Reading the article made me realize that a corporate project is quite analogous to a romantic relationship. There are common, cyclical stages: (1) courtship, (2) honeymoon, (3) sobriety, (4) break-up or reaffirmation. Of course, what’s different is, in a corporate project we do not presuppose exclusivity. This is in contrast to a romantic relationship where exclusivity lies at the very core of the relationship – or so we would like to idealize.

Courtship is often the most exciting part of a relationship. It appeals to the primitive hunter instinct of man. This is the stage where we are prone to promise the moon and the stars or ROI for that matter, just to get approval. It is often the case that we promise more than we can deliver. The honeymoon stage follows once we get approval. Both parties are in high spirits. They are idealistic and keen on continuing the relationship – based of course on the promises made during courtship. During this period, everything seems to go smoothly. Both parties are tolerant of each others mistakes. They are quick and intent in noticing positive aspects of each other. Sobriety settles-in after the honeymoon. At this stage both parties become more critical of each other. It all becomes routine. What was once exciting is now passé. Interestingly, it is in this stage that both parties loose sight the promises they made during courtship. If both parties are quite tolerant, the relationship would drag-on, but it would be nonetheless uneventful. The last stage could be break-up or reaffirmation. Obviously, a break-up ensues when the participants cannot find a reason to continue the relationship any longer. To them, it might be time to move on. The opposite is true for reaffirmation. Reaffirmation only ensues when there are no irreconcilable differences and both parties make a conscious effort to put the fire back into the relationship. The sincerest of effort is needed to relive the cycle. For a serious relationship, long-term orientation is crucial.

In my opinion, the main challenge in a project is getting caught-up in routine. If the project team drifts with just completion in mind, they will force the project into completion, without any regard to maximizing value the project was supposed to provide. Ergo, the key to maximizing the ROI of a project is putting the fire back into it. However, this has to be balanced with the discipline to get done what needs to be done. It is imperative that the project team keep their eyes both on the original mandate of a project and the changing environment where the project will be deployed. This will help them in discerning which actions are vital and which actions are trivial. The optimal balance between creativity and discipline must be struck. It is through this tough balancing act that ROI is maximized. To rehash in the context of the romantic relationship analogy: It is through striking the delicate balance between creativity and discipline that love maximized.

Another thing that caught my attention in this article is the idea of maximizing the value of a project by incessantly looking for ways to expand its usage. This idea has been historically effective in promoting innovation. A good example is the Internet. It was born out of the military’s internal think tank, ARPA. It was intended to be as a communications and information sharing network that could withstand a nuclear attack on the US. Never did the original proponents imagine that the Internet could one day be a publicly accessible global information network that would revolutionized the way we do business and live our lives.

In conclusion, creativity thrives in an environment where there is a free-flow of information. However, to translate this creativity into valuable and lasting innovation, discipline, hard work and focus are needed.

Original Article: “Not So Fast!”, Mary Brandel