Problem: "We spend a lot of time getting a project to the point of starting"

Project delays are generally because of 3 things:

1. "Solution not yet decided". There is disagreement on the solution, and until it's resolved, work cannot begin. There may also be misalignment between stakeholders on which problem(s) are most important to solve.

2. Approvals - key senior people haven't committed to the project yet, usually because of a lack of alignment or agreement, or because of a lack of acceptable clarity / details to make a decision. Estimates are not satisfactory. Scope is not clarified. Requirements are incomplete.

3. Projects are big commitments which results in opportunity cost, because teams are committed to completing them until the project is done. If a commitment is big, then decision-makers want to be REALLY certain before committing.

Possible solutions:

✅ Start doing Discovery and Inceptions to rapidly understand and align on new projects.

✅ Stop doing lots of detailed and upfront analysis & solutioning. It's delaying teams from proactively de-risking projects.

✅ Change project governance. The many rules and controls your organisation has in place doesn't materially contribute to successful projects.

✅ Take an iterative and incremental approach to delivery. This allows teams to pivot away as and when needed.

✅ Bring work to the teams, not teams to the work.