5 Chess Principles in Agile Project Management

Being always curious, I got used to looking at things from different angles and points of view. Here, at AOE, our projects follow Agile Scrum methodology. What I would like to talk about is the use of chess principles in Agile project management. You will probably ask me: What do working on a project and this board game have in common? A lot, I think.

Nonetheless, in this article, it’s not about developer vs. project manager vs. stakeholder, but what I think is a winning situation for all stakeholders involved – a successfully completed project.

Both your goal and that of your client is to implement a successful project. First, speak openly to your clients and let them know that you fully understand this and you are on the same “wavelength”. Make it clear to your customer that some of their actions may end up in an unnecessary use of resources from both sides, such as time, money or work. The key point here is to always keep in mind that you have the same goal. This will help avoid misunderstandings. And each action you or your client make could either do harm or let you move further in the implementation. So, evaluate and analyze the business value of every action and every sprint’s goal from this point of view. Just like chess players do before making a single move.

There are games where luck, or chance, plays an important role. Chess is not among them. And just like you can’t be a good chess player without a certain level of experience, it’s impossible to reach a successful sprint exit if you haven’t picked your user stories carefully. Do research, and it will provide you with a good start.

Here’s an example. A great idea is to do some deep research in the openings knowledge base before playing chess. Analogically, if your sprint hasn’t been planned well, you can expect either a current or further sprint to fail.

In a game of chess, there are “blitz” games and those that last for days. It’s important to be patient: to be able to evaluate, develop a strategy and reconsider the tactics. When it comes to Agile Scrum development, it’s crucial to stay patient as well and avoid rash decisions and quick analysis. Although you may have no time boundaries and tight deadlines at the beginning of the project, it’s of vital importance to find a perfect balance of time, strategy and resources.

A great chess player is characterized by creativity and making nonstandard moves. In a similar way, an Agile Scrum team must be inventive and develop innovative ideas all the time when working actively on a project. And here each team member’s contribution matters.

As you know, a gambit (that is, a pawn sacrifice during the opening) implies giving something away beforehand to create an advantage at a later point in time. In this sense gambits can also be applied in Agile Scrum project management. It can be applied in terms of project development, as well as internal team collaboration. The concept is to offer a gambit, i.e. a small sacrifice, in the name of a common goal that is important to the project team as well as the client. The important thing here is to always keep the “big picture” in mind.

In Agile development, when you’re pursuing your aim, you might have more than one direction that you can go. In a similar manner, when playing chess, there are lots of variations for each and every move. But once you've found a good one, don’t stop searching for more perfection: