One of my previous bosses had a rule: “If a project manager claims they delivered every project on time, within scope, and under budget—I won’t interview them.”
He wasn’t being cynical. He was being realistic.
In the real world, even high-performing teams struggle to deliver according to plan. Roadmaps slip. Milestones move. That QBR deck that was due last week is still “in progress.” The product launch gets pushed. Strategic initiatives lose steam midway.
Why does this keep happening—even when the teams are smart, aligned, and motivated?
It’s not a process problem. It’s not about effort.
It’s about the gap between how we think work will unfold and how it actually does—a gap rooted in how human brains evolved, and how mismatched they are to modern workflows.
Until we build systems that account for this mismatch, our best-laid plans will continue to unravel.
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