It is time to go back and check my alignment with the goals that launched this journey. Please indulge me while I do a quick mental comparison of where I am now. After all, the reason for doing a case study is to assess whether or not the processes that I propose can survive in the real world. So here we go.

We need to start with a vision of what this project team can be. What I now see is that this system perpetuates negative behaviors. We reward people for seeking dominance to the exclusion of cooperation. We reward people for focusing narrowly on achievement to the exclusion of their own maturity. We freeze people out of the decision processes and then act surprised when they feel alienated. These behaviors are normal responses to the environment.

I believe that a properly defined vision has six elements:

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A concise expression of the vision.

A champion to embody the vision.

The vision must be aligned with reality.

For success, the vision must be bought into at three levels.

The vision must be focused and specific.

Implementing the vision requires hard work.

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When I started this project I thought that the vision was to do a proof-of-concept implementation of best-practices. The pattern I see repeated over and over is that people want someone to hand them a certificate that says they have achieved "best practices". They are willing to pay money for that piece of paper and there are lots of consultants willing to take them up on that offer. But sticking a plague on the wall that says "best practices" does nothing. Best practices are achieved through hard work. Greg wants best practices for this company. Does Vijay? Does Luke? If you want to live a life focused on best practices then you are going to need to do it yourself. Most of the people with vision have either already been defeated or they have turned their talents to the pursuit of short term rewards. If you want someone to define the vision and be the champion then you need to look in the mirror. If you want best practices badly enough to get this far in this book then you are the person who is going to need to make that happen.