Achieving Clarity

Tools and Techniques for Defining Project Purpose Building on the first pillar, this post explores concrete practices for establishing and maintaining clarity of purpose in project teams. Ben Webb highlights that clarity “isn’t optional” but the foundation of EPD. Here’s how modern project managers can ensure this pillar is effectively implemented: Signs of Success: When…

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The Six Pillars of Enabling Project Delivery (EPD) – An Overview

The EPD model Ben Webb’s EPD model rests on six foundational pillars. Each pillar is a guiding principle that together creates a robust delivery environment. The pillars are: Clarity of Purpose, Leadership & Accountability, Decision Readiness, Team Enablement, Compliance Integration, and Progressive Documentation. Across industries from infrastructure to software, Webb finds that projects thrive when…

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Pillar 1 – Clarity of Purpose:

The Key to Aligning Your Project The first pillar of EPD is Clarity of Purpose. Webb warns that many projects start with excitement but without a shared understanding of success. He explains that teams often discover too late “That’s not what we thought the scope was” or “We didn’t realise that was the actual objective”.…

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The 8 Rules

The Principles That Keep Projects Moving

EPD (Enabling Project Delivery) is built on eight rules.
They are not slogans. They are not theory.
They are patterns observed repeatedly on projects that deliver — and on those that don’t.

Each rule exists because its absence causes delay, drift, rework, or failure.

Together, they form a delivery discipline.

Rule 1: Reporting Is Not Control

Projects often confuse visibility with control.

Weekly reports, dashboards, and slide decks can create the appearance of order — while decisions stall and risks mature unchecked.

EPD draws a hard line:

  • Reporting explains what has happened
  • Control comes from timely decisions and ownership

If reporting does not lead to action, it is noise.

EPD rule: If a report does not inform a decision, it should be redesigned or removed.

Rule 2: Decision Velocity Beats Perfect Information

Waiting for perfect information is a decision — and usually the wrong one.

Most project delays are not caused by poor decisions, but by decisions deferred in the name of certainty that never arrives.

EPD prioritises:

  • Clear decision ownership
  • Defined information thresholds
  • Time-bound decisions

Better decisions come from momentum, not paralysis.

EPD rule: A good decision made on time is more valuable than a perfect decision made too late.

Rule 3: Governance Must Enable Delivery

Governance exists to support delivery — but too often becomes a shield against accountability.

When governance:

  • Adds layers without authority
  • Reviews without deciding
  • Escalates without resolving

Delivery slows.

EPD reframes governance as an enabler, not an observer.

EPD rule: If a governance forum cannot make decisions, it is not governance — it is theatre.

Rule 4: Drift Is a Leadership Failure, Not a Scheduling Problem

Projects rarely “suddenly” fail.

They drift:

  • Scope expands quietly
  • Decisions are deferred incrementally
  • Optimism replaces evidence
  • Small issues compound

Schedules reflect drift — they do not cause it.

EPD treats drift as a signal, not an anomaly.

EPD rule: When a project drifts, the first question is not “what changed?” — it is “who owns this?”

Rule 5: If It’s Not Owned, It’s Not Real

Shared responsibility often means no responsibility.

Risks without owners
Decisions without owners
Actions assigned to “the team”

These are delivery gaps waiting to widen.

EPD insists on explicit ownership — even when it’s uncomfortable.

EPD rule: Every risk, decision, and action must have a named owner with authority to act.

Rule 6: Rework Is Cost — Pay It Early or Pay It Forever

Rework is often treated as bad luck or inevitability.

In reality, it is usually the cost of:

  • Rushed alignment
  • Unresolved trade-offs
  • Decisions deferred until execution

EPD does not eliminate rework — it forces it forward, where it is cheaper.

EPD rule: Front-load thinking, trade-offs, and decisions — or pay exponentially later.

Rule 7: Stakeholders Don’t Want Updates — They Want Confidence

Stakeholders rarely ask for more information because they love detail.

They ask because they sense uncertainty.

Confidence comes from:

  • Clear direction
  • Consistent decision-making
  • Honest communication about risk and trade-offs

EPD shifts stakeholder engagement away from volume and toward clarity.

EPD rule: If stakeholders are asking for more updates, confidence is missing — not information.

Rule 8: The Plan Must Survive Contact With Reality

Plans that only work in ideal conditions are not plans — they are aspirations.

EPD recognises that:

  • Constraints change
  • Information evolves
  • Assumptions break

Strong delivery systems adapt without losing control.

EPD rule: A good plan is not rigid — it is resilient.

How the Rules Are Used

The 8 Rules of EPD are:

  • Applied together, not selectively
  • Embedded into governance, cadence, and decision-making
  • Used as diagnostic tools when projects stall
  • Reinforced continuously — not referenced once

They are deliberately simple so they can be remembered, challenged, and applied under pressure.

From Rules to Practice

Each rule is supported by:

  • Practical tools
  • Delivery habits
  • Governance adjustments
  • Clear leadership behaviours

Together, they form the operating logic of EPD.

The rules do not replace project management.
They make it work.