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Hello everyone. Here is Ricardo, and this is the 5 Minutes Podcast. Today, I want to bring to you a concept that I believe will reshape the way we think about project management. And it's the rise of nano projects. When we think about projects, it's very common that we start thinking about large things, large initiatives, programs that span months or even years, with complex governance and layers of deliverables. But what if I told you that some of the most impactful work today is happening in projects that last just a few days? The nano projects are ultra-short, laser-focused initiatives designed to deliver value in an extremely short time frame, sometimes just a week or even less. They are the perfect response to a world that moves faster than ever. We're waiting six months to validate. An idea can be a luxury that we simply do not have. Think of a company testing a new marketing channel with a five-day campaign. Instead of running endless studies, a hospital team can redesign its patient check-in process in one week. Learning from feedback almost immediately. Or a government agency running a two-week pilot in a community before scaling it nationwide. These are very good examples of nano projects. When we talk about AI today, the concept of vibe coding is reducing from weeks or months the development of a software or a software tool to hours with tools like lovable. And what makes them so powerful? First, the risk is low. If the project fails, the investment was minimal. Second, the learning is very fast. You don't spend a year only to realize something doesn't work.
You know it in days or even in hours. Third, the energy is high. Teams love seeing results right away. It builds momentum and engagement. For example, one of the biggest challenges of megaprojects I mentioned this already before is to keep the motivation when they know that the results will take five, six, seven, or ten years down the road. But of course, these nano projects are not without challenges. Defining the scope is very critical. If you try to boil the ocean, it won't fit in a week. Discipline is also key. Every single hour matters, and you need to make sure that the search for speed does not compromise quality where quality really matters. For example, I did a newsletter recently talking about that. Talking about speed and how it is critical to find this strategic speed or this perfect speed. I see nano projects as complementary to our traditional models. We will always have megaprojects. Building a dam, launching a new car. Sending a spacecraft. But with those, we can have countless nano projects that test ideas, remove uncertainty, and build confidence quickly. So my challenge for you this week is, what nano project could you start this week? Could you start today? Something is small, contained, but with the potential to generate real learning or spark a breakthrough. Don't underestimate the power of small, focused action. Maybe next week with another podcast. You already have the result of this project, so think about that. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and see you next week with another 5 Minutes Podcast, a nano podcast. See you.
