Big Problems

In business, and project management specifically, big problems can live out in the open for a very long time. 

Nobody wants to be labeled as “too negative” by calling attention to the obvious issue.

Willful ignorance of big problems is often presented as strategic thinking or rational, data-driven fact.

People begin to use words like “actually,” “in reality,” and “the data shows,” to minimize the perceived danger that this big problem presents.

If you’re a project manager living in this rose-colored glasses environment, the best course of action is to force a wake up call.

Figure out a way to pull forward an element of the real danger that the big problem would likely deliver. This could be reputational damage for executives and project sponsors - maybe a competitor ignored the same type of big problem and is now publicly paying the price. It could be a project-derailing time delay or cost overrun - perhaps shining a spotlight on these areas may uncover the big problem soon enough to remedy it.

But these are practical solutions to a situation often dominated by impractical thinking.

The fix for big problems is often simple; it’s the resistance to the fix that creates the impasse.