Starting a Project vs. Setting It Up for Success: The Shift to high performance

“We’ve kicked it off—it’s in progress.” 

We hear it all the time. 

But behind many of these statements is a quieter truth: 

Most projects start quickly, but few are truly set up for success. 

In today’s high-pressure, outcome-driven environments, projects are everywhere. From innovation pilots to digital rollouts, restructures to sustainability initiatives, work is increasingly delivered through projects—whether the people involved identify as “project managers” or not. 

Everyone’s Leading Projects—But Few Have Been Trained To 

Across industries like mining, energy, infrastructure, and government, we’re seeing a significant trend: 

people are being asked to lead delivery without formal training or support. 

These are capable professionals—technical leads, delivery managers, operations experts—who’ve built credibility in their domain and are now expected to manage cross-functional projects, stakeholder engagement, risk, timelines, and reporting. 

The term “accidental project manager” has emerged for a reason. 

According to our research into high performing and happy teams: 

• 60% of people delivering project work have received no formal training in project management 

• Only 23% say their organisations have a consistent methodology 

• And yet, project-based work now accounts for more than one-third of all activity in most large organisations 

The gap between expectations and support is widening. 

Starting a Project Is Easy. Setting It Up Well Takes Discipline. 

The difference shows up in small but telling ways: 

Starting a Project	Setting It Up for Success
“We’ve got a team together.”	“We’ve clarified roles and responsibilities.”
“We’ve had a kickoff.”	“We’ve defined scope, outcomes, and decision rights.”
“We’re in motion.”	“We’ve aligned stakeholders and established rhythms.”

In one recent engagement with a major Australian mining company, teams described a pattern of “false starts”—initiatives that launched with energy but lost momentum due to unclear scope, reactive planning, and inconsistent communication. It wasn’t a motivation issue. It was a setup issue. 

When they paused to revisit the fundamentals—clarity, accountability, planning cadence—delivery timelines stabilised, rework decreased, and confidence returned. 

Why Projects Drift: Strategic Intent vs. Delivery Reality 

In our research across 100+ Australian organisations, the concept of Strategic Delivery Drift emerged as a core challenge. Drift occurs when: 

• Projects are not clearly tied to strategic goals 

• Delivery methods vary wildly across the organisation 

• Key stakeholders are either misaligned or engaged too late 

One of the most consistent root causes? A lack of common capability in foundational project disciplines—like scoping, planning, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive delivery. 

It’s not about tools or templates. It’s about decision-making, communication, and alignment. 

Methodology Isn’t the Problem—Fit for Purpose Is 

Over the past decade, agile delivery has become the dominant conversation in many organisations. But what we’re now seeing—especially in large, complex portfolios—is a shift toward hybrid delivery. 

• Agile might work for short-cycle innovation pilots 

• Waterfall remains valuable for regulatory or infrastructure work 

• Most delivery environments fall somewhere in between 

The challenge isn’t whether to use agile, waterfall, PRINCE2 or Scrum, the challenge is knowing which approach best fits the outcome being delivered, and being confident enough to adapt. 

Too often, teams default to what they know—rather than what the work demands—because they haven’t been equipped to choose. 

Back to Basics Isn’t a Step Back—it’s a Step Up 

Returning to project management fundamentals isn’t about turning back the clock. It’s about creating conditions where: 

• Strategy translates into execution 

• People feel confident in delivery 

• Stakeholders trust the process 

The basics—clear scope, defined outcomes, realistic schedules, structured communication, and engaged stakeholders—still deliver disproportionate value. Especially in environments where complexity is high and resources are stretched. 

We’ve seen this firsthand in our work with organisations like Horizon Power Department of Health and Rio Tinto, where senior leaders have acknowledged that returning to the fundamentals helped cut through noise, re-establish delivery rhythm, and reduce fatigue across teams. 

What High-Performance Project Foundations Look Like 

In mature delivery environments, we see four key anchors: 

1. Clarity – Why are we doing this? What does success look like? What’s in/out of scope? 

2. Ownership – Who is accountable? Who decides? Who is simply informed? 

3. Rhythm – Are we reviewing progress consistently? Is our cadence sustainable? 

4. Engagement – Are stakeholders actively shaping the project—or just receiving updates? 

These aren’t “PMO tasks”—they’re leadership practices. And they’re especially critical when teams are operating in hybrid environments, under pressure, or in periods of change. 

The Takeaway: Pause Before You Press Start 

If you’re about to begin a new project—or support someone who is—pause and ask: 

• Do we have clarity of scope and success? 

• Do we have the right delivery approach for the outcome? 

• Are we aligned on roles, responsibilities, and rhythm? 

• Do we have the skills and language to deliver confidently? 

If the answer is “not yet,” that’s not a weakness. It’s an opportunity to set the work up for success—before drift sets in. 

Because in high-stakes environments, starting fast is easy. 

Staying aligned, confident, and impactful is where the real work begins. 

Want to go deeper? 

Explore our Project Management Fundamentals course for practical tools and frameworks to build delivery confidence. 

Or get in touch to schedule a 60-minute “Setup for Success” conversation—we’ll walk through your current delivery approach and share practical ideas to get momentum early and avoid drift.