projects and red zones

Many projects are never finished. There are numerous broken down and not quite stable cars in the garage. There are craft projects, massive redevelopments and everything in between. They sit unfinished due to poor planning, lack of resources and above all, lack of determination and skills to face challenges that might otherwise be successful.

Often, projects are completed, but over budget and miss deadlines. They hit roadblocks (some predictable) due to coordination difficulties, supply chains and status quo and eventually they get done. That’s the road work near my house–it’s been two years of construction, and no doubt they’ll get there, but it’s slow and expensive. Normal work, usually done, with lots of delay and some drama.

A sweet spot is a project that is managed by someone who has acquired the skills to anticipate and deal with all the challenges that come along the way. This is not a project where deadlines were met because of hope or luck, but because effort and planning were put to good use. We see examples of well-managed projects all around us. They appear when they are supposed to because we are organized to make it happen.

The last type of project is one that broke all records and happened despite obstacles. Unfortunately, these red zone projects create a lot of scar tissue and negative side effects. You might be able to do them once or twice, but you can’t count on them.

What kind of projects are you running now?