Lessons Learned in Project Management

15 Years -15 Don’ts After 15 years in EPC, I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. Some mistakes were painful, some almost funny, but all of them left a mark. Here are my top 15 Don’ts that can derail any project: 1. Starting without a proper RAM test or geotechnical survey, saving money upfront, paying much more later. 2. Ignoring safety, workers in flip-flops, even children or babies on site. Unbelievable, but I’ve seen it. 3. Choosing low-quality components, cheap at the beginning, expensive forever. 4. Leaving responsibilities unclear, when nobody decides, chaos decides. 5. Hiding problems, small issues turn into big ones if you don’t address them early. 6. Awarding subcontractors only on lowest price, change orders are then guaranteed. 7. Bad site logistics, the first truck arrives and nobody knows where to unload. 8. Skipping the golden table, endless disputes later about “what’s correct.” 9. Wrong cables, when the inverter terminals are too small, just splice a thinner cable underground (yes, I’ve seen it). 10. Leaving unfinished work with the comment: “That’s for the O&M team to handle.”! Construction is never complete if responsibility is pushed downstream. 11. Believing more manpower fixes delays, usually it makes them worse. 12. Unrealistic timelines, ignoring permits, supply chain, or weather. 13. Starting in autumn and expecting the same timeline as in spring, winter changes everything. 14. Assuming winter construction costs the same as summer, it never does. 15. Treating commissioning as “just paperwork”, instead of a critical system test. Your turn: Which Don’ts have you seen in your projects? Who can top this list? #AndreasBach #SolarEnergy #Renewables #EPC #BESS #ProjectManagement #ConstructionFails

“A bad workman always blames his tools.” One of my teachers used to say this constantly to our class. Spilled paint? Blame the table. Bad grade? Blame the exam. He never let us get away with it. And honestly, it used to drive us a bit mad. But here’s what I realise now: He was teaching me accountability. Not the harsh kind. The kind that says: what’s in your control? That’s the question I bring to my team now. Not “why did you fail?” But “what was in your control, and what wasn’t?” It changes the conversation. Blame shrinks. Ownership grows. You can still talk with kindness. Holding people accountable can feel terrifying. Here's what I've noticed about doing it well: It’s not one big talk. It’s many small ones. Jonathan Raymond calls this the Accountability Dial. A series of conversations that gently ramp up: → The Mention:  “I noticed this... is everything okay?” → The Invitation:  “I’ve seen this a few times. What’s the pattern here?” → The Conversation:  “This is affecting the team. Let’s figure it out together.” Each one is a chance to stay connected, not prove a point. But before I hold anyone else accountable, I check myself first. Did I set clear expectations? Did I give them what they needed to succeed? Am I calm enough to listen? Only once I've answered these questions do I move forward. For me, accountability isn’t about catching people out. It’s about helping them see clearly. Our teacher knew that. He just didn’t call it leadership. ♻️ If this resonates, repost for your network. 📌 Follow Amy Gibson for more leadership insights.

My 10 mistakes introducing PLM. 🚩  1. Lack of clear objectives PLM initiatives start without a precise definition of: - What exactly should be improved (e.g., change processes, data quality, time-to-market, …)? - How success will be measured? - How do I balance diverging targets: function, integration, technology? - ALM, PLM and ERP are the most important IT-Systems along the PLC. How are functions and processes distributed and integrated? ➡️ Consequence: The project loses focus, becomes bloated, or fails due to unrealistic expectations. 🚩  2. Treating PLM as an IT project PLM is fundamentally a process and organizational transformation, not just a software. ➡️ Consequence: Poor involvement of departments leads to low adoption and inefficient workflows. 🚩  3. Unclear or conflicting processes Companies often attempt to implement PLM while their underlying processes: - do not exist, - are poorly documented, - differ across organizational units. ➡️ Consequence: The tool ends up digitizing chaos instead of improving it. 🚩  4. Scope too large / Big-Bang implementation Trying to deploy a comprehensive PLM system all at once is one of the most common pitfalls. ➡️ Consequence: Delays, budget overruns, and user frustration. 🚩  5. Insufficient Change Management PLM affects roles, responsibilities, and daily work habits. Common oversights: - weak communication, - missing training, - lack of key-user involvement, - lack of C-level involvement. ➡️ Consequence: Resistance, workarounds, and low acceptance. 🚩  6. Poor master data and document quality - inconsistent or duplicated data, - no data cleanup before migration, - missing standards (naming, numbering, classification, ...). ➡️ Consequence: Bad data stays bad—only now inside an expensive system. 🚩  7. Over-customization Companies frequently try to model every exception and satisfy every request. ➡️ Consequence: Complex, costly, hard-to-maintain systems that hinder upgrades. 🚩  8. Underestimating integration PLM relies on clean interfaces to systems like: CRM, CAD, ALM, ERP, MES, SCM. ➡️ Consequence: Media breaks, duplicate data, and process gaps. 🚩  9. Insufficient resources or the wrong project team PLM is often done “on the side": - no dedicated project manager, - limited internal PLM expertise, - weak executive sponsorship. ➡️ Consequence: Delays and unsatisfied never ending stories 🚩  10. Focusing only on basic design features Many PLM deployments center solely on CAD and E-BOM. But PLM should cover: requirements management, variant management, change management, service, ... ➡️ Consequence: PLM becomes an expensive CAD data vault rather than an enterprise-wide product backbone or PLM functions are taken over by CAD (Onshape) or ERP ✅ Summary Most pitfalls arise not from technology or functional coverage, but from strategy, processes, and change management. Organizations often underestimate the cultural and organizational change—and overestimate what the software alone can fix.

