Be a Hero
Every programme that recovered had someone who said the unwelcome thing in the room where it mattered, while there was still time to act. That person is usually not the most senior in the room, and whether they speak depends almost entirely on what the programme has taught them to expect.
Why it matters
Groups converge. A steering committee that has already invested eighteen months in a date does not want to hear that the date is gone, and the social cost of saying so falls on one person.
- The information is already in the room: It is rarely a knowledge problem; it is a disclosure problem.
- Cost of delay is asymmetric: Saying it early is uncomfortable; saying it late is expensive.
- One dissent breaks consensus: Groups that hear a single contrary view make measurably better decisions.
Putting it into practice
- 01
Name the risk of agreement
Ask explicitly what would have to be true for this plan to fail.
- 02
Assign the contrary view
Make it someone's job in the meeting, so it is not a personal act.
- 03
Decide on evidence
Readiness assessed against criteria set in advance, not against confidence on the day.
- 04
Protect the messenger
Visibly, and particularly when they were right.
- 05
Give an exit
Deferring or descoping must be an acceptable outcome, or no-go is theatre.
- 06
Record the dissent
So it can be revisited when the assumption is tested.
If no one has ever recommended a no-go, the readiness gate is a formality. The value of a gate is entirely in its capacity to say no.
What you need in place
- Readiness criteria set in advance: Objective, and agreed before anyone is under date pressure.
- Independent assurance with a direct line: To the sponsor, not through the programme.
- A deferral option that has been used: Once, so everyone knows it is real.
- Anonymous input for the uncomfortable: Not as the main channel, but as a valve.
- Visible protection: The person who raised the go-live risk should still be there afterwards.
Questions to ask
01No-go
Has anyone ever recommended not proceeding?
If never, the gate has never functioned.
02Dissent
Who in this programme is willing to disagree with the sponsor?
If nobody, the sponsor is deciding alone.
03Criteria
Were the readiness criteria set before or during the pressure?
Criteria set under pressure are criteria that will be met.
04Consequence
What happened to the last person who was right too early?
This determines whether it happens again.
05Assurance
Who does assurance report to?
Reporting into the programme is not independence.
Metrics and KPIs to track
Gate outcomes
Proceed, proceed with conditions, defer — the distribution matters.
Conditions raised at gates
And whether they were closed or waived.
Assurance findings
Accepted and actioned against dismissed.
Late risk emergence
Risks first raised inside a month of a gate.
Alongside this