Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab

Playbook

Should we stop this project?

The value no longer seems worth the remaining cost.

First 24 hours

  1. Ignore money already spent; it’s gone.
  2. Compare remaining cost with remaining value.
  3. Check whether the need still exists.

Then

  1. Write a short option paper: continue, shrink, stop.
  2. Take it to the sponsor or board.
  3. If stopping, close it properly.
  4. Save what’s reusable.
Message you can adapt

The market has changed. Remaining cost is €200k, and expected benefit has dropped to €120k. I recommend we stop or reduce to the core module. Options attached for Thursday.

Avoid

Don’t continue because of what’s been spent. That’s the sunk cost fallacy.

Tools for this

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 · Practitioner review pending

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