The Agile Manifesto was published in 2001, but agile is still a hot topic in project management. In theory, agile project management is supposed to reduce risks by design, so that ultimately there are no risks any more.

As a result, alongside backlogs, user stories and velocity in the agile approach, there seems to be no place for risks. For example, there is no risk backlog.

So where are all the risks in agile projects? Have they really disappeared? Three claims of the agile approach imply that this might be true:

1. Using an agile approach massively reduces risk.

Right and wrong. It is true that the agile approach reduces some risks, such as the possibility of developing products that the market does not need.

Used correctly and constantly, communication and iteration make it nearly impossible to miss the market. But the risk of developing the wrong product is only one type of risk.

Risk is defined as the effect of uncertainty on goals. Since all agile projects, releases and sprints have goals, there will also be risks.

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