10 Lessons from a Six-Year-Old on Disciplined Agile
Drawing parallels between a child’s perspective and Disciplined Agile (DA) principles offers fresh insights into effective ways of working (WoW). Below are ten lessons from a six-year-old, aligned with DA practices as outlined by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
1) Embrace Curiosity
Child’s View: “Why is the sky blue?” Kids constantly ask questions to understand the world.
DA Perspective: Encourage continuous learning and improvement by questioning existing processes and seeking better approaches.
2) Adapt to Change
Child’s View: Children switch from one game to another effortlessly, embracing new rules and scenarios.
DA Perspective: Be flexible and open to evolving your WoW to meet changing project needs.
3) Collaborate Openly
Child’s View: Kids naturally play together, sharing ideas and building on each other’s creativity.
DA Perspective: Foster a collaborative environment where team members freely share knowledge and support one another.
4) Keep It Simple
Child’s View: A cardboard box becomes a spaceship; simplicity fuels imagination.
DA Perspective: Focus on delivering just enough documentation and solutions to meet stakeholder needs without unnecessary complexity.
5) Learn Through Play
Child’s View: Play is a primary learning mechanism, allowing kids to explore and understand their environment.
DA Perspective: Utilize iterative cycles and retrospectives to experiment, learn, and improve continuously.
6) Value Individuals
Child’s View: Each child brings unique ideas to a game, enriching the experience.
DA Perspective: Recognize and leverage the diverse skills and perspectives of team members to enhance project outcomes.
7) Focus on the Present
Child’s View: Children are mindful, fully engaging in the current activity without distraction.
DA Perspective: Concentrate on current tasks to ensure quality and efficiency, avoiding multitasking pitfalls.
8) Accept Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
Child’s View: Mistakes are part of learning; a toppled block tower is rebuilt with enthusiasm.
DA Perspective: Embrace failures as opportunities to learn and improve processes and products.
9) Communicate Clearly
Child’s View: Kids express needs and ideas straightforwardly, ensuring understanding.
DA Perspective: Promote clear and transparent communication within teams to align goals and expectations.
10) Maintain Enthusiasm
Child’s View: Children approach activities with energy and excitement, motivating those around them.
DA Perspective: Cultivate a positive and motivated team environment to drive engagement and productivity.
Lesson
Child’s Perspective
Disciplined Agile Approach
Embrace Curiosity
Constantly ask questions to understand the world.
Encourage continuous learning and improvement by questioning existing processes.
Adapt to Change
Switch between games effortlessly, embracing new scenarios.
Be flexible and open to evolving your WoW to meet changing project needs.
Collaborate Openly
Naturally play together, sharing ideas and creativity.
Foster a collaborative environment where team members share knowledge and support each other.
Keep It Simple
Use simplicity to fuel imagination, like turning a box into a spaceship.
Deliver just enough documentation and solutions to meet stakeholder needs without unnecessary complexity.
Learn Through Play
Use play as a primary mechanism to explore and understand.
Utilize iterative cycles and retrospectives to experiment, learn, and improve continuously.
Value Individuals
Each child brings unique ideas to enrich the experience.
Recognize and leverage diverse skills and perspectives of team.
Focus on the Present
Fully engage in the current activity without distraction.
Concentrate on current tasks to ensure quality and efficiency, avoiding multitasking pitfalls.
Accept Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
View mistakes as part of learning; rebuild with enthusiasm.
Embrace failures as opportunities to learn and improve processes and products.
Communicate Clearly
Express needs and ideas straightforwardly to ensure understanding.
Promote clear and transparent communication within teams to align goals and expectations.
Maintain Enthusiasm
Approach activities with energy and excitement, motivating others.
Cultivate a positive and motivated team environment to drive engagement and productivity.
By observing these childlike behaviors, teams can align with DA principles to create a dynamic and effective WoW, fostering an environment conducive to innovation and continuous improvement.
PML would like to extend a huge thank you to Dr. Casey LeFrance for sharing his knowledge and wisdom with the PML community! Learn more about him below and reach out to connect!
About the Author
Dr. Casey LaFrance is a professor, program coordinator, and volunteer coach blending project management, agile, and accessibility with heart. He’s all about gratitude, inclusion, and helping learners thrive—especially those with sensory needs. Proud dad, loyal dog tennis ball tosser, and partner in learning and life.
Follow him on LinkedIn and check out the Political Science graduate program at Western Illinois University to learn with him directly!
Connect with Dr. Casey here directly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-casey-lafrance-8a2045337/
Interested in becoming a PML Contributor?
Project Management Life (PML) is a volunteer team of 🔥passionate project managers🔥 who believe in the *power of this incredible profession* and we provide our knowledge, guidance, and support to all our project management colleagues within the PML Tribe.
If you’re interested in:
1️⃣ Growing your personal brand
2️⃣ Sharing your knowledge with your project management colleagues
3️⃣ Supporting the growth of the PML Community and growing our tribal knowledge together
…then we want to hear from you! It’s a win-win-win scenario!
YOU GET FULL CREDIT! We’ll celebrate your contributions, share your socials, etc. so you can grow your personal brand and build up your following as well! Plus you can collect PDUs for your volunteer and content creation hours!
Message us or send us an email at info@projectmanagementlife.org if you’re interested, and let us know! We can’t wait to hear from you!
Who is Project Management Life (PML)?
Project Management Life (PML) is a team of passionate volunteer project managers who believe in the power of this incredible profession and provide our knowledge, guidance, and support to our colleagues.
We know that project managers are often the unsung heroes that drive innovation and progress, and bring calm to what might otherwise be chaos. We are the leaders behind the scenes that work tirelessly, and deserve to be celebrated for our incredible efforts in making the world a better place.
We founded PML on the idea that we can inspire each other with stories of success and valuable lessons learned, empower each other with career advice and resources to thrive both personally and professionally, and support each other to achieve a fulfilling work-life balance by focusing on our health and well-being.
By living our best project management life, we bring our best selves to our projects, our teams, and the world.
We truly believe that project managers change the world.
Join the PML Tribe
The PML Tribe is a growing online community of project managers supporting our fellow project managers. Whether you’re a new or experienced project manager, this is a place where we can connect, learn, celebrate, and support one another.
Membership is free, and you get access to a weekly, members-only newsletter that is jam-packed with exclusive and curated content about project management, career growth and personal branding, health and well-being, personal self-improvement, professional development, work-life balance, and more. We are also launching an invite-only community forum, an exclusive clothing brand just for us called PML Tribal Gear, various PML podcasts, health and wellness classes, and so much more.
Join us today, and don’t miss out!
Share this Blog Post:
Standard PML Contributor Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this PML Contributor guest post are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect the views of Project Management Life. We appreciate the many diverse perspectives shared by our contributors as part of our commitment to fostering insightful discussions within the PML Tribe Community.
Check out some of PML’s other recent blog posts!
- Developing a Great Meeting Agenda: A Project Manager’s Essential Tool for Leading Effective Meeting Discussions
- From Chaos to Calm: How Project Managers Can Manage Stress (and Avoid Burnout)
- How to Manage a Project: A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Project from Start to Finish
- Smart Snacking: Healthy Snack Options for Busy Project Managers On-the-Go for Project Managers
- Breaking into Project Management: How to Find Your First, Entry-Level Project Manager Role
- The Secrets to a Strong Project Kick-Off Meeting: How to Effectively Launch Your Next Project
