{"id":8703,"date":"2026-01-19T11:14:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T08:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/uncategorized\/why-do-major-projects-often-fail-for-the-same-reason\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T11:56:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:56:57","slug":"why-do-major-projects-often-fail-for-the-same-reason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/uncategorized-2\/why-do-major-projects-often-fail-for-the-same-reason\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do major projects often fail for the same reason?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many organizations launch ambitious initiatives: extensive efficiency programs, digital transformations, or projects aimed at driving growth from existing operations. The objectives are often clear and well-justified from a business perspective. Yet all too often, the outcome falls short. Budgets are exceeded, timelines stretch, and benefits are only partially realized\u2014if at all. There is extensive research on this topic (including McKinsey, HBR), indicating that companies underestimate the complexity of project management.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One recurring root cause is surprisingly simple: no truly accountable leader has been appointed to the project.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Responsibility becomes fragmented\u2014and ultimately disappears<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When no full-time accountable leader is appointed to a project, responsibility often remains with &#8220;the line.&#8221; In practice, this means that project ownership and decision-making are distributed among several managers\u2014managers who already have full calendars with operational responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In such a model:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Decisions are postponed because &#8220;we&#8217;ll return to this later&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No one bears overall responsibility for the schedule and results<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operational tasks take priority; the project becomes a side task, not a priority<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, the project does progress, but reactively and without clear direction.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Overburdened managers are not the problem\u2014the structure is<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is important to state clearly: the problem is not with individual managers. The problem is that the organization assumes they can lead major change initiatives &#8220;alongside their day job.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Major efficiency or growth initiatives require:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Daily guidance and monitoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ability to make difficult prioritization decisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuous communication with stakeholders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change leadership, not just project management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are not tasks that can be handled effectively in the evenings, between meetings, or solely during steering committee sessions<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Efficiency programs: benefits remain on paper<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In efficiency programs, the problem is particularly pronounced. Significant savings or efficiency potential is often identified, but without a clear leader, actions remain incomplete. The organization quickly reverts to old practices, and the benefits do not materialize in the income statement as planned. Without someone accountable for realizing the benefits, efficiency improvements remain at the Excel and PowerPoint level.   <\/p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Growth initiatives: focus is lost amid daily pressures<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growth initiatives within existing operations also suffer from the same phenomenon. Growth requires experimentation, investment, and often tolerance for uncertainty. When responsibility is shared, development efforts fall victim to urgent operational work. Market and customer insights do not translate into concrete actions. When growth is not led, it is merely hoped for, and opportunities slip to competitors.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What does an accountable leader bring to a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An appointed, truly accountable project leader brings three critical elements:<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clear ownership. One person is responsible for ensuring the project progresses and objectives are achieved. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritization and decision-making. The leader makes decisions in daily operations\u2014not weeks later in a steering committee. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building bridges between the line and the project. A good leader understands the business but operates on the project&#8217;s terms. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hiring an external project manager for an initiative is often viewed as a cost. In reality, it is insurance and an investment that pays for itself.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And today, you do not need to hire a project manager on a permanent employment contract\u2014simply call Cherry, as we can provide the right interim project manager within 48 hours.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many organizations launch ambitious initiatives: extensive efficiency programs, digital transformations, or projects aimed at driving growth from existing operations. The objectives are often clear and well-justified from a business perspective. Yet all too often, the outcome falls short. Budgets are exceeded, timelines stretch, and benefits are only partially realized\u2014if at all. There is extensive research [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8703"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8705,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8703\/revisions\/8705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cherry.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}