Imma be really blunt here: any team that can't resolve these types of issues shouldn't be doing agile. I don't mean that in a critical way - I mean that you will be much happier using some different sort of development framework - of whcih there are dozens if not hundreds. Agile is really simple ... for teams that are already good at working in an agile way. Most of these issues are readily resolvable within the team and the rest through facilitation of 1-up management and have nothing at all to do with agile. They can be solved if the team is capable of solving them - not necessarily instantly, but progressively over time and (as someone pointed out) through the retrospectives and courteous, respectful discussion amongst the team members. agile isn't a silver bullet or even a recipe. It's not a club that you get membership to that somehow gives you certain rights and capabilities. Agile is more a description of the things that good teams do to successfully deliver software projects. Just by performing these steps you won't be agile any more than if I buy Brad Pitt's aftershave and wear Brad Pitt's favourite tie or even if I date Angelina Jolie does that make me Brad Pitt. (soz i was trying to avoid the Cargo Cult reference). And, if you're forced to do some agile process (like scrum) - i.e. your management has drunk the coolade - and it doesn't work for you, then it's hardly the process that's the problem. I don'tmean to be unsympathetic - honestly it sounds terrible to hear some of these issues. I certainly have seen all these and more across many different cultures, methodologies etc etc. but equally honestly: it's not agile tht is the problem