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Writer's picturePer Lindstedt

Creeping projects



Everyone knows what a project is, but almost nobody can define this mysterious thing. Maybe that's why a project can take on so many different guises.


In this post we are going to discuss creeping projects:

  • Creeping projects - comes out of nowhere and disappears into nothing.


Excellent examples of creeping projects are initiatives from headquarter to boost white-collar productivity. The projects all have a catchy and straightforward title like – "Just do it."


It gets a flying start due to the support from top management and all the expensive and fancy consultants paid to support it. However, precisely what you are supposed to do is unclear because "it" is not defined. Because "it" is unclear, the urgency of doing "it" is even more confusing. But, according to the fancy consultants, "it" has a tremendous impact on improving productivity, especially in research and product development.


A few months later, you are in a meeting, and someone asks the question:

  • What happened to the "Just do it" project.


Everybody in the room looks confused and is stunned by the question. The person broke the holy and informal rule of muddling around in something better left alone. Creeping projects should always be left alone so they can peacefully disappear into nothing.



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Per och Ulf

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