Every time someone says

“That’s not industry standard,”

what they usually mean is:

“That’s not how I learned to be successful.”

Let’s be honest.

Most so-called industry standards were formed when:

• Projects were smaller

• Interfaces were fewer

• Constraints were looser

• Failure was cheaper

• Visibility was limited

They survived not because they were optimal —

but because they were good enough.

Good enough to avoid hard conversations.

Good enough to protect careers.

Good enough to keep reports green.

The Problem With “Normal”

Normal feels safe.

Normal feels proven.

Normal feels professional.

But normal also:

• Accepts recovered schedules that never recover on site

• Explains productivity loss as “execution issues”

• Treats physical constraints as afterthoughts

• Confuses activity logic with delivery capability

We don’t lack data.

We lack honesty about what the data is actually telling us.

Why New Ideas Get Attacked First

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

New methods aren’t rejected because they’re unproven.

They’re rejected because they redefine competence.

When you change the model, you change:

• What gets measured

• Who looks good

• Where authority sits

• What “good planning” actually means

That feels threatening — especially to people who succeeded under the old rules.

So resistance shows up as:

“That’s theoretical.”

“That’s overcomplicating things.”

“We’ve delivered without that before.”

But notice something:

The same skepticism is rarely applied to methods that repeatedly fail quietly.

The Double Standard No One Admits

If a new approach underperforms once — it’s dismissed.

If a traditional approach underperforms consistently — it’s tolerated.

Why?

Because failure is acceptable

as long as it looks familiar.

Change Doesn’t Fail Because It’s Wrong

Change fails because it’s polite.

It tries to convince instead of confront.

It seeks consensus before clarity.

It avoids discomfort — and misses the system.

Real change introduces tension.

Between:

• Plans and physical reality

• Reports and lived experience

• Comfort and accountability

If your idea isn’t causing friction, it’s not touching the real constraint.

Being Early Is Lonely

Being early doesn’t feel like leadership.

It feels like repetition.

Resistance.

Misunderstanding.

You end up explaining problems

before others are ready to admit they exist.

But every practice that is now “industry standard”

was once dismissed as unnecessary.

The difference is simple:

Some people wait for permission.

Others wait for reality to catch up.

Reality always does.

💬 Question for the industry:

What “standard practice” do we still defend — even though it clearly no longer fits the projects we’re delivering?

If this made you uncomfortable, good.

That’s usually where the truth lives.