Teams rarely fail because people are unwilling. They fail because the conditions for working well together aren't there. What this visual based on Patrick Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" makes clear is that dysfunction is almost never the real problem. It is a symptom. An expression of something deeper that has been left unaddressed. Absence of trust leads to fear of conflict. Fear of conflict leads to vague or hesitant commitment. That weak commitment leads to avoidance of accountability. And eventually this ends in a focus on individual results rather than collective outcomes. By the time you reach that final stage, the team looks divided, but the problem usually began much earlier. What I find powerful here is how each dysfunction seeds the next. When trust is low, people hold back. They share less. They hesitate to disagree. The team starts to optimize for harmony rather than truth. Decisions become softer, less clear, and more negotiable. Accountability becomes uncomfortable because no one is fully aligned on what was agreed in the first place. And once accountability fades, the only remaining focus becomes individual goals. At that point the team is still busy, but no longer moving in a shared direction. The important message is that strengthening a team does not begin by focusing on results or accountability. It begins by restoring trust and fear of conflict. Creating an environment where people can be honest without fear. Equipping them to disagree without damaging relationships. Building commitment through real participation. And reinforcing accountability in a way that strengthens rather than threatens connection. When teams do this well, cohesion is not something you enforce. It becomes a natural consequence of how people work together. This is the real work of leadership. Not managing tasks, but shaping the conditions that allow a team to thrive. Does your team thrive? And if not, which dysfunction is the main cause?

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 One of the fundamental qualities that distinguish effective #leaders from others is their approach to #accountability. While some individuals may be quick to point fingers and shift blame when things go wrong, true leaders embrace accountability and inspire the same behavior in their teams. The Importance of Accountability in Leadership is not merely about taking responsibility for one’s actions; it is about owning the outcomes, whether they are successes or failures. Leaders who embody accountability demonstrate #integrity, build #trust, and foster a culture of ownership within their #organizations. By taking responsibility for their decisions and actions, they set a powerful example for their #teams. In contrast, leaders who resort to blaming others undermine trust and damage team morale. Blame-shifting not only deflects responsibility but also erodes the #confidence of team members, leading to a toxic work culture where people are afraid to take risks or innovate. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? ✅ Building Trust and Credibility When leaders own up to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions, they earn the trust and respect of their team members. Trust is the foundation of any successful organization, and it is built on transparency and honesty. ✅ Fostering a Culture of Learning and Innovation Leaders who embrace accountability encourage a growth mindset within their teams. They understand that mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process and that failure can lead to valuable insights and innovation. ✅ Empowering Teams Accountability is empowering. When leaders take responsibility for their actions and decisions, they empower their teams to do the same. ✅Driving Organizational Success Accountability is a key driver of organizational success. When leaders model accountability, they set a standard for performance and integrity that permeates the entire organization. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Leaders must demonstrate accountability in their actions and decisions. By being transparent about their mistakes and learning from them, they set a powerful example for their teams. They can… ✔️Create a Safe Environment ✔️Encourage open communication. ✔️Set Clear Expectations ✔️Provide Constructive Feedback ✔️Recognize and Reward Accountability . In short, in the realm of leadership, accountability is a cornerstone that underpins trust, integrity, and #performance. A leader's ability to inspire accountability in others is not merely a matter of issuing commands or setting expectations; it is fundamentally about leading by example. The truth is, you can't inspire accountability in others until you model it yourself. This principle holds true across industries, cultures, and contexts.

