What are common Agile anti-patterns, and how do you recognize them?

Question

Accepted Answer

Anti-patterns are practices that **look Agile but defeat its purpose** — often called "cargo-cult" or "fake" Agile, where teams adopt the rituals without the values. Recognizing them is the first step to fixing a stalled transformation.

## Frequent anti-patterns

```text
WATER-SCRUM-FALL   sprints wrapped around a fixed, sequential plan
ZOMBIE SCRUM       all the ceremonies, no working Increment or energy
VELOCITY AS TARGET   pressure to raise points → estimate inflation
SCRUM MASTER = PM   assigning tasks, status-reporting up
COMMITMENT THEATER   "estimates" treated as binding deadlines
NO RETRO ACTIONS     retros happen but nothing ever changes
```

## Concrete example

A team holds daily standups, Sprints, and retros, yet ships nothing usable for a quarter because "Done" really means "code written, untested." The ceremonies are real; the Agile is not.

## How to address them

```text
DO                          DON'T
focus on outcomes/value     measure ritual compliance
strengthen Definition of Done  let "Done" stay vague
make retros produce change   run retros for show
```

## Why it matters

Anti-patterns are dangerous because the team *looks* Agile on the surface, so leaders assume it's working while value stays flat.

Spotting the gap between ritual and value — and naming it — is a senior skill that turns a stalled adoption back toward real outcomes.