🔶 First: Radically more successful projects (early access)
​I am personally working on an online tool. Its aim is to make it really easy for you, me, all of us to apply the core Success Factors on our projects.
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To work, I need to understand the challenges you face and what you would like from a project management tool.
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If you get value from these emails and can spare 5 minutes, it would be greatly appreciated.
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the project i CANCELED
I once inherited a project where the solution had already been decided. My job? Deliver it.
The problem: that option turned out to be four times more expensive than the original estimate.
… Worse, it took years for anyone to realise there was an existing solution in another department that could have been reused.
We were planning to build something new from scratch, when we could have used what we already had.
In the end, I made the recommendation to simply shut down my project and re-use an existing solution that was a fraction of the price.
That mistake didn’t happen because the team was lazy. It happened because we were locked in.
What’s going on?
This was a classic case of commitment bias: our tendency to stick with a chosen solution even when better options exist.
i.e. Once we decide on a path, we resist questioning it.
Research shows that when project teams don’t step back and compare options, they underestimate risk and become overly optimistic about their preferred solution.
That leads to bad decisions, stress and years of time wasted in my example.
How to choose your solution, the right way
That leads to bad decisions, stress and years of time wasted in my example
To overcome commitment bias, you need to deliberately slow down and look outside: That is, look at alternatives, especially if the preferred option seems obvious.
Key Action
I have created this move for you, it’s a simple script to assess your options and an evaluation spreadsheet.
Give it a go, the next time you’re exploring your options (or option)
Let’s change the game.
Greg
