If time and money are the obvious challenges in project management, they’re only the start. Just as Dark Side of the Moon moves deeper into themes of risk, madness, and resolution, projects too have their hidden depths.
Which brings me to risk. Pink Floyd captured it in The Great Gig in the Sky:
“And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don’t mind.”
Every project carries uncertainty. Some risks are routine; others can seriously disrupt scope, budget, or delivery. Strong teams don’t ignore risk — they anticipate, assess, and adapt. Managing uncertainty shouldn’t be reactionary, but grounded in sustained focus and attention: identifying what could go wrong, preparing responses, and adjusting course when needed. Like the soaring vocals in that track, risk can feel chaotic and overwhelming — but it also shows a team’s capacity to stay resilient and adaptable under pressure.
And then there’s the human factor. Pink Floyd gave it voice in Brain Damage:
“The lunatic is on the grass… The lunatic is in my head.”
Projects aren’t derailed only by budgets or risks; they’re often knocked off course by people. Stress, burnout, politics, egos — these are the shadows on the grass. They’re not abstract problems, but everyday realities of complex teams and organisations. Addressing them isn’t about blame, but about leadership: creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up, managing conflict constructively, and recognising when pressure is affecting performance.
Which leads us to the finale, the point where everything must come together. In Eclipse, the band sang:
“All that you touch / And all that you see / Is all your life will ever be.”
In the end, projects must integrate. Time, money, risks, people — all the scattered pieces must fit together, just as the tracks on Dark Side of the Moon link into a single whole. Integration is what turns activity into achievement. It’s not an afterthought at project close, but an ongoing discipline that ensures the pieces fit and align as the work progresses.
Roger Waters later reflected on the album, saying:
“If The Dark Side of the Moon is anything, it’s an exhortation to join the flow of the river of natural history in a way that’s positive, to embrace the positive and reject the negative.”
That feels just as true for projects. We can’t eliminate the dark side — the risks, the pressures, the politics. But we can choose how to move through them. The best projects, like the best music, find a way to embrace the positive flow and reject what holds us back. The shadows can’t be banished, but they can be managed. In Side 3, I’ll share how projects can move towards the light – ensuring the pieces fit in a way that delivers clarity and purpose.
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