agileadjacent

Agileadjacent is a label used in software development and product management to describe practices, processes, and organizational structures that align with agile values but are not themselves formal Agile methodologies. It encompasses approaches that complement or extend agile to address areas such as governance, architecture, compliance, or large-scale coordination, where pure Agile frameworks may not fully suffice.

Origin and usage: The term emerged in management discourse in the 2010s as teams sought to describe work that sits near agile practice without adopting a specific framework. It is used informally by practitioners, consultants, and researchers to categorize adjacent methods that reinforce agility rather than replace it.

Characteristics: Agileadjacent work emphasizes responsiveness, collaboration, transparent feedback loops, and incremental delivery, while integrating practices from other domains. It often involves cross-functional alignment, lightweight governance, and prioritization mechanisms that support scaling, risk management, or regulatory requirements. It may also incorporate design thinking, Lean startup principles, DevOps, or site reliability engineering as complementary approaches.

Examples and scope: DevOps and continuous delivery pipelines are commonly cited as agileadjacent in the sense that they extend development teams’ capabilities. Other instances include platform engineering, lean governance models, agile portfolio management, and UX-centric discovery processes integrated with agile delivery.

Relation to agile and criticisms: Agileadjacent is not a replacement for agile but a bridge to broader organizational capabilities. Critics argue that excessive adjacent practices can blur focus, complicate alignment, or create confusion about roles. Proponents contend it enables sustainable agility in complex environments.