Are You Playing ‘Whack-a-Mole’ With Priorities & Projects?

Are You Playing ‘Whack-a-Mole’ With Priorities & Projects? Many organizations are playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with priorities, projects, and initiatives. No sooner do they scrap one project, but another appears. Thus, while consolidation has been widespread, its impact has been limited.

In ambitious organizations, there will always be more projects and initiatives than available resources. Priority ‘whack-a-mole’ points to the need to ensure focus and alignment with key business needs and priorities.

Executive Summary:

Project Consolidation: Two-thirds of leaders report that projects have been scrapped (average of 3.71 affected projects).

Project Proliferation: Despite widespread consolidation, 84% of leaders say there are too many projects and initiatives competing for scarce time and resources.

Driven by Ambition: Ambitious organizations will always have more projects and initiatives than available resources.

‘Whack-a-Mole': Leaders can find themselves playing ‘whack-a-mole' with priorities and initiatives, especially during times of market uncertainty when business needs and priorities are in flux.

Root Cause: ‘Whack-a-mole' is just a symptom. At the root of the issue is strategic focus and alignment in a dynamic environment where business needs and priorities are changing. Leaders must balance the need for today's performance with the requirements of tomorrow's transformation.

The Solution: Improving focus and alignment is key to addressing the issue—consolidation alone is insufficient. A key question is how to dynamically align resources, enabling them to flow to where they are most needed.

How Effective has Consolidation been?

Two-thirds of leaders (66%) say they have had projects or initiatives scrapped or stalled, with the average number of projects affected is 3.71. That sounds impressive. With that rate of consolidation, you would expect project proliferation to be a thing of the past. Yet, the numbers tell a very different story!

Most leaders (84%) still believe there are too many projects and initiatives competing for time, attention, and resources. How could that be? The reason is surprising: Organizations are playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with projects and initiatives. No sooner do they scrap one project, but another appears. Thus, while consolidation has been widespread, its impact has been limited.

What is the Root of the Problem?

The problem is that most project consolidation efforts only tackle the symptoms of project proliferation. At the root of the problem are fundamental strategic focus and alignment challenges. These challenges are aggravated by an old-fashioned approach to strategy that is based on hierarchy, functional silos, and an outdated approach to resource allocation (centered on traditional planning and budgeting cycles).

How does Ambition Drive Proliferation?

For decades, leaders were told to dream big – to shoot for the moon – to set not just goals, but ‘big hairy audacious goals’. Leaders have embraced this message. Despite economic uncertainty, our data shows that corporate ambition is up and this ambition is inevitably expressed through new projects and initiatives across the organization.

Here is how one CFO put the challenge:

‘We have been asking ourselves whether the real issue is about projects or prioritization? Most projects are valid and worthwhile, but resources only stretch so far! It starts with getting alignment behind a key set of priorities.‘

Playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with priorities and initiatives reflects the challenges many organizations face in balancing the need for performance with the demands of transformation. Consolidation efforts alone may not suffice; it's about improving focus and alignment to ensure that resources flow to where they are most needed. Striking the right balance between ambition and strategic prioritization is crucial to effectively managing project proliferation.

Pause to reflect on your organization's approach to projects and priorities. Are you playing ‘whack-a-mole'?

Want to find out more of some of the dangers of Project Whack-a-Mole? Click here.