In this brutally honest debrief episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca and colleague, Doug Hall revisit a project (Project Jaguar) that looked promising on paper, but turned into a lesson in leadership, requirements, and reality. If you've ever thought "just plug it in" is a solution, this one's for you.

Despite best intentions, a rockstar team, and intense executive oversight, the final result didn't meet business needs. Why? From misplaced assumptions to missing requirements and underestimating internal politics, they dissect the pain points that turned a promising upgrade into a cautionary tale. Along the way, they discuss the dangers of adopting off-the-shelf software without proper due diligence, the perils of "it's just a tech project" thinking, and the irreplaceable value of honest leadership, humor, and team trust. Whether you're in tech, project management, or executive leadership, this episode is a "what not to do" and how to lead through it anyway.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

00:00 Introduction to Resilient Foundations

00:36 Project Jaguar Overview

01:38 Challenges and Low Points

02:25 Top Three Issues

05:27 Vendor and Customization Issues

07:02 Leadership and Change Management

16:49 Lessons in Transparency and Integrity

23:58 Balancing Scope, Cost, and Quality

24:26 Creating a Collaborative Team Environment

26:29 Consensus Building and Negotiation

27:59 The Importance of Adaptability in Technology Projects

29:35 Lessons from Project Failures

35:23 The Buy vs. Build Dilemma

38:45 The Value of Asking Questions

41:29 The Role of Humor in High-Stress Projects

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.