Who wins in the fight between projects and operations
As kids, we loved debating epic battles – who would win, a great white shark or a saltwater crocodile? Batman or Superman? A taco or a grilled cheese sandwich? These playful matchups were our early attempts at tackling complex trade-offs.
Fast-forward to adulthood, and a different battle rages in the workplace: who wins the fight between a Project and the Operation?
This question came up in a conversation with a workstream leader who juggles both project accountability and an operational leadership role. She faced a tough reality: when both demanded attention, which should take priority?
The Operation Always Wins
No matter how critical a project is, operations take precedence due to a few factors:
Immediate Consequences – Operational issues are highly visible and escalate quickly if left unaddressed.
False Recovery Assumptions – We convince ourselves that pushing a project task or meeting back won’t hurt because we can "catch up later."
The Dopamine Effect – Solving an operational crisis provides an instant sense of accomplishment, while project work often lacks immediate payoff.
Operations provide fast feedback loops, whereas projects are ambiguous and have delayed rewards. This makes it harder to stay focused on the long game when fires need putting out today.
The Project Dilemma: You Can’t Ignore The Operation
Great projects require the involvement of senior operational leaders. They bring experience, credibility, and understand the context. However, they’re also the most easily distracted by day-to-day operations.
Many argue that the solution is to separate key people from operations to focus on projects. This is ideal in theory but unrealistic in practice. Businesses rarely have the spare capacity for full-time project assignments, and many projects aren’t big enough to justify it.
This challenge exists at every level – from SMEs getting pulled back into daily operations to executive sponsors balancing both running and improving the business.
The Consequences of Operational Distraction
Without addressing this challenge, you’re left with at least two outcomes:
Projects keep slipping. Deadlines get pushed, progress stalls, and frustration grows.
Leaders feel stretched thin. They’re torn between competing priorities, never fully present in either role.
Dealing with Distraction
You can’t eliminate this problem, but you can manage it:
1. Lay Strong Foundations
Establish a structured cadence for both project and operational tasks.
Set clear expectations about availability, delegation, and escalation paths.
2. React Intentionally
When conflicts arise, focus on true priorities, not just what’s loudest.
If a project slips, create the time to rethink the approach instead of overloading people to recover the schedule.
If your workload is unmanageable, redesign your role—don’t just push through.
Trying to operate at full capacity in both operations and projects without setting strong boundaries is a recipe for burnout.
And in case you were wondering about the great white shark vs. crocodile debate – one lives in cold water, the other prefers tropical climates. If they meet, one of them is clearly lost.
