Scope Clarity for managing complex projects
Your project is delayed after the scope blew up again, misalignments revealed themselves late on and people can't agree on what matters.
To avoid this from happening it's important to clarify the scope early and often during projects.
1. Define what success looks like
Kick off the project by asking key decision-makers:
• What do you expect from the project?
• What is the ideal outcome?
• What does success look like?
This will help set a target that you can measure against throughout the project.
2. Seek out disagreement
Write down the scope - everything you think is needed to fulfil the goals.
Pass your notes around in a brief, readable format and directly ask your stakeholders:
• Did I get anything wrong?
• Is there anything missing?
This way you’ll bring up important details or adjustments that would otherwise be missed.
3. Ship small and check in often
When you start delivering, divide your work up into small packages and get feedback regularly before moving too far ahead.
Ask explicitly: “Does this help us reach the goal we talked about?”
Get this feedback weekly, minimum.
Effective client management begins with proactive engagement, anticipating needs and potential hurdles. Mastering the art of listening plays a crucial role in this approach, allowing us to gain deep insights into our clients' operations and strategic objectives. Imagine setting the stage at the beginning of a project by discussing with your client:
Dependency Exploration: 'Can we discuss any dependencies your team has on this project’s milestones? Understanding these can help us ensure alignment and timely delivery.'
Impact Assessment Question: 'Should unforeseen delays occur, what impacts would be most critical to your operations? This will help us prioritize our project management and contingency strategies.'
Preventive Planning Query: 'What preemptive steps can we take together to minimize potential disruptions to critical milestones?'
Success Criteria Definition: 'How do you define success for this project? Understanding your criteria for success will guide our efforts and help us focus on achieving the specific outcomes you expect.'
These discussions are essential for building a roadmap that not only aligns with the client’s expectations but also prepares both sides for potential challenges, reinforcing trust through transparency and commitment. By adopting a listening approach that seeks comprehensive understanding from the onset, we can better manage projects and enhance client satisfaction.
Let’s encourage our teams to integrate these listening strategies into their initial client engagements. How have proactive discussions influenced your project outcomes? Share your experiences and insights.
#ClientRelationships#AdvancedListening#BusinessStrategy#ProfessionalGrowth
3 Out of 4 Projects Fail Due to Misdiagnosis...
here’s how to change that.
The Doctor Framework:
In a consulting world crowded with “solutions,”
what if the secret to true client impact
was a shift to diagnosis first?
The Doctor Framework is designed
to help senior executives-turned-consultants
leverage their expertise in a
solutions-based sales approach.
Here’s why this method is a game-changer
for creating long-term client relationships
and real outcomes:
1. Diagnose the Pain 🩺
Much like a doctor would with a patient,
this phase is about identifying core issues...
not just symptoms.
Research shows that 80% of s
uccessful client interactions hinge
on active listening (HubSpot, 2021).
For consultants, that means asking
pointed questions and focusing on
what the client’s really saying...
often between the lines.
This phase sets the tone for
trust and accurate problem-solving.
2. Verify & Prioritize 📋
Too often, consultants jump to solutions
without fully verifying the core problem.
In fact, 75% of misaligned projects stem
from a misunderstanding
in the initial discovery phase (PMI, 2022).
Encourage clients to prioritize their biggest hurdles
and validate the diagnosis before prescribing.
This ensures they’re bought into the process,
which paves the way for collaborative solutions.
3. Co-Create the Solution 🤝
People support what they help create.
Rather than prescribing a
one-size-fits-all answer...
work with clients to co-create their roadmap,
personalizing it to their needs.
This consultative approach builds
trust and client ownership,
leading to better buy-in and outcomes.
According to LinkedIn, solutions tailored
with client collaboration
improve client retention by 42%.
4. Start with Small Wins 🏆
Quick wins build momentum.
In fact, research from McKinsey shows
that starting with small but impactful projects
leads to a 30% higher likelihood of client re-engagement.
The goal is to:
- secure initial buy-in
- build credibility
- set the stage for longer-term partnerships.
Propose a quick-hit project to
deliver immediate results,
reinforcing the client’s confidence
in both the process and the partnership.
5. Become the Trusted Advisor 🔗
Once the foundation is laid,
follow-up and deepen the relationship.
Check-in regularly, provide added value,
and actively look for new opportunities
to expand your impact.
By positioning yourself as a long-term ally,
not just a vendor, you’ll move from
“consultant” to “advisor.”
Statistics reveal that 90% of clients
who see consistent value are more likely
to refer additional business.
Ready to level up your consulting approach?
Implement the Doctor Framework and
start creating meaningful, lasting relationships.
Anything you'd add?
Ever wondered what a failed project can teach you?
Here’s the truth: 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓!
