Unlearning the Awkward Truth: Why Great Teams Can Still Build the Wrong Product

Source: Canva

For a long time, I used to say that projects need fixing. It sounded reasonable, practical, even helpful. But over time, that language stopped sitting well with me.

Fixing assumes something is broken. And who is to say that?

What I see now isn’t failure. It’s patterns. And patterns don’t ask for judgment - they ask for attention.

Imagine this for a moment

Imagine a couple building a house together. Both are intelligent, thoughtful, smart, well-intentioned. And they argue, a lot. Not because either of them is wrong or not because one isn’t listening.

But because they are speaking from different hymn sheets.

They never fully aligned on the vision of the house:

• What matters most

• What is non-negotiable

• What can be compromised

• What “good” actually looks like

So every design choice becomes a debate. Every change feels personal. Every decision reopens old assumptions.

Nothing is broken. But the BEGINNING IS TOO NARROW for what the project requires.

Projects don’t break. They unfold.

Projects behave the same way. Direction is set early, sometimes formally, and everything that follows expands from that point.

Execution doesn’t correct direction. It amplifies it.

That’s why strong teams can deliver impressive results… that still don’t quite match the original intent.

Vision before requirements

What’s missing in many projects isn’t effort or capability.

It’s a shared vision.

Only once vision is aligned does it make sense to talk about requirements. This is where minimum functional requirements matter. Not exhaustive specifications. Not perfection.

Just a clear set of conditions that must be met for each key stakeholder to say:

“Yes - this works for me.”

These requirements surface differences early:

• What must be included

• What is flexible

• Where trade-offs exist

• Where tension may appear later

Without this, teams still move forward but alignment is assumed, not established.

The value of a minimal roadmap

Once vision and minimum requirements are clear, the next expansion is a minimal roadmap.

Not a detailed plan - JUST A HIGH LEVEL MAP

One that shows:

• Key phases 

• Decision points (gates)

• Major milestones

• Expected deliverables

• Assurance activities

• Primary risks in each phase

This roadmap doesn’t predict the future. It creates shared orientation. People know where they are, what matters next, and what decisions shape the path forward.

Why strong teams make this easier to miss

Good teams are very good at filling gaps. They turn ambiguity into action. They make assumptions workable. They keep things moving.

This is a strength - not a flaw.

But when early alignment is missing, momentum can hide it. Progress looks real. Activity feels reassuring. Until outcomes start asking questions no one paused to explore at the start.

Cognitive patterns at the beginning

Early project stages are shaped by very human tendencies:

• We anchor on the first viable idea

• Familiar solutions feel safer

• Early effort increases commitment

• Optimism smooths over uncertainty

These aren’t mistakes. They’re natural responses to complexity.

Expanding the beginning - through framing, vision alignment, and early mapping - doesn’t remove these tendencies. t simply brings them into view.

Why this matters for complex projects - everywhere

Whether the project involves:

• Energy transition

• Infrastructure

• Technology platforms

• Healthcare systems

• Product development

• A complex organizational initiative

Complexity behaves the same way.

Multiple stakeholders. Different definitions of success. Interdependencies. Uncertainty.

In these environments, outcomes are shaped less by control and more by how fully the beginning is expanded.

What I say now instead of “fixing projects”

I no longer say projects need fixing. That language carries judgment I don’t find useful.

What I do believe is this:

Projects often need to evolve or expand, especially at the start. Not because something is wrong. But because beginnings shape results.

Given the law of cause and effect, that feels less like opinion and more like observation.

A quiet leverage point

The most influential moment in a project isn’t delivery. It’s the moment when direction first takes shape, often before anyone calls it a project at all.

That’s not a problem to solve.

It’s a place to pause, expand, and align.

And sometimes, that is enough to change everything that follows.