Brandolini's Law

"The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it."

Alberto Brandolini

Brandolini's Law, also known as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, highlights the disproportionate effort required to debunk misinformation or flawed reasoning compared to how easily such information is created and spread. Organizations that adopt Agile poorly often institutionalize bad practices, making it harder to shift towards real agility. Overcoming these misconceptions requires extensive effort, often much more than was needed to create them.

Impact on Organizations

  1. Resistance to Change:

    Misinformation spreads faster than corrections, leading to misunderstandings like:

    • “Agile means no planning.”
    • “Scrum Masters are project managers.”
    • “Agile means no accountability.”

    These myths make leaders hesitant to support Agile transformations and create resistance among employees.

  2. Holding Onto Past Incorrect Agile Implementations:

    Organizations that have previously misapplied Agile often refuse to acknowledge their mistakes, leading to:

    • Fake Agile (Cargo Cult Agile): Teams follow Agile rituals without embracing Agile principles.
    • Water-Scrum-Fall: Agile at the team level, but Waterfall planning and governance persist.
    • Command-and-Control Thinking: Agile teams exist, but decision-making remains centralized.
    • Sunk Cost Fallacy: Leadership refuses to change flawed Agile implementations due to prior investments.

    These past mistakes make it even harder to implement Agile correctly in the future.

  3. Leadership Distrust in Agile:

    Executives and middle managers who experienced failed Agile transformations may develop skepticism, thinking:

    • “We tried Agile, and it didn't work.”
    • “Agile slowed us down instead of improving efficiency.”
    • “We don't need to change again. We're already Agile.”

    Without addressing these perceptions, new Agile efforts will struggle to gain traction.

  4. Change Fatigue Among Employees:

    Multiple failed Agile rollouts lead to low engagement and skepticism, with teams:

    • Viewing Agile as another "management fad."
    • Treating Agile ceremonies as mere status updates.
    • Feeling frustrated with constant changes that don't improve their work experience.

  5. Decision-Making Paralysis and Process Dilution:

    Conflicting narratives about Agile create slow decision-making and diluted implementations, where:

    • Leaders demand traditional metrics instead of Agile outcomes.
    • Teams operate under rigid approval processes that contradict agility.
    • The organization moves in circles, never fully committing to Agile.

Scenario

A financial services company adopted Agile five years ago, but implemented it incorrectly:

  • Teams were labeled “Agile” but lacked decision-making power.
  • Scrum ceremonies were in place, but governance remained Waterfall.
  • Executives expected faster results without cultural changes.

When a new CTO proposes restarting Agile properly, leadership resists:

  • "We already did Agile, and it didn't work."
  • "This will just slow us down again."
  • "Why do we need to change? We are already Agile."

To counter Brandolini's Law, the organization must:

  • Re-educate leadership on why past Agile efforts failed.
  • Address past failures openly and provide a clear transformation roadmap.
  • Empower teams by removing bureaucratic constraints.
  • Fix key problem areas first rather than forcing a complete reset.

This approach prevents past mistakes from becoming permanent roadblocks to true agility.

Conclusion

Brandolini's Law warns that correcting past Agile misconceptions takes significantly more effort than spreading them. When organizations cling to flawed implementations, they reinforce bad habits, create resistance to real change, and struggle to realize Agile's true benefits. Agile leaders must actively unlearn past mistakes, educate stakeholders, and persistently align Agile practices with core principles.

Key Takeaways

  • Misinformation about Agile spreads easily and is hard to correct.
  • Holding onto past incorrect implementations creates deep-rooted resistance.
  • Leadership skepticism and employee fatigue slow down real transformation.
  • Agile requires cultural and structural changes, not just process tweaks.
  • A proactive education and communication strategy is crucial for success.

Summary

Organizations that previously implemented Agile incorrectly often struggle to embrace it properly later. Past mistakes institutionalize bad practices, create leadership skepticism, and cause change fatigue among employees. Brandolini's Law highlights the effort required to correct these misconceptions, making it essential for Agile coaches and leaders to proactively educate, realign, and unlearn flawed implementations to achieve lasting agility.