5 Lessons from a Failed Geospatial Project!
After facing my fair share of setbacks in geospatial projects, I’ve learned that each failure holds a lesson that reshapes how we approach future work at New Light Technologies
Here’s what I learned—and how it’s transformed my entire process:
1️⃣ 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙩𝙮
What Went Wrong: We tried to solve everything, and in the end, we solved nothing.
Focus on one clear goal at a time. Simplify the problem, and progress will follow.
2️⃣ 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 = 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮
What Went Wrong: Poor data quality led to outputs no one trusted.
The Fix: Invest in data validation—quality is always more important than quantity.
3️⃣ 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙆𝙚𝙮
What Went Wrong: Miscommunication caused misaligned expectations across teams.
The Fix: Regular, open communication keeps everyone aligned and on track.
4️⃣ 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮
What Went Wrong: The system couldn’t scale, leaving users frustrated.
The Fix: Design with growth in mind. Ensure systems are built to adapt.
5️⃣ 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 > 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙥𝙨
What Went Wrong: Beautiful maps that didn’t help drive decisions.
The Fix: Focus on actionable insights. Results speak louder than aesthetics.
Failure isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of a new approach.
Ready to turn your data into actionable insights?
Let’s collaborate at newlighttechnologies.com to bring your next project to life.
Follow Ghermay A.#Geospatial#Lessons#innovation#DataScience#ProjectManagement
I’ll never forget my first project failure.
Early in my career, I was eager to prove myself.
I studied every detail, checked every box, and ran every meeting.
I thought I had it all covered.
But then things started to slip.
The team grew quiet.
Dependencies fell apart.
Stakeholders went around me.
And by the time I raised the issues, it was too late.
We delivered something.
But it wasn’t aligned or useful, and trust was gone.
That experience crushed me.
But it also changed me.
I realized I was so focused on managing the project that I forgot to lead the people.
I was chasing perfection when the team needed presence.
Delivering updates when stakeholders needed alignment.
It wasn’t just a project failure.
It was a leadership failure.
That’s when everything shifted.
Project management isn’t a checklist.
It’s a responsibility.
To speak up.
To ask hard questions.
To lead through uncertainty.
That failure taught me more than any success.
Now, when things go quiet, I lean in.
When alignment slips, I stop and reset.
And I never wait for permission to course correct.
Because great project managers don’t just deliver.
They lead.
They earn trust.
They bring people together, especially when things fall apart.
What’s one project lesson that shaped how you lead today?
Most businesses drown in metrics.
Too many KPIs. Too many dashboards. Too much noise.
The result?
• Teams lose focus
• Leaders chase symptoms, not signals
• Time is spent updating charts, not solving problems
Here’s the truth: You don’t need more data. You need the right few metrics that actually drive performance.
Here’s a simple 5-step approach I use to help teams cut through the clutter:
1. Inventory everything – List all the metrics, who uses them, and why.
2. Map to purpose – If it doesn’t support a decision or priority, kill it.
3. Identify the vital few – Pick 3–5 metrics per function that truly move the needle.
4. Build a tiered system – Align top-level KPIs to functional and front-line measures.
5. Eliminate, consolidate, automate – Make room for insight, not reporting theater.
Bonus Tip:
Run a quarterly “Metric Clean-Up” session—if a metric doesn’t drive action or decision-making, it’s a candidate for retirement.
Leading vs. Lagging Check:
Ask yourself: Does this metric help us influence the future (leading)? Or just tell us what already happened (lagging)?
If your dashboard is 90% rearview mirror, it’s time for a redesign.
More focus = better execution.
Want help finding your “critical few”? Let’s talk.
#BusinessOperatingSystem#KPIs#ContinuousImprovement#Leadership#LeanThinking#Execution#SimplifyToScale#OperationalExcellence#DataDrivenDecisions#BOS#LeadWithMetrics
"Let's just focus on the red flags. We need to close this deal fast."
I used to never question Clients when they asked for this. It usually meant less work, a quick contracting process, and a predictable project.
Until one case changed everything.
A client invested millions based on the basic checklist they asked for.
Half a year later … a disaster started unfolding.
- Delayed payments
- Contract breaches
- Unfulfilled promises
We'd missed a crucial fact: The target company had a history of ripping off business partners.
Quick-and-dirty diligence hadn't caught it.
Now our client was embroiled in the mess. Despite us giving the client exactly what they wanted, we ended up getting blamed.
Two lessons for me.
First, a company's true character doesn't show up on a checklist.
To really understand the ethical standards of a business, you need to:
- Talk to past partners, not just the ones they cherry-pick
- Dig deep into litigation history, even if it takes weeks
- Look into their entire supply chain - from suppliers, distributors to former investors
Sometimes it takes longer, but not always. Which brings me to my second point:
Second, your job as a consultant is not to give the client what they want …
It’s to help them truly answer the key questions underlying the deal.
Sometimes it means looking at the project from a different angle, and getting creative with how you get answers in a short time.
This doesn’t always mean you expand the scope or slow down the deal.
