What to Do When Everything in the Project Goes Right and No One Notices

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the concept of "silent success" in projects. Managers often highlight dramatic stories: impossible deadlines met, small teams overcoming limitations, or difficult clients. These narratives attract attention, but true success can be more discreet: well-managed risks, on-time deliveries, a motivated team, and aligned stakeholders. Without memorable crises, this work is often seen as luck or an easy project, when in fact it results from careful planning, constant communication, and early strategic decisions. Ricardo warns that it's necessary to review metrics and value these managers, as they are the ones who truly deliver the expected results, without relying on the spectacle of the crisis.

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Hi everyone, here is Ricardo Vargas, and this is the 5 Minutes Podcast. As project managers, we are so used to selling the story and highlighting the tales that we like a superhero overcame in the adversity. For example, the deadline that seemed impossible, the small team that delivered twice the output, and the difficult client that became a fan. These are narratives that get attention in the reports, presentations, and even in casual conversations in the company's cafeteria. But there is another kind of success, the silent success that rarely gets into the spotlight. It's the project that simply flows. Risks are well managed, stakeholders are aligned, and deliverables are produced on time and on budget. You handle a motivated team. No memorable crisis, no dramatic turning point to report. Then comes the dilemma: how do we prove the value when there is no drama to report? In environments used to measure competence by the ability to put out fires. The project manager of a silent success may be seen as irrelevant, or maybe the absence of problems is often seen as Oh, this project manager is so lucky, or this is a very easy-to-manage project, but in reality, it's the result of careful planning, constant communication, and strategic decisions made much before the issues appear. And that's the point. Maybe we need to revisit our metrics and understand and value the narratives that are really producing the result, and not that narrative. We are addicted to the spectacle of crisis and just reporting this chaotic situation. And the project manager, as Superman, recovers the project. And for you that are sponsoring a project, it's so critical to understand the silent, great, fantastic project managers because they are the ones that are making a massive difference, because instead of producing these fireworks, they are producing what the project is aimed to produce. Think about that. I hope you enjoy this podcast and see you next week with another 5 Minutes Podcast.

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