Strip away the branding and it’s embarrassingly simple. Agile is:

• Just enough structure to let teams deliver good software quickly
• A way to shorten feedback loops so you stop building the wrong thing
• A way to change direction without needing a three-month steering committee

When it works:

• Developers talking—constantly, and not just during standups
• Pair programming when it helps, not when the process says so
• Teams who own the product, including how it behaves in production
• Enough time to write proper tests and refactor without begging
• Everyone knowing what the goal is and why it matters
• A calm, steady pace—not a death march disguised as a “sprint”
• Monitoring and alerting built into the work, not bolted on later

But for now, just know this: if Agile feels exhausting, it’s not Agile. It’s cosplay.