What if you gave every employee the power to spend £500 without asking permission? Most companies would call that reckless. John Timpson called it the foundation of trust. In 1975, John Timpson inherited a struggling family shoe repair business with a handful of shops. The high street retail model was simple. Strict rules. Detailed procedures. Managers who controlled every decision down to the penny. Timpson looked at this model and saw something broken. Staff treated like children don't act like professionals. He made a radical choice. Give employees complete autonomy to resolve customer issues without management approval. The reaction was predictable. Other retailers thought he'd lost his mind. How could you trust minimum-wage staff with company money? But Timpson understood something his competitors missed. Trust isn't a risk, it's an investment that compounds. He went further. Whilst other employers avoided anyone with a criminal record, Timpson actively hired ex-offenders. Today, around 10% of his workforce are people who've served time. Critics said these policies would lead to chaos, theft, and bankruptcy. They were spectacularly wrong. By trusting people completely, Timpson created a workforce that took ownership. Staff who felt respected became fiercely loyal. Customers noticed the difference immediately. The struggling repair business grew into a £300 million enterprise spanning shoe repairs, key cutting, and dozens of other services across over 2,000 UK locations. Timpson's approach proves a powerful lesson. People generally rise or fall to the level of trust you place in them. Treat employees like potential thieves and they'll act accordingly. Treat them like trusted professionals and most will prove you right. The companies that win aren't always the ones with the tightest controls. Sometimes they're the ones brave enough to let go. What would change in your organisation if you truly trusted your team? #Leadership #Trust #PeopleFirst #JohnTimpson

Stop trying to solve burnout with meditation apps. #Burnout at work is on the rise, and next year isn't likely to bring relief -- in fact the opposite. Under pressure to "do more with less," fears about #genAI and #RTO commands, it's not a surprise. Sharon Parker and Caroline Knight in MIT Sloan Management Review have put together a great framework for addressing a pressing issue that doesn't get glib about apps or just say "lighten their load." They also root it in a case for change: "58% percent of 18-to-34-year-olds said that their daily level of stress is overwhelming. Disengaged, stressed-out employees do not perform at their best." The SMART framework: 🔸 Stimulating work: Am I solving real problems that matter? Is there variety? 🔸 Mastery: Am I learning new skills, getting feedback and is it clear how my work contributes to broader goals? 🔸 Autonomy: Are the lines clear for what decisions I can make, and do I have flexibility to do work where and when I'm at my best? 🔸 Relational work: Am I engaged with a team, connected and feel a sense of belonging and support? 🔸 Tolerable demands: Is the work realistically scoped, so that I'm not in continual overload? Are there peaks and valleys? Their framework sounds easy, but anyone who's managed large teams knows how hard it is and how much design goes into making it happen. What I found historically with teams that helped were: ☀️ Frequent check-ins on how someone's feeling about the work, not just the status of the work: are you learning? Is it reasonable? Are you having fun? ☀️ Rotations of dreck and joy: routine work and doing the same type of project over again isn't fun; ensuring people get rotations in and out of "drudge" work. ☀️ Balancing autonomy and collaboration: Getting clear up front about shared goals, roles and levels of decision authority across the team. No swarm ball. ☀️ Taking breaks. Make sure people can step away from work, build and support boundaries and rest periods. Peak performance isn't "hustle culture." What works for you to relieve burnout? #Leadership #Management #Engagement #Productivity #culture

Over the last few years, I’ve switched jobs, given many interviews, and spent hundreds of hours optimizing my resume and profile. During this journey, I made plenty of mistakes that cost me time and opportunities. So today, I want to share these genuine mistakes—and more importantly, how you can avoid them: Applying Randomly & Everywhere: In the early stages, I thought applying to as many jobs as possible was the key. Big mistake! Quality always beats quantity. Lesson: Tailor each application to the job role. Research the company and make sure your resume aligns with their requirements. Ignoring LinkedIn & Online Presence: Initially, my LinkedIn profile was incomplete and poorly optimized. I underestimated the power of LinkedIn visibility. Lesson: Your online presence matters. A complete, active LinkedIn profile attracts opportunities you’d never find by traditional methods alone. Sending Generic Cold Messages: I used to send cold messages like "Hi, can you refer me?" which rarely received replies. Lesson: Craft a concise, clear message. Always include the specific role, job link/ID, your resume, and a short summary of your skills. Poor Resume Formatting: My resume had too many graphics, complicated formatting, and lacked the right keywords. This reduced my ATS compatibility. Lesson: Keep your resume simple, structured, and ATS-friendly. Use clear headings, bullet points, and keywords from the job description. Not Preparing for the "Tell Me About Yourself" Question: I used to treat this question lightly and gave long, vague answers. The interviewer would lose interest quickly. Lesson: Prepare a structured 1-minute summary focusing on your experience, skills, and how you match the job you're interviewing for. Underestimating the Job Description: I didn't closely analyze the job description and often missed key details required by employers. Lesson: Job descriptions are gold. Analyze them carefully and reflect their highlighted skills and requirements in your application and interviews. Overlooking Company Research: During interviews, I would have limited knowledge about the company's products or mission. This made my answers generic. Lesson: Always research the company’s recent activities, products, and news. It helps you answer questions meaningfully and shows genuine interest. Getting Demotivated by Rejections: Early rejections made me question my capabilities, negatively impacting future interviews. Lesson: Every rejection is a lesson. Ask for feedback, reflect, and improve. Rejection means redirection—not the end of the road. Negotiation Mistakes: I used to accept offers quickly without proper negotiation due to the fear of losing the offer. Lesson: Negotiate politely but confidently. Companies expect this. Always understand your market worth, and clearly communicate your value. Have you made similar mistakes or learned something valuable from your own job search? Share your experiences in the comments—let's help each other grow!

