When Priorities Change Midstream

How to Keep Delivery on Track When Strategy Shifts Under Your Feet

Read Time: 5 minutes

You built the roadmap.
You aligned the team.
You gained approval on the plan.

Then everything changed.

A competitor launched a similar feature.
Leadership pivoted.
Budgets got cut.
The client reprioritized.

Now, what was important last week is suddenly on hold, and no one is quite sure what matters most.

Let’s talk about how to lead through the shift without losing control of delivery.

Why Strategy Shifts Midproject

Change is not always a bad thing. But when it is not managed, it becomes chaos.

Here is what often causes a strategic shift in flight:

• A new stakeholder enters with different priorities
• Market dynamics shift, and leadership scrambles to respond
• Customer feedback contradicts original assumptions
• Internal teams get pulled into competing initiatives
• This is not just a change. It is a test of your adaptability.

What Not to Do

Change is inevitable. But mishandling it will cost you momentum, trust, and clarity.

Here is what to avoid:

• Do Not Resist the Change Outright. Being overly protective of the original plan can make you seem rigid, rather than strategic.
• Do Not Execute Without Revalidating Assumptions. Just because something is urgent does not mean it makes sense.
• Do Not Make Changes in a Vacuum. Update the people doing the work. Surprises create confusion and frustration.

How to Refocus the Project

When things shift midstream, great PMs pause, realign, and replan visibly.

Start here:

✅ Ask for Clarity, Not Just Direction. Say: “Help me understand how this change aligns with our goals. What are we optimizing for now?”

✅ Reassess Scope and Priorities With Your Leads. What can pause? What needs to accelerate? What must be redefined?

✅ Rebaseline and Document Immediately. Show the new plan, trade-offs, and timeline. This avoids future confusion or blame.

✅ Communicate the ‘Why’ to the Team. People will get on board faster if they understand the reasoning, not just the request.

💬 A PM in our community shared that when her executive sponsor suddenly pivoted focus mid-Q, she hosted a 30-minute “reset huddle” with all stakeholders. She walked through what was changing, what was not, and what help she needed. It kept delivery on track and restored trust in her leadership.

The Goal Is to Stay Adaptable, Not Scramble

You do not need to like the shift.
You need to lead through it.

Every plan has to bend at some point.
But when you bend with intention and clarity, the project does not break.

Adaptability is not about changing everything.
It is about changing the right things with focus, speed, and calm.

And that's how progress continues 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!