incremental customer and business value".
In the most recent report - the 17th Annual Report - for the first time, the number one reason cited for adopting Agile was “Prioritize, deliver, and measure incremental customer and business value.”
This is interesting because for the first time the word "incremental" appeared in the 10 ten reasons at all, and to me it represented a pretty significant shift from speed to recognizing that the power behind the Agile approach is, in fact, incremental delivery.
But it also means something even more important.
This change also is a shift from focusing on speed to focusing on measuring success by looking at customer and business value. It’s a recognition that Agile's true promise isn’t just faster delivery—it’s better outcomes.
It’s a recognition that Agile's true promise isn’t just faster delivery—it’s better outcomes.
Why this matters
This shift suggests that organizations are maturing in their thinking around Agile. Velocity and throughput are no longer measures of success. Instead, we need to ask the question: are customer outcomes improving?
Looking Ahead to 2025
The 18th Annual State of Agile Report is expected in late September 2025. The survey was supposed to close on August 8 but as of this writing, it is still open. I suggest you head out there and provide your feedback before it's too late!
I - for one - am eager to see where we land next year as far as why companies are adopting Agile. Will we see an increase in focus on customer outcomes? I certainly hope so.
About the State of Agile Report
Produced by Digital.ai, it is the longest-running and most comprehensive survey of Agile practices in the world. The latest version of this report draws insights from over 3,220 business and IT professionals worldwide and provides a sweeping overview of current trends, benefits, and challenges in Agile adoption across industries.
To date, there have been 17 annual State of Agile Reports, with the 18th report expected in late September 2025. Over nearly two decades, these reports have become a barometer for how Agile thinking and practices evolve in real organizations.