Resource and timeline predictability—especially early on in complex projects—is always a challenge. You can invest more time in detailed planning, but is it really worth it? Often, it’s just too hard to know what you don’t know.

Then there’s the execution phase, where your team starts hitting wall after wall, and there’s that sense of pushing forward just to “get it done.” Yet the finish line keeps getting pushed back with each checkpoint. Looking back, you might ask: was it worth it? If you knew then what you know now, would you have even started? Was there a shorter-term value that could’ve been achieved?

This is why I’m a fan of timeboxing. I like to set, upfront, a defined amount of time and resources we’re willing to invest. If a project doesn’t fit within this “box,” it either gets dropped, or its scope gets adjusted. For projects that do move forward, timeboxing gives us a clear checkpoint to assess if continuing is really worth it.

The benefits of timeboxing:

• Encourages incremental delivery – it pushes us to maximize value at each stage.
• Reduces attachment to sunk costs – it keeps us focused on the ROI and reminds us to reassess the motivation to continue.
• Helps recalibrate scope – if you decide to keep going, timeboxing makes it easier to reset expectations and set a new timebox.
• Enhances delegation – with clear ROI and time boundaries, teams can take ownership while staying aligned on goals.

Timeboxing keeps us honest, helps us stay focused on value, and ensures that projects are justified by what they deliver, every step of the way.