The deal closed on Friday. Delivery found out on Wednesday.

Margin on a project is often decided in the five days between signature and kickoff: an interval that appears on nobody's report and belongs to nobody's job.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for The deal closed on Friday. Delivery found out on Wednesday.

Ask a services firm where its margin goes and the answer usually points at delivery: overruns, scope creep, an optimistic estimator, a demanding client. Look closer and a surprising share of the damage is already done before anyone starts work. It happens in the handover: the interval between a signature and the moment the delivery team has the full picture of what was actually promised, to whom, and on what assumptions. That interval is rarely measured, because it sits between two functions. Sales has closed and moved on. Delivery has…

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