Clarifying the Concepts of Agile (敏态) and Stable (稳态) Modes in Digital Transformation

1. Confusing Concepts

The article begins by noting that terms such as "敏态" (agile mode) and "稳态" (stable mode) are frequently mentioned in traditional enterprise digital‑transformation projects, yet their meanings are often inconsistent, leading to misunderstandings.

2. “敏态” and “稳态”

It introduces Gartner’s 2013 Bimodal IT concept, which splits IT capabilities into Mode 1 (predictable, traditional) and Mode 2 (exploratory, agile). Mode 1 aligns with "稳态" (Traditional Mode) and Mode 2 with "敏态" (Agile Mode). ThoughtWorks adapts this by defining an "敏捷产品模式" (agile product mode) that inherits the Agile Mode ideas, and a "精益项目模式" (lean project mode) that extends the Traditional Mode with lean practices. The article details concrete delivery patterns such as iteration and single‑piece flow for the agile side and shows two alignment patterns between the modes with diagrams:

3. Agile vs Lean

Within the ThoughtWorks R&D system, agile refers to the iteration/single‑piece‑flow delivery (e.g., Scrum, Kanban), while lean refers to the lean‑project mode that augments existing legacy development with lean practices, aiming to improve team efficiency without discarding the original processes.

4. Different Voices

The article lists several critiques of Bimodal IT: (1) it may be a false premise because truly predictable software projects are rare; (2) it is a transitional state rather than an end goal; (3) it focuses only on IT and neglects business involvement, limiting end‑to‑end agility; (4) it can become an excuse for teams unwilling to fully transform.

5. Future of Agile/Stable

Finally, the article argues that while Bimodal IT helped enterprises reduce anxiety during the early transformation phase, the long‑term objective should be a fully agile organization that spans business, technology, and operations, moving beyond the dual‑mode IT model toward continuous, market‑responsive delivery.