Have you ever found yourself in the thick of a project, everything seemingly going smoothly?

But then - BAM!

An unexpected setback throws a wrench in the works.

Oh, I’ve been there.

And if you’ve managed a project or two, I bet you have as well.

Today, let’s chat about the bumpy roads in our projects.

And how, sometimes, they lead us to destinations we never expected

One project comes to mind for me.

We were building a site for a design conference.

The project started off smoothly.

At the start, each person had their part and everyone reported positive news.

"My part is going well, I will be done by next week."

Midway, it all started to come together.

Images and content were being shared with my team.

Our implementation of the designs was coded to the designer's specifications.

The project code was deployed to staging servers for review without issue.

We were receiving feedback, correcting mistakes, and making small improvements.

At this point, it was reasonable to assume the momentum would carry.

Is it crazy to think we'd finish early well in advance of the event?

But then it happened.

Crucial content we needed to finish stopped coming in.

Legal had to do their part.

Guest speakers were asking for changes.

Event details were changing.

Photos had to be changed.

The most important part, the speaker schedule, was still being negotiated and couldn't be published.

It started to feel like an absolute sh#t show.

The delayed deliverables put pressure on everyone involved.

But Chris, where's the silver lining in all of this?

How can this be a positive?

In the midst of the chaos, we had to pivot.

Our team didn't wait for the final speaker schedule.

Instead, we built a dynamic, easily editable schedule module that allowed for last-minute changes without requiring major code adjustments.

But it wasn't just a quick fix, it turned into a feature that set is up for the same event the following year.

The delayed content ended up giving us the breathing room to refine and polish other sections of the site.

But why else could this be a good thing?

Our relationship with this client deepened. They hired us for a 2nd project, then a 3rd, then a 4th, then a 5th.

While it felt like a sh?# show in the moment, the project taught me the importance of:

• Adaptability
• Innovation
• Communication

A bumpy road, while uncomfortable, leads us to discover new solutions.

In the end, the conference was a hit and the website was a big hit. It worked flawlessly.

And we walked away with new strategies.

Project setbacks can be magical with the right perspective.

They're not just obstacles.

They're opportunities in disguise.