Knowing the Answer Is Not Enough Change is dependent on action. Knowing is just a start. Change requires us to consistently act. Many times we know the answer, even when it comes to helping ourselves. We know what we should eat, how we should spend our time, which...
Simplification Is Costly Simplification is about elimination. Cutting clutter. Reducing unnecessary options. Removing unnecessary decisions. It is about being strategic. We tend to talk about simplification as if it were a tidy-up. Clear the desk, trim the menu,...
Results Are the Wrong Judge We could be successful by chance. We may be making wrong technology decisions that cost millions in losses while earning billions in revenue. And our technology decisions just seem right. That is the trap. When the numbers are good, we...
Drift Hides Behind Deflection Most projects do not fail in a single moment. They drift. And drift rarely announces itself. It does not arrive as a crisis or a red status report. It arrives as a series of small, reasonable explanations. Each one makes sense on its own....
The End Is Not the Point. The Value Is. We love to see the end of a project. Go-live is one of the most important dates in any project. It is discussed in the business case, in the steering committee, in the corridor and in every update to the executive. Everyone...
We Are Shown What We Want to See People follow the path of least friction, mental energy and hassle. That is not a criticism. It is how most of us get through a working day. We read the room, we work out what is expected, and we give it. Not because we are dishonest,...
Complex Problems Don't Need Complex Solutions Complex problems don't have complex solutions. Solutions are simple. Or rather, they must be simple to be effective. That runs against instinct. When a problem is large, tangled and has been around for years, we assume the...
The Price of Speed Is Always Paid. The Question Is by Whom. "ERP projects can be delivered within months." Most executives have heard this line. It usually comes from a vendor presentation or an implementation partner's proposal, and sometimes from a peer who says...