Chapter 4: Visualize

There is a saying, apparently in Alice in Wonderland , that if you do not know where you are going, any path will get you there. It is amazing how many projects have no vision or concept of their destination, let alone their path . This lack of vision contributes to so many downstream problems and dismal results ” poor quality, schedule slides, budget slides, high turnover ” to name a few.

No Blurred Vision

Several reasons explain why vision is so difficult to achieve on a project. The insights are as numerous as the consequences.

Dr. William Leban identifies four reasons why projects fail, each directly or indirectly associated with a poorly defined or missing vision:

• Improper definition and scope

• Improper systems usage of information

• Inefficient resource usage

• Poor communication of activities ^[1]

In Information Strategy , Nancy Settle-Murphy and Caroline Thornton identified four project "sinkholes":

• Competing and shifting priorities

• Lack of clarity articulating expectations

• No process for problem resolution and feedback

• Vague or conflicting project definition and scope ^[2]

^[1] Natalie Chalfin, Four reasons why projects fail, PM Network , p. 7, June 1998.

^[2] Nancy Settle-Murphy and Caroline Thorton, Facilitating your way to project success, Information Strategy , p. 37, Spring 1999.