---
title: TOP Thinking on | Capital Investment
description: Capital Investment | For more than three decades, we have been challenging the orthodox thinking about strategy and project execution in our TOP Thinking blog.
---
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# TOP Thinking on
#### [Why Are We Approving Projects Set Up To Fail](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/approving-projects-set-fail)
The business case or a summary of it is usually the key document for evaluation and approval of the project. This is inadequate. At the evaluation stage you also need to validate the project set up too as this can be an invisible driver of excessive costs.
#### [Project Prioritization Process - An Indicator of Management's Quality?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-prioritization-process-an-indicator-of-managements-quality)
Your project prioritization process determines your future competitiveness and results. Excellent organizations demand an excellent prioritization process.
#### [Just What Is The Portfolio Management Office Accountable For?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/just-what-is-the-portfolio-management-office-accountable-for)
The role of the portfolio management office may be known, but what exactly is it accountable for? The answer may surprise you
#### [How To Fail As A Sponsor](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/fail-sponsor)
My first project for which I was the Project Sponsor was a failure. I was sponsoring a project to replace a closed system with a new flexible, open system.
#### [Generating Extreme Value - Fast](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/generating-extreme-value-fast)
How can you increase the value of a project from $0 to $40 million in two weeks?
#### [What You Need To Improve The Results Of Your Project Investments](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/what-you-need-to-increase-the-roi-from-project-investments)
To improve the ROI from project investments you need to uplift your value delivery capability and measure the results of each improvement.
#### [How To Measure Your Project's Benefits](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-measure-your-projects-benefits)
Benefits management and measurement is easy if you set up your projects to track and deliver the value.
#### [How To Track Your Strategy's Execution](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-track-your-strategy-execution)
Tracking your strategy execution is simple and puts you in control of your strategy's execution
#### [Is Your Capital Management A 'Capital Crime'?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/effective-capital-management)
In practice capital management and capital allocation is a game. A very expensive game. In fact, a "capital crime".
#### [Does Technology Improve Productivity?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/does-technology-improve-productivity)
Whether you generate productivity from your project investments depends on your organization's level of value delivery capability - as we explain.
#### [How To Ensure Every Investment Is Contributing To Your Strategy](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-ensure-every-investment-is-contributing-to-your-strategy)
How to simply but effectively score each project's strategic contribution and relevance and visibly manage your strategy's execution
#### [The Need To Validate Your Projects And Business Cases](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-need-to-validate-your-projects-and-business-cases)
If you thoroughly validate your business cases and projects before approval you can both save millions and generate extra millions.
#### [The True Cost Of Capital - And "The Capital Crime”](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-true-cost-of-capital-and-the-capital-crime)
The "Capital Crime" is the unnecessary waste of capital through poorly executed strategies and projects.
#### [The Cost Of Capital Mis-Management](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/28-ways-to-lose-1-million-a-day)
Here are "28 ways to lose $1 million a day”, lose value and destroy capital — check how many are in your organization
#### [TOP's Four Lens Perspective On Projects 1 - Investment Strategy](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-four-lens-approach-to-project-delivery-part-1)
TOP's four lens model changes management's perspectives and processes for value and project delivery When we approach project delivery through the cost control lens we are doomed to failure. Two additional lenses are required for success.
#### [Are Your Investments Losing More Money Than You Think?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/are-your-investments-losing-more-money-than-you-think)
Most project investments are losing far more money than appears. Maybe double or more. The actual waste is massive. Learn why.
#### [Yeah, But What Does The Software Do?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/yeah-but-what-does-the-software-do)
Yeah, but what does the software do? As project value seekers, project organizers and implementers need to think beyond the surface level and dive deeper into understanding the nooks and corners of every project so as to develop a comprehensible and reliable outcome.
#### [The Investment Logic Map (ILM)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-investment-logic-map-ilm)
The Investment Logic Map (ILM)
#### [When Do You Decide To Stop Funding A Project?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/when-do-you-decide-to-stop-funding-a-project)
A set of criteria to equip management to avoid pouring good money after bad by knowing when to stop funding a project or program.
#### [Who’s On First?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/whos-on-first)
Who’s on first?
#### [Are you ‘competent’ or ‘capable’?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/are-you-competent-or-capable)
Are you ‘competent’ or ‘capable’?
#### [The Change Identification Framework](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/change-identification-framework)
9: The Change Planning Framework
#### [How Do You Introduce Project Governance Into Your Organization?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-do-you-introduce-project-governance-into-your-organization)
How do you introduce Project Governance into your organization?
#### [The Performance Of Project Investment Management Committees](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-performance-of-project-investment-management-committees)
The performance and processes of the Project Investment Management Committee are too often unnecessarily poor. This can be easily fixed.
### TOPics
- [Benefits Management (29)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/benefits-management)
- [Business Case (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-case)
- [Business Simplification (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-simplification)
- [Capability Development (38)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capability-development)
- [Capital Investment (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capital-investment)
- [Change Management (17)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/change-management)
- [Consultants (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/consultants)
- [Costs and Waste (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/costs-and-waste)
- [Engineered Thinking/Ideas/Innovation (8)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/engineered-thinking-ideas-innovation)
- [Fifteen Critical Insights (15)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/fifteen-critical-insights)
- [Idea / Project Initiation (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/idea-project-initiation)
- [Mental Models, Beliefs and Myths (18)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/mental-models-beliefs-and-myths)
- [Outcomes Thinking (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/outcomes-thinking)
- [Path Dependency (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/path-dependency)
- [Prioritization (13)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/prioritization)
- [Process Management (11)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/process-management)
- [Productivity Improvement (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/productivity-improvement)
- [Program / Project delivery (40)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/program-project-delivery)
- [Project Controls (52)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-controls)
- [Project Governance (90)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-governance)
- [Project Management (4)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-management)
- [Project Success (46)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-success)
- [Project Validation (2)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-validation)
- [Risk Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/risk-management)
- [Scope Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/scope-management)
- [Standards/Frameworks/Methods (14)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/standards-frameworks-methods)
- [Strategic Project Portfolio Management (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategic-project-portfolio-management)
- [Strategy Execution (39)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategy-execution)
- [The TOP Four Lenses (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/the-top-four-lenses)
- [TOP compared to orthodox approaches (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/top-compared-to-orthodox-approaches)
- [Value Delivery (83)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-delivery)
- [Value Equation (60)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-equation)
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