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KEYNOTE 03
The Iceberg Syndrome: Why Most Projects Were Already in Trouble at Kickoff
Prevention, moved upstream. Most projects were in trouble before anyone noticed.
By the time a project shows symptoms, the cause is months old. You see 10% of the iceberg. The 90% that sinks the project is below the waterline: the unspoken requirement, the stakeholder nobody invited, the assumption everyone made and no one said. Brian argues most troubled projects were already in trouble at kickoff, and he gives audiences a questioning discipline to surface what's below the surface before the money's been spent.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
- Why most project failure is set in motion at kickoff
- Wants, Needs, Interests, Concerns for surfacing real requirements and real stakeholders
- Authority versus influence: getting the right people genuinely engaged
- A charter pressure-test you can run before spending the budget
FORMATS
45-minute keynote30-to-45-minute conference breakoutWorkshop with a stakeholder-mapping exercise
SAMPLE OUTLINE
- 01The open: the symptom that was already months old
- 02The 10/90 rule: what you see versus what sinks you
- 03Wants, Needs, Interests, Concerns
- 04Authority versus influence, and getting the right people engaged
- 05The charter pressure-test
- 06Interactive: surface a hidden requirement in the room
- 07Close: prevention starts at kickoff, not at the status meeting