Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Dead Reckoning
David Schmaltz is a project manager in Takoma Park, Maryland.
First of all, a vision statement ain’t vision. It might enable vision, but mistaking the statement for the vision is a recipe for a common insanity, rather like mistaking the menu for the meal. Second, even the best vision statements do not satisfy everyone. But if they can elicit discussion, they’re doing their job.
Where there is no vision, the people perish — this overused line from Proverbs 29:18 says nothing about what happens to the people when they have vision. Do they become immortal then? Probably not, though some people under vision’s influence act as if they are immortal, up to the point where they perish.
I’m a big promoter of project vision statements. I’m also realist enough to recognize that a vision statement is not vision. It might enable vision, but mistaking a vision statement for vision is a recipe for a common insanity, rather like mistaking the menu for the meal. Should we plan on having menu for dinner tonight?
The most forward-looking projects insist upon creating a vision statement before beginning. Whoops, I did it again. Actually, projects create their vision statement after they’ve begun. If they haven’t started working yet, how could they create the vision statement? What usually happens? A project is given a vision from which they create a vision statement. But in drafting these statements, the …
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