The Right Work at the Wrong Time

How mistimed decisions derail good projects

Read Time: 5 minutes

You had the right goal.
You had the right team.
You had the right strategy.

But you still missed the mark.

Sometimes, the biggest issue is not what — it’s the when.
Let’s talk about how timing makes or breaks delivery.

Why Good Work Fails When Mistimed

There is a reason solid ideas still fail to take off.

It usually sounds like this:

“We should have started this six months ago.”
“Why are we doing this during a hiring freeze?”
“This would have worked if we had scoped it right the first time.”

You can have the right solution, but if the context is off, even your best work will hit resistance.

Here is what poor timing often looks like:

• 🔄 Priorities shift mid-project with no re-evaluation
• 🚧 Execution begins before strategy is clear
• ⏱️ Planning gets rushed due to external pressure
• ❄️ Decisions are delayed until momentum is lost

The team might deliver something, but it won’t be what was truly needed.

How to Spot Timing Issues Early

Misaligned timing can quietly derail even the best-scoped project—catch it before it spreads:

✅ Ask who this work serves right now. If the answer is unclear or has changed recently, it is time to reassess.

✅ Map timing to business cycles. Are you aligning your project with when people have time, resources, or need?

✅ Watch for outside shifts. Mergers, reorgs, budget freezes, or leadership turnover all change the landscape.

✅ Validate urgency. Is this urgent, or just loud? Separate noise from need.

💬 A PM in our community shared how she paused a marketing automation project after learning the company was shifting its entire sales strategy. Instead of pushing forward blindly, she repackaged the work to align with the new direction and regained stakeholder support.

What to Do When You’re Out of Sync

Here’s how to realign mid-project without losing momentum:

✅ Name the timing issue. “This work still has value, but our environment has changed. Let’s reframe.”

✅ Adjust goals, not just dates. Sometimes the work needs a different purpose, not just a new deadline.

✅ Give leadership new context. Highlight the discrepancy and suggest a more effective solution.

✅ Protect the team’s effort. Avoid the burn of “redo” by making sure pivots come with clarity and purpose.

This Is a Strategic Skill

The best project managers are not just planners.
They are timing strategists.

They know when to slow down.
When to speed up.
And when to say, “This isn’t the moment—but we’ll be ready when it is.”

And that's how foresight is built between the milestones.

👇 Your Turn

Have you had to lead when someone above you was unclear or missing?

👉 Share your story in the comments below or respond to this email.

You might be featured in an upcoming spotlight!