The biggest businesses can get major programmes horribly wrong. Here are 4 famous examples, the fundamental reasons for failure and how that might have been avoided. Hershey: Sought to replace its legacy IT systems with a more powerful ERP system. However, due to a rushed timeline and inadequate testing, the implementation encountered severe issues. Orders worth over $100 million were not fulfilled. Quarterly revenues fell by 19% and the share price by 8% Key Failures: ❌ Rushed implementation without sufficient testing ❌ Lack of clear goals for the transition ❌ Inadequate attention and resource allocation Hewlett Packard: Wanted to consolidate its IT systems into one ERP. They planned to migrate to SAP, expecting any issues to be resolved within 3 weeks. However, due to the lack of configuration between the new ERP and the old systems, 20% of customer orders were not fulfilled. Insufficient investment in change management and the absence of manual workarounds added to the problems. This entire project cost HP an estimated $160 million in lost revenue and delayed orders. Key Failures: ❌ Failure to address potential migration complications. ❌ Lack of interim solutions and supply chain management strategies. ❌ Inadequate change management planning. Miller Coors: Spent almost $100 million on an ERP implementation to streamline procurement, accounting, and supply chain operations. There were significant delays, leading to the termination of the implementation partner and subsequent legal action. Mistakes included insufficient research on ERP options, choosing an inexperienced implementation partner, and the absence of capable in-house advisers overseeing the project. Key Failures: ❌ Inadequate research and evaluation of ERP options. ❌ Selection of an inexperienced implementation partner. ❌ Lack of in-house expertise and oversight. Revlon: Another ERP implementation disaster. Inadequate planning and testing disrupted production and caused delays in fulfilling customer orders across 22 countries. The consequences included a loss of over $64 million in unshipped orders, a 6.9% drop in share price, and investor lawsuits for financial damages. Key Failures: ❌ Insufficient planning and testing of the ERP system. ❌ Lack of robust backup solutions. ❌ Absence of a comprehensive change management strategy. Lessons to be learned: ✅ Thoroughly test and evaluate new software before deployment. ✅ Establish robust backup solutions to address unforeseen challenges. ✅ Design and implement a comprehensive change management strategy during the transition to new tools and solutions. ✅ Ensure sufficient in-house expertise is available; consider capacity of those people as well as their expertise ✅ Plan as much as is practical and sensible ✅ Don’t try to do too much too quickly with too few people ✅ Don’t expect ERP implementation to be straightforward; it rarely is

After taking 1000+ interviews, I have understood one thing:  Most interviewers spend the least time assessing the No.1 trait a company truly needs. They ask about tools. Past companies. Degrees. But none of these predict if someone will actually thrive in a role. The #1 trait I now hire for? Accountability. In startups, skills can be trained. Tools can be taught. But mindset? That’s foundational. > Client didn’t respond vs. I should’ve followed up more actively. > Didn’t get clarity vs. I could’ve asked better questions. > Team didn’t execute vs. I didn’t align them properly. This one shift in language reveals everything. Because accountable people don’t blame — they take ownership. They solve it. And if you’re building something from scratch, here’s why this matters: • Founders – You don’t have time to micromanage. • Managers – You need people who own outcomes, not just tasks. • Teams – One person’s blame game kills momentum for everyone. That’s why I made accountability my north star while hiring. To make it practical, I am working on building a system — A few sample questions that can help assess accountability in interviews. 1/ Tell me about a time something went wrong — and no one else knew. What did you do? ✅ Look for: I took charge… I made sure we fixed it… ❌ Red flag: The other team didn’t do their job. 2/ What’s something you fixed that wasn’t technically your responsibility? ✅ Look for: Proactive thinking Taking initiative without being asked ❌ Red flag: I just waited or escalated it. 3/ Tell me about a time you prioritized long-term results over short-term wins — even if it wasn’t popular. ✅ Look for: I knew it wouldn’t show results immediately, but it was the right call… I focused on what would compound over time. ❌ Red flag: I just went with what others wanted — didn’t challenge it. Focused on quick wins, didn't get time to work on such goals. 4/ Tell me about a time your team failed. How did you handle it? ✅ Look for: I owned it, fixed the gaps, and we improved performance next month. We missed targets, but I realigned the team — next cycle, we hit 95%. ❌ Red flag: They didn’t follow through. I had done my part — the rest was on them. I am also exploring other ways that can help establish accountability. Any suggestions? #anotherbansal