Tomorrow, Today · Podcast summary
Why 90% of Projects Fail & How Leaders Can Build Better Projects | Antonio Nieto x Shekhar Natarajan
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, author of 'The Project Revolution' and 'The Project Economy', joins Shekhar Natarajan to discuss why most projects fail and how leaders can build better projects.
Listen on the show ↗Key takeaways
- 💡The true value creation for companies in the future will not be operations; it will be the projects that you invest in and deliver.00:00
- 🌍Antonio's early life involved moving between countries like Spain, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and the US, which instilled resilience and adaptability.02:09
- 🧠Despite initial struggles in academics, Antonio found his passion in project management at PwC, realizing it required using his brain and connecting with people.05:38
- 🔥Antonio was fired from PwC for proposing project management as a core service, as it was considered 'dirty' and 'not strategy', a pivotal moment that fueled his mission.10:44
- 💉The COVID-19 vaccine development, typically a 10-12 year process, was completed in 12 months due to focused leadership, dedicated resources, and clear prioritization.21:01
- 🏗️The eight pillars of modern project management include culture, structure, governance, leadership, resources, performance, operations, and value creation through projects.26:28
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:51A Global Upbringing
- 5:38The PwC Experience and the Genesis of a Project Management Guru
- 25:08The Criticality of Projects in Pharma and the COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough
- 43:44The Eight Pillars of Modern Project Management
- 1:20:45The Human Element: Judgment, Politics, and Relationships
- 2:13:23Celebrating Failure and the Future of Work
The digest
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, a world-renowned expert in project management and author of 'The Project Revolution' and 'The Project Economy', recently joined Shekhar Natarajan to delve into the critical reasons behind project failures and to offer actionable insights for building more successful projects. Nieto-Rodriguez, who has been recognized as one of the 'Thinkers50' for his contributions to management thinking, shared his extensive experience from working with global organizations like PwC, GlaxoSmithKline, and ABN AMRO.
A Global Upbringing and the Genesis of a Project Management Guru
Nieto-Rodriguez's unique upbringing laid the foundation for his global perspective and eventual specialization in project management. Born in Madrid, his father's career with Spanish Airlines (Iberia) led the family to live in various countries, including Mexico City for 11 years. He attended a German school in Mexico, a decision his parents made believing German would be the language of the future. This early exposure to diverse cultures and languages, despite some challenging experiences like being sent to Germany alone at nine to learn the language, instilled in him resilience and adaptability. He later lived in Italy and the US before returning to Madrid for university, eventually starting his career in the Netherlands and then joining PwC.
His journey into project management was not linear. Initially, he found administrative tasks 'super boring'. A turning point came when he was asked to join a project to build a shared service center for Europe. He 'loved that' experience, finding it 'amazing' and 'different every day', requiring him to 'use his brain' and 'meet new people'. This ignited his passion for projects, leading him to question why so many projects fail despite seemingly straightforward processes involving 'people and strategy and tools and organization and culture'. He became convinced that 'every company needed help on this topic'.
Keep reading in The Digest
The full 5-minute article, 6 more sections, and every new episode from Tomorrow, Today and the creators you follow.
- The Shocking Reality of Project Management at PwC
- The Criticality of Projects in Pharma and the COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough
- The Eight Pillars of Modern Project Management
- The Human Element: Judgment, Politics, and Relationships
- Celebrating Failure and the Future of Work
- Conclusion
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