Act is
one of those multi- meaning words that infest the English language. Words
apparently created to trap and confuse the learner and the unwary. In our
context it means to execute a decision: to do.
And if
there is anything that separates the successful from the failures it is usually
the execute phase of the project. This is the area where expectations meet
results and the encounter is often unpleasant.
It is also an area of great
political risk. On many projects the initial phase of project evaluation and
selection is usually a battle of ideas and concepts. Of contending visions and
aspirations. In many instances it is a conflict of estimates and benefits,
project A against project B. nothing is concrete, all is conjecture.
Not so in
the Act phase. Now we have a schedule and a budget to be measured against. And
just because the decision has been taken to proceed it is never an irrevocable
decision. Many projects are cancelled before they are completed, according to
many experts not enough of them suffer this fate, and therefore this is when
you enter a new iteration of the OODA loop.
You have to be continually
observing what is happening and orienting towards the changing situation. You
must move into the observe phase of the new loop cycle from the first day of
your project's execution. Remember it is never too soon to start failing.
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