The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Anthropic PBC (in collaboration with The Wall Street Journal)Project type : Autonomous AI agent managing a real-world businessProject name : Project VendDate : Dec 2025Cost : N/A
Synopsis :
To make good decisions in complex environments, leaders and Artificail Intelligence (AI) systems require situational awareness — the ability to in...
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Lesson learned
A Bridgerton Ball takes a Fall
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Project type : Social ballProject name : Bridgerton night Date : Sep 2024Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
A hit television show like Netflix's Bridgerton is about escapism. A glimpse of the sumptuous side of Georgian England and the grace of the Regency period. After 3 seasons the show has built up a considerable following and unleashed a yearning am...
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UK Government – The Poll Tax
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the word.
British Government - Prime Minister's Office
Project : The Community Charge (the Poll Tax)
Project type: Changes to the taxation system
Date : Mar 1990
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
With politics likely to be a big part of the 2020 story, I thought I'd touch on how projects are sometimes the demise of politicians (even the highest and mightiest). As a case in poi...
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Decision Defending
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library illustrates some of the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Decision Defending
Type: Decision making / behavioral pattern
In brief :
A person locks in their answer to a question and shifts from trying to understand the ideas and opinions of others to promoting and defending their own idea.
Description :
Decision making in a group setting can be a frustrating ...
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Bait and switch
Lesson Learned: Take control over the key players vendors assign to your contracts
Category: Contract Management
The following post is a “Lesson Learned” that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
In today’s compet...
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Don’t just jump, leap
Lesson learned: Maximizing project throughput.
Category: Resource management / Portfolio management.
The following post is a "Lesson Learned" that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the "Catalogue of Catastrophe" or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
Given the rap...
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Attitudes for Altitude
Lesson learned: Hire for attitude and potential, not just experience.
Category: Person skills development / hiring.
The following post is a "Lesson Learned" that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
...
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The Bean Counter’s Blind Spot
Lesson learned: Be careful what you measure and how you measure it.
Category: Project objectives / Decision making.
The following post is a “Lesson Learned” that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
I can...
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The Sink Side of “Sink or Swim”
Lesson learned: Quantify a candidate's experience.
Category: Leadership development / hiring.
The following post is a "Lesson Learned" that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the "Catalogue of Catastrophe" or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
Everyone understands...
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Say it with Samples
Lesson learned: Use real life samples to make training more effective.
Category: Training / skills development.
The following post is a “Lesson Learned” that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
In...
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