I work as a business operator with a track record in driving profitability, leading growth initiatives, and implementing strategies that foster continuous improvement across sales, customer retention, and revenue generation.

Project Management is Not Just About Timelines. It’s About Protecting the P&L

When I first transitioned into Core Operations, I thought project management was a relatively simple administrative equation: set a deadline, assign the tasks, and ensure the work gets done.

But in reality, project management is not merely about updating Gantt charts, moving tickets across a board, or ensuring a team is busy. It is the primary line of defence for the company’s profitability.

In a service-based model, time is inventory. Every extra week spent in "testing" or endless "loops" represents overheads without revenue being recognised to offset it.

Project management is not an administrative function; it is a financial one.

1. Scope Creep is a Silent Profit Killer

We non-techies like to think "scope creep" sounds like a minor annoyance/inconvenience for engineers, a few extra buttons here, a changed workflow there. But when you begin to look at the numbers, you will see the terrifying reality.

Scope creep is rarely a single massive change; it is death by a thousand cuts. A project estimated to take three months can easily stretch to six because of unmanaged requests. From an operational lens, this isn't just "extra work". It is deficit spending.

You cannot manage a project if you do not govern the scope with an iron fist. If the scope changes, everything else must change. Any view other than this is fantasy.

2. Estimation is Governance, Not Guesswork

In a high-growth environment, unpredictability is fatal. You can’t plan cash flow if you do not know when a project will actually close.

If finance expects an inflow in March from the outcome/product/concept work on, but the project drags on until May due to poor estimation, you create a liquidity gap. This is why you need to shift your mindset entirely. Estimation should not just be a "best guess" exercise but should become a strict protocol.

A project timeline is a contract between the business and its cash flow forecast.  Effective project management requires the discipline to create realistic estimates and the courage to hold the team accountable to them.

3. The "Definition of Done" Determines Speed

One of the biggest bottlenecks in operations is the "99% done" trap. This is where a project sits in a perpetual state of "almost ready" or "ready", bouncing between pilots and ‘minor touches’ for weeks.

Restructuring the "Definition of Done" wasn't just a technical fix; it was a business necessity. Without a clear, agreed-upon standard for what constitutes a completed task, defect rates rise, and projects stall at the finish line.

My journey into operations has fundamentally changed how I view delivery. Project management isn’t about moving cards on a Kanban board. It is about delivery governance.

Its about ensuring that the effort we expend matches the value we capture. It requires a shift in the questions we ask. I no longer ask, "Is the project on time?"

I ask, "Is the project still profitable?"

Titilope Macaulay

Innovation & Strategy | Business Operator | Digital Transformation

True Stakeholder Centricity Means Saying "No": Why Governance Protects the Vision

There is a dangerous misconception in business that "Customer Centricity" means saying "Yes" to every request, feature addition, and tweak. We fear that enforcing boundaries will damage relationships or stifle innovation.

But after years of operating at the intersection of revenue and delivery, I have learned a counter-intuitive truth:

The most dangerous person to a project’s success is often a "Yes Man" Project Manager.

Adequate project management does not deprioritise the vision; it protects it from the chaos that leads to failure. Here is why rigorous governance is the ultimate form of stakeholder care.

1. The "Yes" Trap Destroys Value When we say "yes" to every minor request to keep a Client or Department Head happy in the short term, we often sabotage their long-term success.

This applies universally. In construction, moving a wall mid-build rushes safety checks. In marketing, adding channels without budget dilutes the message.

The "nice" Project Manager agrees to keep the peace. The result? Resources are spread too thin, quality is compressed, and the launch date slips.

A strict Project Manager who says, "We can add that scope, but it will push completion back by 14 days and increase the budget by 10%," is not being difficult. They are providing Informed Consent. They empower the stakeholder to make a business decision based on data, rather than blind optimism.

2. Governance is Clarity, and Clarity is Kindness Visionaries, whether CEOs, Clients, or Creative Directors, focus on the "What" and the "Why." It is Operations' job to focus on the "How."

Stakeholders often do not see the cascading operational impact of a "small change." They don't see the triple-time overtime costs, compliance risks, or supply chain fees.

Adequate project management translates these realities into business language. By enforcing strict change control, we are saying: "I respect your vision enough to tell you the truth about what this request will cost you."

3. Protecting the "Definition of Success" Ultimately, nobody buys a project plan; they buy an outcome.

If a project is over budget and three months late, it doesn't matter how "accommodating" the team was, the initiative is a failure because the opportunity cost of that capital was wasted.

Rigorous project management prioritises the ultimate goal over the immediate whim. It ensures resources aren't burned on low-value activities and that on launch day, the solution actually works.

We must stop viewing governance as an adversary to flexibility. Structure is the vessel that carries value. Without the "walls" of scope and timeline, the "water" of value spills everywhere and goes nowhere.

Projects aren’t managed to fight the stakeholder; we manage projects to fight the entropy that threatens their success.

taplio

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