Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 5)
Most people are very familiar with Winston Churchill, but may not be familiar with his “agile” approach to project management, and his management skills as a PM. Part 4 looked at how Churchill acquired the project on May 10 and took his first actions. This article looks at how the situation deteriorated in less than a week into a near catastrophe. Churchill had to quickly assess and prioritize the problems around him.
By May 13, the military situation in Western Europe declined rapidly. In the Battle of Flanders, Dutch troops withdrew to their final line of defense. In France, the speed of the invasion was astounding as two armored columns tore a 50-mile gap into the defenses. This created a level of panic in the Allied forces as the front line and supply system were designed for static and not mobile war (Part 3).
In today’s world, a project manager walking into a volatile project needs first to quickly assess the overall situation as so to better understand the landscape, politics, pain points and what needs to be addressed first. In a fast changing situation, immediate actions may be required.
On May 14, the French Premier Paul Reynaud put pressure on Churchill to send more fighter squadrons to the defense of France. Fighters were being lost at an unsustainable rate. Although Churchill was aware of the problems facing the United Kingdom, in coming into power he…
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"There is one way to find out if a man is honest: Ask him! If he says yes, you know he's crooked." - Groucho Marx |