Context
I was the fourth project manager on a long-running initiative.
The project had already gone through three different contractual setups: fixed price, time and materials, and finally a feature-driven agreement. Despite the changing structures, all billing still ran through a single contract number. There was no formal handover or clear boundary between contracts.
As a result, each invoice triggered a discussion. Was this item part of contract one or contract three? The lines were blurry, and the conversations unproductive.
I took a different stance. I did not care how it was classified, as long as we were paid.
At one point, the client pushed back on a small charge, something around 650. I gave it to them without a fight. Not because they were right, but because debating it would cost more than it was worth. That moment of goodwill helped me sell in the work of two colleagues from Vietnam at Swiss rates, which more than paid back the write-off.
The Drag
When I arrived, the question hanging in the room was familiar.
“When will we be ready to go live?”
People expected me to ask for a full list of features.
Instead, I asked who the actual users would be.
They told me the first release was for internal staff. That changed everything.
I proposed an MVP-plus: the minimum viable version, plus anything else we could prepare by March 1. Developers raised objections. Testers raised concerns. The business analyst was hesitant. But senior management supported it.
The Twist
We did not hit March 1. We went live on March 21.
Still, once it launched, the mood shifted immediately.
There was relief. There was momentum. The team smiled. The business smiled.
The Insight
You can debate scope forever. You can wait until the conditions feel ideal.
But sometimes, the right move is to choose a version, commit to it, and move forward.
Not recklessly. Just decisively.
Delivery often starts with a decision.