---
title: TOP Thinking on | Costs and Waste
description: Costs and Waste | For more than three decades, we have been challenging the orthodox thinking about strategy and project execution in our TOP Thinking blog.
---
[](https://www.totallyoptimizedprojects.com)
# TOP Thinking on
#### [How Much Project Investment Value Do You (Inadvertently) Lose?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-much-project-investment-value-do-you-inadvertently-waste)
Over 50% of each project's potential value can be lost unnecessarily. It is your choice. You can choose to have project success—to deliver all the value possible.
#### [Time To Rein In Strategic Sourcing?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/time-to-rein-in-strategic-sourcing)
Has strategic sourcing overstepped its powers and needs to be reined in? What should it be doing?
#### [Potential Threats To Portfolio Management Offices - 1 Investment Management Processes](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/potential-threats-to-portfolio-management-offices-1-investment-management-processes)
When project/program investment management processes are disconnected from the project portfolio management processes, up to 80% of the project portfolio can be strategically irrelevant!
#### [You're Paying An Expensive, Unnecessary 'Tax'](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/youre-paying-an-expensive-unnecessary-tax)
It's time to axe the tax. Imagine that there is a tax of between 25% and 100%. This tax is totally voluntary yet 95% of firms are, unknowingly, paying it.
#### [Wasted Expenditure - Strategically Irrelevant Projects Are Approved](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/wasted-expenditure-strategically-irrelevant-projects-approved)
An invisible tax in most organizations Any time, effort and money spent on projects you should not be doing at all is a complete waste. Projects that are irrelevant to your strategy are a complete waste.
#### [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".
#### [Why Project Delivery = Lost Business Value](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/why-project-delivery-equals-lost-business-value)
A 'project delivery' mindset generated business case can easily miss massive business value. A different "value delivery" mindset is required.
#### [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
#### [Problems With Reengineering Approaches](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/problems-with-reengineering-approaches)
Orthodox approaches to reengineering get lost in the detail and end up 'swatting flies while missing the elephants'. To avoid this, simplify.
#### [When Do You Call Out A Failing Project?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/when-do-you-call-it-out-a-failing-project)
When should you call out a failing project to ensure you don't waste time, effort and money?
#### [The Need To Be Cruel With Projects To Ensure Success](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-need-to-be-cruel-with-projects-to-ensure-success)
Too many projects deliver compromises that adversely impact business operations for years. This is a waste and the opposite to success.
#### [Why Do Project Costs Increase?—Cost Overruns](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/why-do-project-costs-increase-cost-overruns)
Project cost overruns can cause projects to go over 100% over budget, thereby destroying value. Find out why
#### [How To Reduce Project Costs - Reduce Project Rework](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-reduce-project-costs-reduce-project-rework)
If you reduce the level of unnecessary project rework you can reduce the project delivery costs by 15%-20%
#### [How To Reduce Project Costs – Simplify Ongoing Operational Complexity](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-reduce-project-costs-simplify-operational-complexity)
By defining and simplifying your business requirements you can eliminate 20% of operational costs by reducing complexity
#### [How To Reduce Project Costs - Reduce Project Failure](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-reduce-project-costs-reduce-project-failure)
High project failure rates generate a 15% 'tax' on the total cost of projects
### 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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