Most people prefer working with shiny objects. You know, work projects that you can talk about with family and friends without boring them. Projects we’d not spend our money on, but gladly work on.
Large companies are not immune to the shiny object syndrome. We helped a large airline change their culture to accept that canceling projects, even in later stages, is sometimes the best decision. In our experience, the larger the company, the more shiny object syndrome outbreaks.
How can you avoid the shiny object syndrome?
Seek feedback. Surround yourself with people who are willing to disagree. Ask for honest feedback from qualified people, and be humble enough to accept their feedback. Is a 5-minute video really the best way to convey simple information that customers could consume with 15 seconds of reading text?
Take small steps. Break the project into small incremental steps to reduce risk. At each step, evaluate if the project still aligns with the original goals, and if it’s still worth the opportunity cost of pursuing something else.
Keep the customer in mind. Constantly ask how each decision impacts the customer, not your resume or bonus.
Fail fast. Prototype the actual solution as early as possible. Implement incremental improvements that are good enough, not perfect. Promote a culture of failing―and learning―fast. Failure is the result of good testing. If the prototype continues to evolve toward a viable solution, that will be obvious.
Beware of sunk cost fallacy. The more resources a company invests in a project, the more they tend to continue the project even when sticking with the plan is making them worse off. This psychological trap leads to poor decisions. Be willing to let go of your personal attachments to a project. We’ve seen first-hand companies spend hundreds of millions on shiny objects that never reached customers, or worse, created poor customer experiences.
Know the difference between innovation and shiny objects.