Prussian Generals - part 5, Conclusions

Conclusions:

The Prussian example shows that agile thoughts are not new, and we can learn from their experience. In particular:

• Agile works in large projects
• Requires not only freedom in how follow orders, but even the right to break orders if they are deemed to be wrong (e.g. outdated or too costly)
• Skill and experience is required to navigate the fog and deal with friction along the way
• Local responsibilty requires authority and autonomy
• Communication is vital, and informal communication channels are as important as formal ones

References:

• Militär ledning, Marco Smedberg (Swedish)
  
• Om kriget, Carl von Clausewitz (Swedish translation)
  
• The lazy project manager, Peter Taylor
• agilemanifesto.org
• www.clausewitz.com
• The role of leadership in software development - Mary Poppendieck (8:00 - 10:40)
• Wikipedia