Disciplined agile
Disciplined Agile (DA) is a process decision framework that helps organizations choose and tailor their approach to agile ways of working. Rather than prescribing a single method, DA provides a toolkit of strategies and practices that teams can select based on their specific context. It acknowledges that no single agile approach works for every situation and provides structured guidance for making context-appropriate choices.
Why it matters
Agile methods proliferate - Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe, LeSS, and dozens more. Each has strengths in certain contexts and weaknesses in others. Teams often adopt a framework religiously, then struggle when it doesn't fit their situation. Or they cherry-pick practices randomly, missing important elements.
Disciplined Agile addresses this by providing decision points rather than mandates. "How should we coordinate work?" becomes a question with multiple valid answers depending on team size, distribution, and domain. DA helps teams make informed choices rather than blindly following or randomly picking.
For organizations at scale, DA is particularly valuable. Different teams face different situations - some build products, others support services, some are co-located, others distributed. A one-size-fits-all approach inevitably fits poorly somewhere. DA provides coherence without forcing uniformity.
Core concepts
DA is built on several foundational ideas:
Context matters. What works for a small co-located team differs from what works for a large distributed program. DA makes context explicit in choosing practices.
Choice over prescription. Rather than mandating practices, DA presents options with guidance on when each applies. Teams choose based on their situation.
Enterprise awareness. Teams don't operate in isolation. DA considers how team-level choices affect enterprise concerns like governance, compliance, and coordination.
Pragmatism over purity. DA isn't dogmatic about any particular agile method. It incorporates ideas from Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and other approaches based on what works.
Continuous improvement. DA encourages evolution over time. Teams start somewhere and improve their approach as they learn.
The da toolkit
Disciplined Agile provides several components:
Process goals describe what teams need to accomplish - things like "coordinate activities" or "identify and address risk." For each goal, DA provides options for how to achieve it.
Process blades address specific areas of concern like development, operations, or security. Each blade provides focused guidance for its domain.
Choice points are specific decisions within goals. For each choice point, DA presents options ranging from straightforward to advanced, with guidance on contextual fit.
Process patterns combine choices into coherent approaches. "Scrum-based" or "Kanban-based" patterns provide starting points that teams can customize.
Applying da
Teams typically use DA through several mechanisms:
Initial approach selection - When forming or reforming, teams use DA to choose an initial way of working. Process patterns provide starting points; choice points allow customization.
Retrospective improvement - During retrospectives, teams can use DA to identify practice options they haven't tried. "We're struggling with stakeholder coordination - what does DA suggest?"
Coaching guidance - Agile coaches use DA to help teams understand options beyond their current knowledge. The framework provides vocabulary and structure for coaching conversations.
Enterprise standardization with flexibility - Organizations adopt DA as a common framework while allowing teams to make context-appropriate choices within it.
Da and other frameworks
DA relates to other agile approaches:
vs. Scrum - Scrum prescribes specific roles, events, and artifacts. DA includes Scrum as one option but provides alternatives and extensions.
vs. SAFe - SAFe provides a detailed, prescriptive approach for scaling agile. DA is less prescriptive, offering more choice but less guidance on exactly what to do.
vs. Kanban - Kanban emphasizes flow and continuous improvement. DA incorporates Kanban practices and can guide teams toward Kanban-based approaches.
DA can work alongside these frameworks. Organizations using SAFe might use DA for team-level decisions. Teams using Scrum might use DA to extend beyond Scrum's scope.
Criticisms and challenges
Complexity is DA's most common criticism. The framework is comprehensive but complicated. The abundance of choice can overwhelm teams seeking simple guidance.
Decision overhead comes from too much optionality. Sometimes teams need direction, not choices. DA may provide too much freedom for teams that would benefit from constraints.
Adoption difficulty arises because DA isn't as simple to "do" as Scrum. There's no "do these five things" starting point. Teams need significant understanding to use DA effectively.
Certification concerns followed DA's acquisition by PMI. Some view the certification structure as bureaucratizing agility.
When da fits
DA works well for:
DA fits less well for:
Disciplined Agile represents a mature approach to agile adoption that honors contextual variation. For organizations ready for that sophistication, it provides valuable guidance. For those seeking simplicity, simpler frameworks may serve better initially.
