Agile adoption varies widely. Some organizations are truly agile; others do "agile in name only." Understanding actual practices matters for post-acquisition expectations.
Agile Maturity Levels
Level 1: Agile Theater
- Uses agile terminology
- Has sprints but no real iteration
- Standups without accountability
- No retrospectives or improvement
Level 2: Team-Level Agile
- Individual teams practicing Scrum/Kanban
- Regular ceremonies
- Some velocity tracking
- Limited cross-team coordination
Level 3: Scaled Agile
- Multiple teams coordinated
- Program-level planning
- Consistent practices across teams
- Measured outcomes
Level 4: Business Agility
- Organization-wide agility
- Business and technology aligned
- Continuous value delivery
- Adaptive planning
Assessment Indicators
- Sprint completion rates
- Velocity stability and trends
- Retrospective action follow-through
- Cross-functional team composition
- Product owner engagement
- Technical practices (CI/CD, testing)
Key Takeaway: Agile maturity correlates with development effectiveness. Lower maturity may indicate velocity improvements possible post-acquisition—or deeper cultural challenges.