Episode 546: The Real Reason Project Requirements Keep Changing

Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify <iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3t2CG7MX5nu6sDzgVWlCMm/video" style="width:100%; aspect-ratio:16/9; height:auto; border:0; display:block;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"> Episode Summary Project requirements rarely change because teams lack discipline. More often, change starts long before a project manager ever joins the work. Early product decisions define priorities, assumptions, and constraints that quietly shape delivery outcomes. In this conversation, Cornelius Fichtner speaks with Lee Fischman about why project managers so often inherit projects that feel impossible and how product thinking influences what gets built, how success is defined, and how much flexibility exists when reality shifts. The discussion connects product management, project execution, and leadership behavior, showing how unclear intent, untested value assumptions, and early commitments lead to ongoing requirement changes later in delivery.