route Methodology

Agile was built for humans.Driftless is built for what comes next.

A development methodology designed from the ground up for teams where AI agents work alongside human developers. Not a framework bolted onto agile—a fundamental rethinking of how software gets built.

The Manifesto

We spent decades running agile at scale. Five release trains. Hundreds of developers. Thousands of sprints. We know what works. We also know what's broken.

Sprint boundaries that create artificial delays. Pre-planned teams that never have the right skills at the right moment. Estimation rituals that consume hours and predict nothing. Phase gates that exist to create the illusion of control.

Driftless doesn't patch these problems. It dissolves them.

Core Principles

The foundational shifts that define the Driftless approach.

waves

Continuous Flow over Sprint Boundaries

Work moves when it's ready, not when the calendar says so.

diversity_3

Emergent Organization over Prescribed Structure

Teams form around objectives and dissolve when complete.

person

Human as Guide over Human as Gatekeeper

You're the source of truth and direction, not a checkpoint.

terrain

Terrain-Based Navigation over Story Point Theater

Map complexity by landscape, not by made-up numbers.

flag

Outcome Decomposition over Task Assignment

Define where you're going. Let the swarm find the path.

The Terminology Shift

Driftless speaks a different language. Not jargon for jargon's sake—new words because the old ones carry old assumptions.

Sprints

Expeditions

Backlogs

Terrain

Standups

Elevation Reports

The full framework—terminology, ceremonies, metrics, migration guides—is available to registered partners and early adopters.

Ready to see the complete methodology?

Request access to the full Driftless framework, including implementation guides, ceremony structures, and migration paths from SAFe.

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