Lessons Learned in Project Management

“A bad workman always blames his tools.” One of my teachers used to say this constantly to our class. Spilled paint? Blame the table. Bad grade? Blame the exam. He never let us get away with it. And honestly, it used to drive us a bit mad. But here’s what I realise now: He was teaching me accountability. Not the harsh kind. The kind that says: what’s in your control? That’s the question I bring to my team now. Not “why did you fail?” But “what was in your control, and what wasn’t?” It changes the conversation. Blame shrinks. Ownership grows. You can still talk with kindness. Holding people accountable can feel terrifying. Here's what I've noticed about doing it well: It’s not one big talk. It’s many small ones. Jonathan Raymond calls this the Accountability Dial. A series of conversations that gently ramp up: → The Mention:  “I noticed this... is everything okay?” → The Invitation:  “I’ve seen this a few times. What’s the pattern here?” → The Conversation:  “This is affecting the team. Let’s figure it out together.” Each one is a chance to stay connected, not prove a point. But before I hold anyone else accountable, I check myself first. Did I set clear expectations? Did I give them what they needed to succeed? Am I calm enough to listen? Only once I've answered these questions do I move forward. For me, accountability isn’t about catching people out. It’s about helping them see clearly. Our teacher knew that. He just didn’t call it leadership. ♻️ If this resonates, repost for your network. 📌 Follow Amy Gibson for more leadership insights.

My 10 mistakes introducing PLM. 🚩  1. Lack of clear objectives PLM initiatives start without a precise definition of: - What exactly should be improved (e.g., change processes, data quality, time-to-market, …)? - How success will be measured? - How do I balance diverging targets: function, integration, technology? - ALM, PLM and ERP are the most important IT-Systems along the PLC. How are functions and processes distributed and integrated? ➡️ Consequence: The project loses focus, becomes bloated, or fails due to unrealistic expectations. 🚩  2. Treating PLM as an IT project PLM is fundamentally a process and organizational transformation, not just a software. ➡️ Consequence: Poor involvement of departments leads to low adoption and inefficient workflows. 🚩  3. Unclear or conflicting processes Companies often attempt to implement PLM while their underlying processes: - do not exist, - are poorly documented, - differ across organizational units. ➡️ Consequence: The tool ends up digitizing chaos instead of improving it. 🚩  4. Scope too large / Big-Bang implementation Trying to deploy a comprehensive PLM system all at once is one of the most common pitfalls. ➡️ Consequence: Delays, budget overruns, and user frustration. 🚩  5. Insufficient Change Management PLM affects roles, responsibilities, and daily work habits. Common oversights: - weak communication, - missing training, - lack of key-user involvement, - lack of C-level involvement. ➡️ Consequence: Resistance, workarounds, and low acceptance. 🚩  6. Poor master data and document quality - inconsistent or duplicated data, - no data cleanup before migration, - missing standards (naming, numbering, classification, ...). ➡️ Consequence: Bad data stays bad—only now inside an expensive system. 🚩  7. Over-customization Companies frequently try to model every exception and satisfy every request. ➡️ Consequence: Complex, costly, hard-to-maintain systems that hinder upgrades. 🚩  8. Underestimating integration PLM relies on clean interfaces to systems like: CRM, CAD, ALM, ERP, MES, SCM. ➡️ Consequence: Media breaks, duplicate data, and process gaps. 🚩  9. Insufficient resources or the wrong project team PLM is often done “on the side": - no dedicated project manager, - limited internal PLM expertise, - weak executive sponsorship. ➡️ Consequence: Delays and unsatisfied never ending stories 🚩  10. Focusing only on basic design features Many PLM deployments center solely on CAD and E-BOM. But PLM should cover: requirements management, variant management, change management, service, ... ➡️ Consequence: PLM becomes an expensive CAD data vault rather than an enterprise-wide product backbone or PLM functions are taken over by CAD (Onshape) or ERP ✅ Summary Most pitfalls arise not from technology or functional coverage, but from strategy, processes, and change management. Organizations often underestimate the cultural and organizational change—and overestimate what the software alone can fix.

