Making decisions is by definition cutting off stuff. It is hard, and requires courage, both of which no-one wants to expend. Because of course we want it all. R

Making decisions is by definition cutting off stuff. It is hard, and requires courage, both of which no-one wants to expend. Because of course we want it all. Reducing WIP is probably the most efficient and least liked management tool. Most teams I've been a part of have the syndrome you describe at every level of the hierarchy. I'm in constant battles to reduce the scope of what I have to build to avoid spending a year before it sees the light of day. I integrated a team a little while ago to help them do better. 7 people, 12 features in progress. I remember an organizational-level presentation we had was presenting the 15 priorities and accompanying 11 focus areas for the next 6 months. In the company wide evals, on top of our "self-defined" personal goals, we also have 3 imposed ones (d&i, security and learning) that were imposed by the corporation over the years as a reaction to something, and no-one will ever have the courage to remove. This is almost a disease, and I've lost faith in that it will be cured some day