A major project in the process industry lost 6 weeks because nobody wanted to pick up a pen

 

Not a technical failure.

Not a contractor issue.

Not a lack of information.

 

Just an approval that nobody wanted to give.

 

I remember the situation clearly. The engineering team was ready, the contractor was ready, and the site team was ready. The solution itself was clear. Everyone knew what had to happen.

 

And yet the approval remained pending.

 

It moved from one discussion to the next, from one alignment round to another, from one “let’s clarify this internally” to the next.

 

The approval finally came when the cost of waiting had already become visible.

 

In the end, the decision took less than 10 minutes.

But by then, the project had already lost 6 weeks.

 

That's what many leadership teams underestimate. 6 weeks don't simply disappear on a schedule. They show up somewhere else: in waiting contractors, lost momentum, rising frustration, growing claim potential, and costs that build quietly before they become visible.

 

From the boardroom, a delayed decision can look harmless. 

On site, it rarely is.

 

People reorganize. Suppliers move on. Contractors protect themselves. Good project people lose trust because they can see the project could move forward – but hesitation is holding it back.

 

And that's the uncomfortable truth:

Not every delay starts on site.

Some start much earlier, when accountability is clear on paper, but ownership is missing in the moment. 

 

Because while leadership is waiting to decide, the project is already moving – just not in the direction anyone wants.

 

Sometimes the most expensive thing on a project is not what you buy.

It's the decision that comes too late.

 

👉 Where have you seen a delayed decision create consequences far beyond what anyone expected?