Star Wars: The Revenge of non Agile Decisions!

 

In a galaxy far far away, the construction of the second dreaded Death Star, the ultimate weapon of the Galactic Empire, that when completed would end freedom in the galaxy, faced numerous setbacks and ultimately led to the empire’s downfall.

1. No Clear Product Vision and Prioritization:

All started with that scene in the film “Star Wars — Episode VI: Return of The Jedi”.

Remember?

DARTH VADER, Lord of Sith arrives in the getting built second Death Star and Death Star’s commander MOFF JERJERROD welcomes him.

[JERJERROD] Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We’re honored by your presence.

[VADER] You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I’m here to put you back on schedule.

[JERJERROD] I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can.

[VADER] Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them.

[JERJERROD] I tell you, this station will be operational as planned.

[VADER] The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation.

[JERJERROD] But he asks the impossible. I need more men.

[VADER] Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives.

[JERJERROD] The Emperor’s coming here?

[VADER] That is correct, Commander. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.

[JERJERROD] We shall double our efforts.

[VADER] I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

By the way, you can find the original script here If you are interested.

We all know what happened next. The rebels managed to find the new Death Star’s weaknesses, Luke Skywalker helped his father joining the Force again and we all lived happily ever after.

But if you see the results through a retrospective eye, free from all prejudice and favoritism, it is obvious that for this monumental galactic project, poor project management also played a significant role to the destruction of the Death Star and the end of the Emperor PALPATINE and his Empire.

So here comes the question!

What would have happened if the Empire had embraced the Scrum Framework and at the same time, the Emperor PALPATINE was an agile idealist apart a Sith? Could agile have altered their fate?

Let’s explore how Scrum could have aided the Empire in successfully completing the Death Star and end the rebellion once and for all through the identified anti-patterns that the empire followed.

One of the key aspects of Scrum is having a clear product vision and through that, prioritized goals. In the case of the Empire, the vision was to build a battle station capable of bringing ultimate control all over the galaxy. Scrum would have ensured that this vision was consistently communicated to all team members, building a shared understanding of the project’s purpose and goals.

2. No Planning and Iterative Development:

The Death Star project suffered from a linear and inflexible approach and it is obvious to the keen eye that it was a 100% waterfall project. Running a waterfall project is not a reason of failure, but in this case that helped! Scrum’s iterative and incremental development would have allowed the Empire to deliver usable increments of the battle station at regular intervals, staring with its security primarily. Security is the most important thing when you design, implement and deliver something. Never forget that! By breaking down the project into manageable chunks, the Empire could have adjusted their plans based on new information, invest on the experience of the destruction of the first Death Star and adapt to changes and risks in a more agile manner.

3. Missing Cross-functional Collaboration:

Effective collaboration between different teams and departments is crucial for a successful project execution. Scrum promotes cross-functional collaboration through self-organizing teams. By breaking down the hierarchical structure and promoting open communications, the Empire could have encouraged cooperation between engineers, architects, storm-troopers and other stakeholders (if we follow a similar to the SPOTIFY model approach, VADER is the Tribe Tech Officer and PALPATINE is the Tribe Leader), leading to better integration of different subsystems and finally delivering a robust final product.

4. Lost Regular Feedback and Adaptation:

Scrum’s iterative nature ensures that feedback loops are built into the development process. By regularly inspecting and adapting their work, the Emperor himself could have identified in every Sprint Review issues and discuss necessary adjustments from the very beginning. This would have allowed the teams to identify design flaws, improve efficiency and avoid costly rework. The Death Star could have undergone continuous improvement, ensuring its value overall.

5. Unempowered Decision-Making:

Scrum empowers teams to make decisions and take ownership of their work. By decentralizing decision-making and empowering engineers and other technical experts, the Empire could have tapped into their collective intelligence. This approach would have created a sense of ownership, increased motivation, less bureaucracy and much more innovation, leading to more efficient problem-solving and better project outcomes.

6. Failed Agile Mindset:

PALPATINE lacks transparency and open communication. Acts like a dictator (or an emperor) and not as a leader. Rules through fear and intimidation, discourages independent thinking, creativity and innovation within his tribe/empire. This way he undermines morale and prohibits the development of a collaborative and empowered culture. He has no empathy or compassion and he amuses himself when he manipulates others. As a result, he does not only hinder the growth and success of his organization but brings forth oppression and suffering of all those under his rule. All these contradict the essence of an Agile Mindset and prove that the rot starts at the top.

While the Empire’s failure to complete the Death Star can be attributed to various factors, adopting Scrum could have provided them with a more flexible, adaptive and collaborative approach for delivering the project. Through clear vision, iterative development, cross-functional collaboration, regular feedback and empowered decision-making, Scrum could have helped the Empire navigate the challenges they faced and potentially achieved their ultimate goal.

Once again, the lesson we can learn is that embracing an agile mindset and adapt to the scrum framework we can have a transformative impact on project success!

Remember that lesson…and be sure that good always wins (eventually)!

May the Scrum be with you…since this is the way😉!