Your team isn't missing deadlines because they're lazy. They're missing them because you let them. That's a hard thing to sit with.  It was for me. For years I called it being understanding.  It was really just avoidance. And every deadline I let slide quietly reset the standard for the whole team. Accountability isn't something you enforce. It's something you build. Here are 3 tests to build it: Test 1: The Clarity Test Can they tell you exactly what's due, when, and what "done" looks like? ↳ If no, you have an expectations problem, not a performance problem. ↳ You can't hold people to a standard you never defined. Test 2: The Peer Test Are they accountable to the team, or only to you? ↳ If it's only you, your authority lets them rationalize mediocrity. ↳ Nobody wants to fall short in front of their peers. Make commitments visible. Test 3: The Pattern Test When a deadline slips again, do they diagnose and improve? ↳ If no, that's not ownership. That's hope. And hope isn't a strategy. ↳ Real accountability means learning from the miss, not just apologizing for it. So if your team keeps coming up short, look here first: ↳ They don't actually know what "done" means. ↳ They didn't commit publicly to their peers. ↳ They aren't learning from their mistakes. Leaders create the conditions. The team does the hard work. Fix these three, and accountability stops being something you chase. It becomes something they own. ♻️ Share to inspire a leader to build real accountability. 📕 Get my high-performance MGMT OS: mgmtplaybook.com 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more leadership insights.

15 Years -15 Don’ts After 15 years in EPC, I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. Some mistakes were painful, some almost funny, but all of them left a mark. Here are my top 15 Don’ts that can derail any project: 1. Starting without a proper RAM test or geotechnical survey, saving money upfront, paying much more later. 2. Ignoring safety, workers in flip-flops, even children or babies on site. Unbelievable, but I’ve seen it. 3. Choosing low-quality components, cheap at the beginning, expensive forever. 4. Leaving responsibilities unclear, when nobody decides, chaos decides. 5. Hiding problems, small issues turn into big ones if you don’t address them early. 6. Awarding subcontractors only on lowest price, change orders are then guaranteed. 7. Bad site logistics, the first truck arrives and nobody knows where to unload. 8. Skipping the golden table, endless disputes later about “what’s correct.” 9. Wrong cables, when the inverter terminals are too small, just splice a thinner cable underground (yes, I’ve seen it). 10. Leaving unfinished work with the comment: “That’s for the O&M team to handle.”! Construction is never complete if responsibility is pushed downstream. 11. Believing more manpower fixes delays, usually it makes them worse. 12. Unrealistic timelines, ignoring permits, supply chain, or weather. 13. Starting in autumn and expecting the same timeline as in spring, winter changes everything. 14. Assuming winter construction costs the same as summer, it never does. 15. Treating commissioning as “just paperwork”, instead of a critical system test. Your turn: Which Don’ts have you seen in your projects? Who can top this list? #AndreasBach #SolarEnergy #Renewables #EPC #BESS #ProjectManagement #ConstructionFails

Teams rarely fail because people are unwilling. They fail because the conditions for working well together aren't there. What this visual based on Patrick Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" makes clear is that dysfunction is almost never the real problem. It is a symptom. An expression of something deeper that has been left unaddressed. Absence of trust leads to fear of conflict. Fear of conflict leads to vague or hesitant commitment. That weak commitment leads to avoidance of accountability. And eventually this ends in a focus on individual results rather than collective outcomes. By the time you reach that final stage, the team looks divided, but the problem usually began much earlier. What I find powerful here is how each dysfunction seeds the next. When trust is low, people hold back. They share less. They hesitate to disagree. The team starts to optimize for harmony rather than truth. Decisions become softer, less clear, and more negotiable. Accountability becomes uncomfortable because no one is fully aligned on what was agreed in the first place. And once accountability fades, the only remaining focus becomes individual goals. At that point the team is still busy, but no longer moving in a shared direction. The important message is that strengthening a team does not begin by focusing on results or accountability. It begins by restoring trust and fear of conflict. Creating an environment where people can be honest without fear. Equipping them to disagree without damaging relationships. Building commitment through real participation. And reinforcing accountability in a way that strengthens rather than threatens connection. When teams do this well, cohesion is not something you enforce. It becomes a natural consequence of how people work together. This is the real work of leadership. Not managing tasks, but shaping the conditions that allow a team to thrive. Does your team thrive? And if not, which dysfunction is the main cause?

