This talk takes a tour through the key concepts and ideas behind Auftragstaktik, and the impact they had in the field of battle. And it outlines five lessons that practitioners of Lean UX can learn from its predecessor, such as avoiding long-term plans, exploiting chaos and leading from the front.

1. Hello

2. 16years

3. 18months

4. Auftragstaktik

5. Auf・trags・taktik
(Mission tactics)

7. LEAN UX:
5 Lessons From
The Prussian Army

8. Background

10. Origins of Auftragstaktik

11. Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke, the Elder

12. Auftragstaktik
• Missions over plans
• Intent over orders
• Trust and independence

13. Origins of Lean UX

14. Classic startup
DiscoveryResearch Design Build Test Launch
12 months

15. Better
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build

16. Lean startup
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
12 months

17. Minimise risk

18. Minimise risk

19. Agile
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
Research
Design
Test
Launch
Build
2 months

20. Lean UX

21. Lean UX
• Working software over big deliverables
• Collaboration over negotiation
• Respond to change over following plans

22. Five lessons

23. BB 23/02/2009 27/02/2009
n flows BB 24/02/2009 27/02/2009
n flows BB; PTSB 27/02/2009 27/02/2009
s BB; AT 02/03/2009 06/03/2009
s iQ; PTSB 06/03/2009 06/03/2009
s (forms) BB; AT 09/03/2009 13/03/2009
s (forms) iQ; PTSB 13/03/2009 13/03/2009
ms) BB; AT 16/03/2009 20/03/2009
tion BB; AT 18/03/2009 24/03/2009
l spec BB 24/03/2009 24/03/2009
23/02/2009 24/03/2009
cepts (1) DJ 23/02/2009 27/02/2009
cepts (1) DJ; iQ; PTSB 02/03/2009 02/03/2009
cepts (2) DJ 02/03/2009 06/03/2009
cepts (2) DJ; iQ; PTSB 06/03/2009 06/03/2009
signs (1) DJ 09/03/2009 13/03/2009
signs (1) DJ; iQ; PTSB 13/03/2009 13/03/2009
signs (2) DJ 16/03/2009 20/03/2009
signs (2) DJ; iQ; PTSB 20/03/2009 20/03/2009
ns DJ 24/03/2009 24/03/2009
12/03/2009 24/04/2009
es FAB 12/03/2009 01/04/2009
r1 FAB 30/03/2009 30/03/2009
r2 FAB 31/03/2009 31/03/2009
FAB 02/04/2009 10/04/2009
BB 08/04/2009 14/04/2009
FAB 15/04/2009 23/04/2009
FAB 24/04/2009 24/04/2009
23/02/2009 10/04/2009
/sitemap RS; AT 23/02/2009 27/02/2009
erial PTSB 23/02/2009 06/03/2009
hedule RS 04/03/2009 04/03/2009
RS 02/03/2009 12/03/2009
RS; PTSB 13/03/2009 27/03/2009
RS 30/03/2009 06/04/2009
1: Avoid long-term plans

24. No plan survives first
contact with customers

25. No plan survives first
contact with the enemy

26. Missions over plans
DiscoveryMobilise Logistics Engage MissionImprovise

27. Missions over plans
DiscoveryResearch Design Prototype MissionImprovise

28. Lesson #1
• If you see a long detailed plan, question it
• If you create a long detailed plan, question yourself
• Advocate for smaller, iterative plans instead

29. 2: Define a mission

30. Missions over plans
North Africa 1942

31. Missions over plans
North Africa 1942

32. Missions over plans
France 1940

33. Missions over plans
France 1940
“Gentlemen, I demand that your divisions
completely cross the German borders,
completely cross the Belgian borders and
completely cross the River Meuse. I don't care
how you do it, that's completely up to you.”
Kurt Zeitzler
Chief of Staff, 1st Panzer Army

34. Mission
DiscoveryResearch Design Prototype
Mission
Improvise

35. Mission
DiscoveryResearch Design Prototype
Make it incredibly
easy to share, store
and synch files. With
100% reliability.
Improvise

36. Mission
DiscoveryResearch Design Prototype
All the music. In all
the world. On all
devices. All the time.
Improvise

37. Lesson #2
• Define a clear mission
• Mission = the problem you are trying to solve
• Focus on achieving mission, not following plan

38. 3: Embrace the chaos

39. Blitzkrieg

40. Schwerpunkt
Focus resources OpportunitiesSchwerpunkt
Schwer・punkt
(Weighty)・(point)

41. Product/market fit
Focus resources OpportunitiesProduct/market
fit

42. Crack the nut
Focus resources Opportunities
Solve the
problem

43. Making software is messy
Product
Executive
IT
Legal
Marketing
Dev
Sales
UX
Comp-
liance
Ops
Support

44. Collaborative design

45. Collaborative design

46. Collaborative design

47. Lesson #3
• Take off your headphones
• Embrace the much wider team
• Harness the collective brainpower

48. 4: Be open to change

49. Sacred cows
General Melchett

50. Sacred cows
Big Design Up Front
• We know best
• Only designers can design
• Let us figure it out
• Embrace our big deliverable

51. Lesson #4
• Climb down from the ivory tower
• Be humble
• You can learn a lot from others

52. 5: Give teams autonomy

53. “You must avoid countermanding
orders: unless the soldier can see a
good reason for benefit, he becomes
discouraged and loses confidence”

54. …or else lead from the front

55. Leading from front
• 220 Germany Army generals died in combat
• 13 US Army generals died in combat

56. Lesson #5
• Give autonomy
• (Or seek autonomy)
• Or else join the fighting yourself

57. Competitive advantage

58. German soldiers
• Worth roughly 1.5 US soldiers
• Inflicted casualties at 50% higher rate
• True when attacking or defending
• Outnumbered or with numerical advantage
• When they had air superiority and when they didn’t
• When they won and when they lost
Source: Colonel Trevor Dupuy

59. Why did they lose the war?

60. Thanks!
@colmanw