But it does mean you have to get good at diagnosing the question they’re really trying to answer, then presenting options for how you can answer that question.
#duediligence#privateequity#mergersandacquisitions
Some risks are worth taking, but many are not.
Without proper risk management, unnecessary risks can derail your project's success.
I've learned this the hard way over my years leading complex projects. Here are a few tips from my experience:
Identify all potential risks upfront through brainstorming, risk interviews with stakeholders, and risk analysis techniques.
Don't let risks sneak up on you.
Evaluate each risk for probability and impact.
Prioritize the biggest threats to your project objectives.
Mitigate high-priority risks by avoiding them, controlling them, transferring them, or accepting them with a contingency plan.
Don't ignore them and hope for the best.
Implement your risk response plans. Continuously monitor risks and watch for new ones.
Adjust responses accordingly. Manage risks proactively.
Proper risk management takes time and effort but pays off tremendously in avoiding surprises.
It enables you to deliver projects successfully in a structured way.
Don't gamble with your project's outcome.
Let me know if you need any risk management advice!
THE SATURDAY SHAKEUP
It’s very difficult to boil anything down in #B2B, particularly personal motivations.
What we do know through direct observation is that certain characteristics play a dominant role in the buy decision. In B2C, many researchers refer to #Lust, the gotta-have-it-now motivator to buy.
In B2B, particularly in challenging times, the dominant player is #RiskMitigation, the controlling fear of making a mistake, and the knock-on consequences of that error.
Recently, the ProofAnalytics.ai team has been having a lot of meetings with agencies and consultancies, including large professional services firms. They all report spiking risk aversion as a headwind in their deals and proposals. It manifests in deeper discounting and “risk sharing” billing structures.
There are two huge problems here.
The first is that no one has a fair, equitable, and demonstrably accurate system to assess and align the needs of the client with the needs of the vendor.
The second is that the bonds of #Confidence and #Trust between vendors and customers often are in tatters.
From the customer side, the credibility of big vendor framework proposals for #GTM, #BT, or #Product rollouts is at a 30-year low. From the vendor side, they are only too aware of what many analyst firms have concluded for years: that customers often create the problems that so negatively impact project success.
What’s needed by all parties is a causal analytics tool that can track all of the variables that drive or retard success. It’s not just “accountability,” though that’s important. What matters most is the ability to forecast the routes to value and know when you’re there and when you’ve made a wrong turn. It’s a #GPS for large, extended projects where most of the value creation is heavily time lagged but the expense is incurred now.
When an agency or consultancy uses #CausalAnalytics to manage client engagements, we see the tension dissipate very significantly because everyone can see what’s happening and whether the project is on course and likely to produce success. It is the ultimate #RiskMitigator because it takes all relevant factors into consideration, favoring neither party but rather the collective interest.
It also is changing vendor compensation. In simple terms, base fees are enough to cover the cost of delivery. The first variable tranche is based on #KPI attainment and is invoiced monthly. The second variable tranche reflects #Value attainment, net of time lag and operational headwinds that the vendor does not control. Value is a dependent variable that all parties define together.
This system distributes Risk and Downside Consequences fairly, and it distributes Credit and Upside Consequences fairly too. Mathematics are dependable. People merely need to be fair with each other.
If you’re an agency or consulting firm, how are you balancing Risk of Failure between you and your customers? Do you have a more effective solution that Causal Analytics?
2 areas effective project managers spend more time on than schedules
👉 Risks
👉 Relationships
New PMs think success means keeping a schedule on-track.
Timelines? Nailed.
Tasks? Checked off.
Reports? Flawless.
But Senior PMs realize the real work isn't in the schedule.
It's in the uncertainty around it.
So they don't spend time obsessing over it. Instead they:
→ ID hidden risks before they become real
→ Navigate cross-functional politics/team dynamics
→ Align leadership on priorities when the project shifts
→ Have tough conversations that others avoid
When you're operating at a senior level, you're not just managing a plan.
You're managing people, change, AND the unknown.
Here's how to shift your focus:
✅ Make risk management a superpower
Anyone can report delays. Leaders forecast, mitigate, and build trust.
Regularly review risk logs with the team.
Escalate early.
Offer options, get decisions, and outline/communicate next steps.
✅ Build influence, not just status updates
Trust isn't built by having perfect charts or reporting dashboards.
It's earned by showing up calm, driving clarity, and making a plan when things go sideways.
Proactively meet with stakeholders and share what MATTERs.
Connect project risks to business impact and get leadership alignment.
✅ Focus on relationships that move the work forward
You can't "task manage" you way to success in complex projects.
You need people aligned, informed, and empowered.
Invest in 1:1s. Understand what stakeholders really care about.
Don't chase, connect.
Timelines don't get you promoted.
Trust does.
Prioritize risk management and relationships to succeed in your projects and get you where you want to go next.
🤙