About this episode

Brian Milner and Cort Sharp discuss how to start Agile simply and avoid unnecessary complexity.

Too many teams try to “do Agile” by adding layers of process before they understand the problem they’re trying to solve. In this episode, Brian Milner and Cort Sharp discuss how to start Agile simply, avoid unnecessary complexity, and build practices that actually fit your team. Overview When organizations first adopt Agile, they often make the same mistake: they start with frameworks, terminology, and process layers instead of focusing on visibility, feedback, and learning. The result is a system that feels heavy before it ever becomes useful. In this episode, Brian Milner and Cort Sharp explore a more practical approach to getting started with Agile. They discuss why teams should focus on foundational concepts like transparency, short feedback loops, and clear priorities before worrying about scaling frameworks or advanced practices. Brian and Cort also share the common “drag factors” that slow Agile adoption down, including process overload, coordination complexity, and measuring the wrong outcomes. If your team is trying to become more Agile without creating more bureaucracy, this episode offers a practical starting point. References and resources mentioned in the show: Cort…

Topics covered

• Agile methodology
• team practices
• process complexity
• feedback loops
• transparency
• Agile adoption

More episodes of Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

• #187: A Quick Summer Update and a Look at What's Ahead with Brian Milner · June 23, 2026 · 8 min
• #186: Why Teams Stop Caring About Retrospectives with Cort Sharp · May 27, 2026 · 33 min
• #185: The Real ROI of Agile with Scott Dunn · May 27, 2026 · 42 min
• #184: Scrum in High-Stakes Environments with John Holmes · May 27, 2026 · 32 min
• #183: How AI Is Reshaping Product Ownership with Lance Dacy · May 27, 2026 · 33 min
• #182: Never Stop Experimenting with Stavros Stavru · May 19, 2026 · 27 min

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