Ana Lucia Paiz: Redefining Agility With Purpose & Precision

In a world flooded with Agile jargon and certifications, Ana Lucía Paiz stands out for delivering real transformation. As Founder & CEO of The Real Scrum, she leads a boutique consultancy helping organizations across Latin America embrace agility with clarity, empathy, and measurable results.

Raised in a household where technology and emotional intelligence coexisted, her father, a Computer Science Engineer, sparked her love for systems and logic. Her mother, a quiet force of emotional strength, instilled in her the empathy and resilience that would later define her leadership.

Over a decade ago, while managing an AI research project at university, Ana Lucía realized traditional project management tools weren’t suited for highly adaptive environments. That discovery led her to Scrum, not just as a methodology, but as a new way of thinking.

What began as a practical solution quickly evolved into a mission to help others navigate change with purpose.

Today, Ana Lucía is Guatemala’s first Registered Scrum Trainer and Scrum@Scale Trainer, trained directly by Scrum co-creator Jeff Sutherland. At The Real Scrum, she leads a multidisciplinary team of engineers and an expert in organizational culture to guide companies through Agile transformations that stick. Let’s hear more from her in this one-on-one interaction.

What inspired you to create The Real Scrum? Can you share the core idea behind the venture and its main areas of focus?

The Real Scrum officially launched in January 2022, but the vision behind it was years in the making. Across various industries, fintech, banking, tech, education, I saw the same story play out, of companies trying to adopt Agile, but ending up with frameworks that looked good on paper and failed in practice.

Many teams had the tools but not the transformation. That’s when I knew we needed something different. The Real Scrum was born as a boutique firm designed to go deep rather than wide. We only take on a few clients at a time and provide tailored, high-touch support.

What sets us apart is our multidisciplinary approach. My background in Industrial Engineering, combined with a Master’s in Personality Profiling, Negotiation, and Mediation, allows me to bridge both strategy and human dynamics. We’re not just delivering Agile training, we’re building internal capabilities that last.

What are the key principles for adopting Agile frameworks effectively? How do you assist companies in maximizing the benefits of Scrum?

Effective Agile adoption isn’t about following checklists, it’s about changing how organizations think, collaborate, and respond to complexity. At The Real Scrum, we always begin with one belief, that transformation is a partnership.

We align early with leadership to understand their vision, challenges, and what success looks like. From there, we co-create an implementation path, helping teams understand not just 'what' to do, but 'why' they’re doing it. We create space for ownership, learning, and real adaptation.

Our team combines technical rigor with emotional intelligence. I design lean, value-driven strategies rooted in engineering, while my training in negotiation and mediation helps guide people through change with empathy and clarity. That’s the balance Agile needs to work, for the business and the people.

What are some of the most significant accomplishments you've achieved in your professional journey? What would you say is your leadership "success mantra"?

Becoming Guatemala’s first Registered Scrum Trainer and Scrum@Scale Trainer was a defining moment for me. After four years of preparation and direct mentorship from Jeff Sutherland, I stepped into a role that allowed me to multiply my impact, not just practicing Scrum, but helping others lead with it.

Since then, I’ve trained and coached over 500 professionals and partnered with organizations to drive cultural and operational change. One of my proudest accomplishments is that our clients grow without us. At The Real Scrum, our measure of success is simple, ‘how fast can you become self-sufficient?’ We empower internal leaders to carry the torch.

My leadership mantra is inspired by Sheryl Sandberg’s quote, 'If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on'. Every step in my journey has started with a leap of faith, from discovering Scrum to founding my company. I believe the greatest growth happens when we act before we feel 100 percent ready, and that’s something I bring into every team I work with.

How do you envision the growth of Agile methodology adoption within the Guatemalan business landscape?

Agile adoption is accelerating in Guatemala, and we’re seeing more organizations move beyond buzzwords into real change. One standout example was a financial institution where we started with one pilot team. In a matter of weeks, we saw better collaboration, faster execution, and renewed energy, and soon, that momentum spread across departments.

What excites me most about the future is the fusion of Agile and Artificial Intelligence. AI has the power to enhance how we plan, decide, and deliver. That’s why I now incorporate AI enablement in every training, helping Scrum roles integrate AI tools into their workflows to move faster and smarter. At The Real Scrum, we’re not just implementing Agile. We’re helping organizations lead with it, so they can thrive in a world that moves faster every day.

Ana Lucia Paiz, Founder & CEO, The Real Scrum

Ana Lucía Paiz is the Founder & CEO of The Real Scrum, a boutique Agile consultancy transforming how organizations work across Latin America. She is Guatemala’s first Registered Scrum Trainer and Scrum@Scale Trainer, personally trained by Scrum co-creator Jeff Sutherland. With a background in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s in Personality Profiling, Negotiation, and Mediation, Ana combines systems thinking with emotional insight to guide meaningful change. Backed by a multidisciplinary team, she delivers Agile strategies that are lean, empowering, and built to last. Ana is part of a new generation of leaders using Agile, AI, and empathy to build the future of work.