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 One of the fundamental qualities that distinguish effective #leaders from others is their approach to #accountability. While some individuals may be quick to point fingers and shift blame when things go wrong, true leaders embrace accountability and inspire the same behavior in their teams. The Importance of Accountability in Leadership is not merely about taking responsibility for one’s actions; it is about owning the outcomes, whether they are successes or failures. Leaders who embody accountability demonstrate #integrity, build #trust, and foster a culture of ownership within their #organizations. By taking responsibility for their decisions and actions, they set a powerful example for their #teams. In contrast, leaders who resort to blaming others undermine trust and damage team morale. Blame-shifting not only deflects responsibility but also erodes the #confidence of team members, leading to a toxic work culture where people are afraid to take risks or innovate. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? ✅ Building Trust and Credibility When leaders own up to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions, they earn the trust and respect of their team members. Trust is the foundation of any successful organization, and it is built on transparency and honesty. ✅ Fostering a Culture of Learning and Innovation Leaders who embrace accountability encourage a growth mindset within their teams. They understand that mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process and that failure can lead to valuable insights and innovation. ✅ Empowering Teams Accountability is empowering. When leaders take responsibility for their actions and decisions, they empower their teams to do the same. ✅Driving Organizational Success Accountability is a key driver of organizational success. When leaders model accountability, they set a standard for performance and integrity that permeates the entire organization. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Leaders must demonstrate accountability in their actions and decisions. By being transparent about their mistakes and learning from them, they set a powerful example for their teams. They can… ✔️Create a Safe Environment ✔️Encourage open communication. ✔️Set Clear Expectations ✔️Provide Constructive Feedback ✔️Recognize and Reward Accountability . In short, in the realm of leadership, accountability is a cornerstone that underpins trust, integrity, and #performance. A leader's ability to inspire accountability in others is not merely a matter of issuing commands or setting expectations; it is fundamentally about leading by example. The truth is, you can't inspire accountability in others until you model it yourself. This principle holds true across industries, cultures, and contexts.

What if you gave every employee the power to spend £500 without asking permission? Most companies would call that reckless. John Timpson called it the foundation of trust. In 1975, John Timpson inherited a struggling family shoe repair business with a handful of shops. The high street retail model was simple. Strict rules. Detailed procedures. Managers who controlled every decision down to the penny. Timpson looked at this model and saw something broken. Staff treated like children don't act like professionals. He made a radical choice. Give employees complete autonomy to resolve customer issues without management approval. The reaction was predictable. Other retailers thought he'd lost his mind. How could you trust minimum-wage staff with company money? But Timpson understood something his competitors missed. Trust isn't a risk, it's an investment that compounds. He went further. Whilst other employers avoided anyone with a criminal record, Timpson actively hired ex-offenders. Today, around 10% of his workforce are people who've served time. Critics said these policies would lead to chaos, theft, and bankruptcy. They were spectacularly wrong. By trusting people completely, Timpson created a workforce that took ownership. Staff who felt respected became fiercely loyal. Customers noticed the difference immediately. The struggling repair business grew into a £300 million enterprise spanning shoe repairs, key cutting, and dozens of other services across over 2,000 UK locations. Timpson's approach proves a powerful lesson. People generally rise or fall to the level of trust you place in them. Treat employees like potential thieves and they'll act accordingly. Treat them like trusted professionals and most will prove you right. The companies that win aren't always the ones with the tightest controls. Sometimes they're the ones brave enough to let go. What would change in your organisation if you truly trusted your team? #Leadership #Trust #PeopleFirst #JohnTimpson

‘Of course I respond to work messages on vacation. If I am in line for a coffee or waiting for a bus, I’m slacking you…’ 🙅♀️🙅♀️🙅♀️ Multiple posts like this have come across my feed in recent days - no idea what about my behavior on platform makes LinkedIn think I need this advice. It’s WRONG advice. But not just because you ‘deserve’ the time off. ( I mean, you DO, but that’s not my point here). You should not check your work messages while you are on vacation because you SHOULD NOT be THAT IMPORTANT. 👈 I had two early career experiences that taught me this well. 1️⃣ I was working in Senegal, leading the analysis for a report that would determine where we spend hundreds of millions of dollars. I was working nonstop to get it in under deadline, and I was being crushed under the pressure. A much wiser colleague noticed and said - in the kindest way one can say something like this: ‘It takes a lot of HUBRIS to believe that this entire program’s success lives and dies on your effort over the next two weeks.’ That HURT. And she was RIGHT. This program had team of people behind it, working to make it a success. I had a role to play, but working like I was the only thing holding it together didn’t respect my team members’ contributions. 2️⃣ In the second case, a leader on my new team left for maternity leave for 9 months. Standard practice in Europe. I thought she’d be connected. I thought there would be messages here and there. Total. Radio. Silence. From the leader of a 40-person team. And everyone carried on. Everyone got 💩done. She came back to a strong team, got caught up, and got on with it. These experiences showed me that ownership is about TRUST and ACCOUNTABILITY. — TRUST that you have a good team who knows what to do (including calling you in directly if there’s a true emergency), and — ACCOUNTABILITY for the decisions that team makes without your direct input If your team can’t function without you for even one week or two weeks, you have WAY bigger problems thank you think. It means you’re not building a team of owners, you’re babysitting a team that doesn’t get it. Some start-up owners will scoff at this. Yes, there are truly times in your life where you ARE that important to the survival of the project, the program, or the company. But strong ownership means knowing the difference between when you ARE that important, and when you’re NOT.

