271 – Planning for the Unexpected – New Horizons
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Episode 271 of Anecdotally Speaking explores why most business problems live in a field of uncertainty, not precision.
In this episode, Mark tells the story of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft which flew to Pluto over 10 years with remarkable precision. Mark and Shawn then contrast this story with the reality of business, where things rarely go exactly to plan. They further discuss the danger of overplanning, and why adaptability is critical to success.
This story is perfect for leaders, project managers, and anyone planning big initiatives, highlighting that while planning is vital, expecting surprises is even more important.
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Tags: Storytelling, Precision, Project Management, Adaptability
This story starts at 3:37
In 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft to conduct a flyby of Pluto. Over the next 10 years, New Horizons travelled more than 3 billion miles through space and arrived at its destination on 14 July 2015, less than a minute earlier than forecasted. The accuracy of this mission was extraordinary, with astrophysicists predicting the outcome with 99.99% precision.
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