Declare Success

All projects are successful; it’s just a matter of choosing what to declare.  Here are some good choices:

  • Success – We know when a project is too big. Going forward, let’s do smaller ones.
  • Success – We know we can run too many projects concurrently. Going forward, let’s do fewer and get more done.
  • Success – We know we can’t make that  in-house. Going forward, let’s find a suppler with world class capability.
  • Success – We know the consequences of going too quickly. Going forward, let’s take our time and get it right.
  • Success – We know what customers won’t buy. Going forward, let’s know if they’ll buy it before we make it.
  • Success – We know the consequences of going too slowly. Going forward, let’s be more efficient and launch sooner.
  • Success – We know when quality levels are too low. Going forward, let’s launch with higher quality.
  • Success – We know we can’t outsource that. Going forward, let’s make it in-house.
  • Success – We know the attributes of a bad project manager. Going forward, let’s hire one that knows how to run projects.

Celebrate the learning, incorporate it in your go-forward plan, and go forward. Success.

One Response to “Declare Success”

  • mick maguire:

    I love this attitude – fear of failure is a killer for any org. A recent study at the NBER shows that states (like ours) with less restrictive hiring (or should I say firing) laws have much lower rates of innovation – the reason? fear of failure, fear of losing jobs through failure.

    Failure should be looked upon as a gift, a necessary step towards greater success. Instead of saying failure is not an option we should be saying failure is not optional.

    Thanks Mike!

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Mike Shipulski Mike Shipulski
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