After taking 1000+ interviews, I have understood one thing:  Most interviewers spend the least time assessing the No.1 trait a company truly needs. They ask about tools. Past companies. Degrees. But none of these predict if someone will actually thrive in a role. The #1 trait I now hire for? Accountability. In startups, skills can be trained. Tools can be taught. But mindset? That’s foundational. > Client didn’t respond vs. I should’ve followed up more actively. > Didn’t get clarity vs. I could’ve asked better questions. > Team didn’t execute vs. I didn’t align them properly. This one shift in language reveals everything. Because accountable people don’t blame — they take ownership. They solve it. And if you’re building something from scratch, here’s why this matters: • Founders – You don’t have time to micromanage. • Managers – You need people who own outcomes, not just tasks. • Teams – One person’s blame game kills momentum for everyone. That’s why I made accountability my north star while hiring. To make it practical, I am working on building a system — A few sample questions that can help assess accountability in interviews. 1/ Tell me about a time something went wrong — and no one else knew. What did you do? ✅ Look for: I took charge… I made sure we fixed it… ❌ Red flag: The other team didn’t do their job. 2/ What’s something you fixed that wasn’t technically your responsibility? ✅ Look for: Proactive thinking Taking initiative without being asked ❌ Red flag: I just waited or escalated it. 3/ Tell me about a time you prioritized long-term results over short-term wins — even if it wasn’t popular. ✅ Look for: I knew it wouldn’t show results immediately, but it was the right call… I focused on what would compound over time. ❌ Red flag: I just went with what others wanted — didn’t challenge it. Focused on quick wins, didn't get time to work on such goals. 4/ Tell me about a time your team failed. How did you handle it? ✅ Look for: I owned it, fixed the gaps, and we improved performance next month. We missed targets, but I realigned the team — next cycle, we hit 95%. ❌ Red flag: They didn’t follow through. I had done my part — the rest was on them. I am also exploring other ways that can help establish accountability. Any suggestions? #anotherbansal

When Integrity Prevails: Lessons from an Unexpected Twist In leadership, unexpected challenges can test resilience and integrity. Recently, I had a client whose situation highlighted both. Her team was thriving, delivering beyond expectations. Yet, out of the blue, her boss urged her to resign, citing the CEO’s supposed request. Rather than accepting this without question, she decided to seek clarity directly from the CEO, only to uncover a startling reality: the CEO had been told by her boss that she wanted to leave, not the other way around. Once the truth came out, it was her boss who was dismissed, and she was promoted. This experience underscores several powerful lessons for professionals at any level: 1. Transparency is Key: When something seems off, seek clarity with those who matter. In this case, a direct conversation with the CEO revealed the truth. Transparency can quickly dissolve misunderstandings and reveal agendas. 2. Trust but Verify: Even senior leaders can have misaligned motives. When life-altering decisions hinge on someone’s word, it's wise to confirm critical details, especially if they significantly impact your career. 3. Speak Up Early: If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. Addressing concerns openly—sooner rather than later—can prevent larger issues from unfolding. By speaking up, my client preserved her career and reputation. 4. Maintain Senior Connections: Cultivating relationships with key executives fosters alignment and offers support in challenging situations. This network can be crucial, especially when intermediaries may misrepresent intentions. 5. Integrity Wins: Ultimately, her track record and ethical approach worked in her favor. This situation reinforces that consistent performance and integrity are the best safeguards against misrepresentation. In the corporate world, challenges like these can seem daunting. However, by staying true to our values, prioritizing transparency, and advocating for ourselves, we not only protect our careers but also model resilience for our teams. This story serves as a reminder: in the end, integrity has a way of winning out.