Ministry of the User
31. North of the Maginot Line
AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR, France embarked on a colossal project to protect its territory from possible future attacks.
The Maginot Line was a true underground fortified city stretching from the south to the north of France.
It was believed to be an impregnable frontier.
During the Nazi advance in World War II, the French remained confident in the strength and reliability of their Maginot Line. “Not much else is needed,” they thought.
They based their entire strategy on it.
The Germans attacked from the north, where the Maginot Line was weaker or even nonexistent.
What is the Maginot Line in your projects?
What is your stronghold that you blindly trust?
Now think about where it ends and what its “north” is.
You can do several things (simultaneously):
- Extend and strengthen your “Maginot Line.”
- Not blindly trust in it.
- Prepare to fail.
- Duplicate key processes.
- Expect the impossible.
The problem with failures is not just the intrinsic damage they cause, but also not seeing them coming.
After what couldn’t fail, fails, after it’s too late, it’s common to look for someone to blame or consider as inevitable that which, even if unforeseen, occurs.
It’s not advisable to ignore high-impact risks just because their likelihood of occurrence is low.
