A co-worker said that to me yesterday. He was reflecting on a recent project that is nearly across the finish line, and said “In all my years on staff, I hate this project more than anything else I have ever done.”
I know exactly what he meant.
- The project required FAR more work than he expected
- The project required MANY more conversations than he expected
- The project took LONGER than he expected
- The project encountered MORE OBSTACLES than he expected
The key to his frustration was that he under-estimated the complexity of the project. His expectation was that everything would go smoothly. He thought “all you have to do is ______”. And that is where it all went wrong.
It is common for us (and others) to optimize the future. We envision how easy things could be if everyone likes the plan, everyone gives their full commitment to the plan, and everything goes according to the plan.
It usually doesn’t. Therefore, plan accordingly.
Thanks for listening.
Chris
