Elon Musk on Project Management, how he built a Starship mk1 in 4 months

SpaceX, Agile Methods, and Elon Musk's Approach to Innovation

Space exploration has been one of humanity’s most exciting frontiers over the past century, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is at the cutting edge of this journey. With the successful launches of Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX has transformed the way we think about rockets. Now, the company is gearing up for the first flight of Starship Mk1, a mission that promises to take us even further into the cosmos.

At a recent SpaceX event, Elon Musk took part in a Q&A session where he was asked about the impressive speed at which his team managed to build a spacecraft in just four months—something that would typically take over a year. Musk’s answers, as always, were full of insight, but what stood out to me were the key lessons about agile methods and the importance of speed, feedback loops, and simplifying processes.

Elon’s Agile Mantra: "If the schedule is long, it's wrong. If it's tight, it's right."

Elon Musk has always been known for his bold, unconventional approach to leadership and innovation. He once said, “If the schedule is long, it’s wrong, and if it’s tight, it’s right.” It's a striking statement, but it captures the essence of how SpaceX has been able to push the boundaries of engineering and manufacturing in a fraction of the time it would traditionally take.

Musk emphasizes the importance of speed—not just to get things done quickly, but because speed fosters rapid learning. The tighter the schedule, the more focused teams become. The key is balancing speed with safety and quality, ensuring that mistakes are caught early and adjusted for in real-time. This approach is fundamentally agile: fast iterations, constant feedback, and continuous improvement.

The Power of Feedback Loops and Iteration

Musk elaborated on this, saying, “Recurved improvement with feedback loops. Did it make it easier/faster and still safe? Great, if not, stop doing that.”

This approach is a powerful reminder of the importance of continuous reflection. In an agile environment, the goal is to be constantly assessing your progress, identifying bottlenecks, and making incremental improvements. SpaceX does this by incorporating rapid feedback loops into their design and manufacturing processes, which allows them to pivot quickly when something isn’t working.

This method doesn’t just apply to rockets—it’s a mindset that can be applied to almost any project. When you're able to reflect and adjust continuously, inefficiencies don’t compound. You’re always improving, always getting closer to your goal.

Keep It Simple: “The Best Part is No Part”

Elon also had some strong words about design, saying, “If design takes a long time, it’s wrong. We have a strong tendency to overcomplicate things.”

This resonates deeply with agile principles. In many cases, we fall into the trap of over-engineering solutions, adding layers of complexity that aren’t necessary. Musk believes that simplicity is key—not just for the sake of speed but because simplicity leads to clearer, more efficient solutions.

As he put it, “The best part is no part, the best process is no process.” Sometimes, the most effective way to solve a problem isn’t by adding more, but by removing unnecessary steps, tools, or features. This echoes the agile philosophy of minimizing waste and focusing on the essentials.

In the context of a spacecraft, that could mean removing redundant components or rethinking an entire process to eliminate bottlenecks. In the world of software development, it could mean cutting out extraneous features or streamlining communication channels.

Elon’s Secret to Success: "What Did You Un-Design?"

One of my favorite insights from Musk’s talk was his approach to meetings. He said, “My favorite question to ask in a meeting is, 'What did you un-design?'”

This mindset encourages simplicity and efficiency. It’s not about finding new things to build; it’s about finding things that can be removed or streamlined. This ties into the broader idea that successful innovation isn’t always about making things more complex; sometimes it’s about making things simpler by taking away unnecessary elements.

Elon’s focus on “un-design” encourages teams to be critical of their own work. By continuously asking, “What can we remove or simplify?” we open ourselves up to new solutions that are both faster and more effective.

Elon Musk's Bold Leadership: A Lesson in Innovation

Elon Musk is often a polarizing figure, with many critics questioning his leadership style and his aggressive timelines. But one thing is undeniable: his approach works. SpaceX has consistently delivered groundbreaking results, and they’ve done so by embracing principles of speed, simplification, and constant iteration.

While many of his methods may seem unconventional, there’s a clear lesson here for anyone working on complex projects: embrace speed, question assumptions, and always look for ways to simplify.

TL;DR: Try These Methods in Your Next Project

1. Make requirements less dumb: Question and verify your requirements to remove unnecessary work. Musk emphasizes that requirements should be accountable to a person, not a department.
2. Delete parts or processes: Remove unnecessary parts or process steps. Start lean, and only build up when necessary.
3. Simplify and optimize: Don’t overcomplicate your design. Simplify first, then optimize.
4. Accelerate cycle time: Streamline your processes to speed up cycle time and increase throughput.
5. Automate: Use automation to ensure efficiency and reliability in your processes.

Bonus: Insights from Elon on Product Management

In a recent interview, Musk shared additional thoughts that are directly applicable to product management. A commenter on Reddit linked to a video where he offered some memorable quotes:

• “Question your constraints.”
• “Assume they are wrong [to some degree].”
• “The product errors reflect the organizational errors.”

These quotes remind us that innovation is often about challenging assumptions and being willing to question everything—even what we think is the best way of doing things.

You can check out the full interview here.