How to make Agile and Security Work together
Everyone in security will tell you they can't work together.
We disagree.
Here's how to make it work — practically.
Ask anyone in the security industry and you'll hear the same thing: "Agile and security don't work together." The pace, the constant change, the lack of upfront design — it all runs counter to how security is traditionally practised.
But the belief that they are incompatible is not a law of nature. It is a failure of integration — and it is fixable.
Where Agile Goes Wrong on Security
Security fails in Agile projects not because of Agile itself — but because security is consistently treated as something that happens at the end. By the time the pen test runs three days before go-live, the cost of fixing what's found is ten times what it would have been if caught in a sprint.
The five most common failure patterns are consistent across Agile projects:
- No security design — architecture decisions made without security input
- No security architecture — structural risk built in from day one
- Constant scope change — security reviews are never stable
- Security last — treated as a gate to pass through before go-live, not a discipline in every sprint
- No security owner in each squad — no one is accountable per team
Any one of these can lead to what we call a security cataclysm — a breach, a revoked certification like PCI-DSS, or a compromised government environment. All five together make it almost inevitable.
"Security is not a gate at the end of a project.
It is a thread that runs through every sprint."
Two Measures That Change the Outcome
Two structural changes — applied together — shift security from afterthought to embedded discipline without derailing delivery.
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1
Embed a security consultant in every Agile squad
The consultant attends stand-ups, planning, grooming, and retrospectives — and is accountable for security within their squads. This is a preventive activity: issues are caught before they are built, not after. The maximum effective ratio is one consultant per four squads.
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2
Add a security subtask to every product backlog item
Security works with the scrum master to enforce design as a PBI, with a security assessment subtask assigned to each one. Reviews happen against designs — before development begins. After two to three months: fewer pen test findings, fewer compliance failures, a measurably stronger security posture.
SECURITY IN THE SPRINT — BEFORE & AFTER
WITHOUT EMBEDDED SECURITY
WITH EMBEDDED SECURITY
Figure 1 — Embedded security per sprint vs security as a go-live gate: the earlier issues are caught, the cheaper they are to fix
Keeping the Cost Down
Embedding security across squads has a cost. There are practical ways to reduce it without sacrificing the outcomes:
- Add a pen testing checkbox to JIRA. Coordinate releases with the pen testing schedule — fewer engagements, more consolidated findings.
- Encourage squad members to learn from the security consultant. Over time, teams build their own security awareness and can perform cross-squad reviews — distributing the work.
- Cross-squad security assessments also enforce the segregation of duties principle — a compliance requirement under most security frameworks.
The Cost Equation
Embedding security in sprints costs something. Fixing vulnerabilities found at go-live — or responding to a breach afterwards — costs far more. The question is not whether to invest. It is when.
The Missing Piece: Start With a Gap Analysis
Even with both measures in place, a security consultant embedded in squads only sees what passes through their teams — not the full product or environment. That holistic view is essential, and the only way to get it is to start with a gap analysis against the desired security standard.
It only requires two inputs: the desired state, and input from key architects. From there, the security consultant can assess the full environment, prioritise what needs to be addressed, and feed that into the backlog. Reassess every six months — because requirements and the target state change frequently in Agile.
The proposed solutions here are not theoretical. They are practical measures that bring security and Agile closer together without sacrificing delivery speed. If you have succeeded in making them work by other means, we'd genuinely like to hear it.
Security and Agile are not enemies.
They need the right structure —
and a seat at the table from sprint one.
Work With Secompass
Need Help Embedding Security Into Your Agile Delivery?
Secompass works with development teams across Australia and New Zealand to integrate security into Agile workflows — without slowing delivery or accumulating risk at go-live.
- Does your Agile team have a dedicated security resource in each squad?
- Are security reviews built into your sprints — or saved for the end?
- Have you done a gap analysis against your target security standard recently?