We’ve all been there. The project kicks off with a crystal-clear Statement of Work and a happy client. Then come the emails. “Could you just tweak this report?” “While you’re in there, can we add one more field?” Each request seems minor, a simple accommodation to be a good partner. But soon, you’re drowning. The timeline has slipped, the budget is a wreck, and your team is burning out on unbilled rework. The natural reaction is to blame the client for endless scope creep. I’

I’ve sat in more project kickoff meetings than I can count over the last 30 years, and one thing has never changed - the nervous energy around the budget and timeline. Every delivery lead in the room has a number in their head, one that was committed to the client in a Statement of Work weeks or months ago. The big question is always the same: was that number a well-calculated forecast or just a hopeful guess? We’ve all seen what happens when it’s the latter. The slow, creepi

I’ve sat in countless quarterly planning meetings where a service delivery lead pulls up a monstrous spreadsheet - a kaleidoscope of color-coded cells, hidden tabs, and fragile formulas. Everyone in the room holds their breath, hoping no one clicks the wrong cell and brings the whole thing crashing down. The strategy is usually sound; the leadership team knows what skills they need and which projects are in the pipeline. The plan fails in the translation from strategic vision