How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between

When laid out like that, it’s obviously a bad idea. But remember that it emerges from a desire to get going on a project, to see work happening, to have tangible evidence of progress. That’s good. Everyone involved in a project should have that desire. It becomes trouble only when we belittle planning as the annoying stuff we have to deal with befo

Projects routinely start with answers, not questions.

One shift that can help us all is to change our minds about planning. Like search, planning is a literacy that’s not taught in school, and yet it’s a key to success in life and work. We plan events, trips, families, sites, systems, companies, and cities. We do it all the time but make the same mistakes. First, we procrastinate. We fear complexity,

Remember, plans always get more complicated once they're put into practice — never less.

New priorities emerge, market forces change, and everything takes longer than you expect. Your plan needs focus — likely more focus than you might feel comfortable with.