The continuum

Is your software development approach agile or not?

Are you pregnant?

These are different questions. The latter question can be answered in a straightforward fashion... either you are or you aren't.

Using an agile methodology is a different question. Or an agile approach. Or an agile philosophy. Are you agile... yes or no?

The answer is almost always somewhere in between. You can use agile techniques (pairing, continuous integration, TDD, refactoring, user stories (following the INVEST principle), standups, abstract estimation techniques (e.g. points), iterations, velocity measurement, etc... in any degree. But what combination makes you "agile" ?

I think the answer is never yes or no, but the degree to which you espouse, promote, and enact agile approaches.

I think the continuum concept applies much more broadly than folks presume. Is your team "self-directed"? That's not a yes or no answer either.

Is being agile a good thing? Yes. Consider any course of human activity... being agile is better than being less agile. Am open to contrasting opinions, but I can't imagine an argument espousing being less able to adapt to change as being preferable. The chunked-up question is ... how useful are agile techniques in getting software delivered? I argue that the answer is "very". Why? The first answer lies in the fact that you NEED to be able to adapt to changes in your environment. Guess I'll save the remainder of the argument for a follow-up.