Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Check One, Check Two...
Kimberly Wiefling is the founder of Wiefling Consulting, Inc., a global consulting enterprise.
When the project-going gets tough, the tough keep going with a checklist.
In the heat of battle, blood rushes to our arms and legs, where it is useful for hitting, kicking and running, leaving little to nourish the one major advantage that we have over monkeys — our frontal lobes. That’s why common-sense principles are frequently overlooked or short-changed on projects, even by those who should know better.
People rarely think that they have time to pause and plan. Don’t ask your team if they have time to plan — insist! Don’t take a vote about whether your team should meet regularly to assure that everyone is on the same page. Schedule the meetings! It’s the project leader’s job to assure the team avoids predictable failure, and lack of planning is a biggee.
A checklist, or a set of operating guidelines, is one way to instill this kind of discipline. It’s a rock in a sea of flotsam and jetsam. It’s the next best thing to being lucky. Knowing “how,” all by itself, has never been enough to change anything. Smarter and more experienced people than us have tumbled down the stairs of failure due to overlooking the basics.
I’ve been using a list of operating principles for years to guide me through treacherous waters. It has helped me remember what’s important when I’m not thinking straight. I don’t follow it precisely, of course, but at least when I depart from it I do …
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