There's a lot of pretending in project management.
We pretend estimates are accurate. We pretend velocity is predictable. We pretend sprints create focus. We pretend standups keep us aligned.
We perform elaborate rituals that make us feel organized, without actually making us more productive.
What if we stopped pretending?
What if we just trusted people to do good work, and got out of their way?
The Theater We Perform
Think about the project management rituals your team follows:
Sprint planning: Spend two hours estimating work, knowing the estimates will be wrong.
Daily standups: Everyone reports what they did, even though it's already visible in the tickets.
Velocity tracking: Calculate how many points you completed, even though points are arbitrary.
Retrospectives: Talk about what went wrong, make action items, forget them by next sprint.
Ticket grooming: Spend hours writing detailed descriptions for work that will change once you start building.
How much of this actually helps you ship better products?
And how much is just theater? Activity that makes you feel productive without moving the needle?
What We're Pretending
Here's what we pretend:
We pretend we can predict the future. Estimates, roadmaps, timelines. All fiction. But we build elaborate planning systems as if they're real.
We pretend measuring activity equals measuring value. Story points, velocity, burndown charts. None of these tell you if you're building the right thing.
We pretend process creates accountability. Daily standups, status updates, ticket tracking. But accountability comes from trust and ownership, not surveillance.
We pretend busy means productive. Full calendars, lots of meetings, constant updates. None of which guarantee you're shipping valuable work.
We pretend alignment requires constant communication. But if the goal is clear and trust is high, people stay aligned without daily check ins.
Why We Pretend
So why do we do it?
Because it's expected. "This is how Agile teams work." Nobody questions it.
Because it feels safer than trusting. If we're tracking everything, at least we'll know if something goes wrong. Right?
Because stakeholders demand it. They want status, forecasts, proof that work is happening.
Because we don't know what else to do. Process fills the void when clarity and trust are missing.
The theater is a coping mechanism for broken culture.
What If We Stopped?
What if you dropped the pretense?
No estimates. Just break work into small pieces and ship them as fast as you can.
No velocity. Just track: are we shipping regularly? Are customers happy?
No standups. Just async updates when there's something worth sharing.
No sprints. Just a prioritized list. Work on the most important thing until it's done. Then grab the next one.
No ticket grooming. Keep tasks lightweight. Add detail when you actually start the work.
What would break?
Probably less than you think.
What You'd Gain
Without the theater, you'd get:
Time back. Hours every week that used to go to planning, standups, and grooming.
Focus. Less context switching between "doing work" and "managing work."
Clarity. When you strip away the process, what's left is the work that actually matters.
Trust. When you stop surveilling, you signal that you trust people to do their jobs.
Agility. Without commitments and timelines, you can pivot instantly when priorities change.
The Hard Part
The hard part isn't the mechanics. It's the culture.
Managers who equate visibility with control will resist. "How do I know people are working?"
Stakeholders who want predictability will push back. "When will this be done?"
Teams used to structure might struggle. "What do I work on next?"
Dropping the theater requires replacing it with something better: trust, clarity, and ownership.
What Replaces the Process
If you drop the rituals, you need:
Clear goals. Everyone knows what success looks like and why it matters.
Transparent work. Progress is visible without requiring status updates.
Fast feedback loops. Ship small, ship often, learn quickly.
Empowered people. Teams have autonomy to decide how to work.
Direct communication. When something's unclear, people talk. No need to wait for a meeting.
This is harder than following a process. But it's also more effective.
The Minimum Viable Process
You don't have to go from "full Scrum" to "total chaos." Start small:
Pick one ritual you suspect is theater. Skip it for a sprint. See what breaks.
Reduce meeting frequency. Daily standups become twice weekly. Weekly planning becomes biweekly.
Shorten everything. If you keep a meeting, cut it in half.
Make things optional. See who stops attending. That tells you what's valuable.
Trust by default. Stop asking for proof that people are working. Just assume they are.
Most teams find they can drop 50-70% of their process without any loss in productivity.
In fact, productivity often increases because people have more time to actually work.
The Real Question
The question isn't "what's the right amount of process?"
It's: "Are we doing this because it helps, or because we're pretending it helps?"
If you're honest, a lot of what you do falls in the second category.
Stop pretending. Trust your team. Let them work.
You might be surprised how much better things get when you stop managing and start enabling.
The Bottom Line
Project management theater is exhausting. It's time consuming. It's demoralizing.
And it doesn't make you ship better products.
What if you just stopped?
Drop the rituals that don't add value. Trust people to do their jobs. Focus on outcomes, not activity.
You'll spend less time pretending to be organized and more time actually shipping.
And isn't that the whole point?