The Military Analogy for Agile Project Management

When I first heard the analogy between what happens in the military with what we want to do from an agile project management perspective, I was skeptical.  But after I've had it explained to me by a peer a couple of times, I understand and agree with the comparison.  David Anderson provides a good description of military strategy, operational plan, and tactical execution in today's Staff Ride blog post.

I think of a Scrum team as the tactical executors.  They get a direction from their Product Owner.  They are required to report progress (daily updates, burndown) and show what they have accomplished when they are complete (sprint review).  Other than that, they are empowered to accomplish their mission in the matter that is optimal for their circumstances.