A parable, as told by CMBOK Priya Patil

The Quarry That Was Too Easy

An epic tale of change, risk, and the Project Manager Mindset — sixteen scenes starring Wilma, Barney, and the Great Gazoo, followed by the true story of Skara Brae and what the whole quarry really teaches.

A change-management parable, illustrated in sixteen scenes
STORY · ← Back to the CMBOK Journey
Fig. 0 — The whole journey, at a glance cover.png
1

The Quarry That Was Too Easy

Fig. 1 — The Quarry That Was Too Easy scene01.png

Barney loves the familiar quarry: easy rock, high production, and a short trip home, while Wilma looks beyond today's numbers.

2

The Problem Nobody Wanted to See

Fig. 2 — The Problem Nobody Wanted to See scene02.png

Wilma spots the growing landslide risk as the quarry gets deeper and heavy rain threatens the unstable rock.

3

Wilma Proposes a Change

Fig. 3 — Wilma Proposes a Change scene03.png

Wilma proposes moving to a safer quarry with better-quality rock, but the new site is farther away and harder to mine.

4

The Resistance

Fig. 4 — The Resistance scene04.png

Barney and the workers push back because the proposed change threatens their productivity, convenience, and familiar way of working.

5

Enter the Great Gazoo

Fig. 5 — Enter the Great Gazoo scene05.png

Gazoo arrives to help Wilma and the workers understand the difference between delivering a change and getting people to adopt it.

6

The Great Gazoo's Seminar

Fig. 6 — The Great Gazoo's Seminar scene06.png

Gazoo shows that project delivery and change management are different disciplines but must move together from current state to future state.

7

What Is Really Causing the Risk?

Fig. 7 — What Is Really Causing the Risk? scene07.png

Gazoo reveals that the same rock that makes production easy also increases vulnerability to heavy rain and landslides.

8

A Different Way of Looking at the New Quarry

Fig. 8 — A Different Way of Looking at the New Quarry scene08.png

Gazoo challenges everyone to look beyond extraction cost and consider quality, risk, sustainability, and long-term value.

9

The Sponsors Reconsider

Fig. 9 — The Sponsors Reconsider scene09.png

The sponsors realize they are not choosing between easy and difficult rock, but between different risk-and-value profiles.

10

But What About Barney?

Fig. 10 — But What About Barney? scene10.png

Wilma listens to Barney's concerns and works with the workers to make the transition practical rather than simply telling them to change.

11

The Concern Nobody Was Saying Out Loud

Fig. 11 — The Concern Nobody Was Saying Out Loud scene11.png

The workers had already complained about the longer commute, the harder rock, and the unfamiliar working methods. But Wilma sensed there was something else behind their resistance.

12

One Integrated Plan

Fig. 12 — One Integrated Plan scene12.png

Technical delivery, communication, training, readiness, feedback, and adoption are brought together into one comprehensive plan with integrated risks.

13

The Five Different Perspectives

Fig. 13 — The Five Different Perspectives scene13.png

Wilma, the sponsor, Gazoo, the change team, and Barney each contribute a different responsibility, authority, or influence to the change.

14

The Transition

Fig. 14 — The Transition scene14.png

The move brings early challenges, but the team monitors both delivery measures and people adoption while learning and adapting.

15

The Result

Fig. 15 — The Result scene15.png

The harder quarry delivers better rock, safer and more sustainable operations, and greater long-term value despite the higher initial investment.

16

And Then Came the Surprise

Fig. 16 — And Then Came the Surprise scene16.png

Generations later, the durable stone lives on at Skara Brae, prompting Barney and Wilma to realize the wisdom of their decision.

A Stone Legacy
★

Skara Brae — A Stone Legacy

And perhaps the best place to appreciate the lesson of the quarry is Skara Brae, an ancient prehistoric settlement on the Bay of Skaill in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Built around 3100–2500 BC, the settlement is more than 5,000 years old.

For thousands of years, Skara Brae lay hidden beneath layers of sand until a powerful storm in 1850 exposed the remarkably preserved stone village. Its houses, connected by narrow passages, still reveal stone beds, hearths, dressers and other features of everyday life.

Archaeologists have also discovered tools, pottery, jewellery and other objects that give us a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived there. Today, Skara Brae forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Europe's best-preserved Neolithic settlements.

Skara Brae today: the excavated stone village on the Bay of Skaill, a reconstructed interior showing stone beds and hearth, and an aerial view of the settlement.

★

What the Quarry Story Really Teaches

The story was never really about choosing one quarry over another. It was about how a project manager thinks about change — ten lessons for every project manager.

Fig. T — Ten lessons for every project manager quarry_teaches.png
  1. What Is Driving the Change?
    Is there an internal or external trigger? — Understand why the change is needed.
  2. What Is the Real Risk?
    Don't look only at today's performance. Consider future consequences. — Look beyond the present.
  3. Who Is Affected?
    Look at both the organization and individuals. — People at every level are affected.
  4. Why Are People Resisting?
    Understand their perspective before trying to overcome resistance. — Listen, empathize and understand.
  5. What Must Be Delivered?
    The technical/project side. — Deliver the solution.
  6. What Must People Adopt?
    The human/change side. — Enable people to make the change.
  7. How Should the Plans Interact?
    Integrate project delivery and change activities. — Technical work and people work must move together.
  8. Who Has Authority and Accountability?
    Distinguish the sponsor, change lead, practitioner, team and change agents. — Different roles. A shared goal.
  9. What Are the Combined Risks?
    Don't isolate project risk from change/adoption risk. — Look at the big picture.
  10. What Is the Ultimate Outcome?
    Not simply “did we deliver the new quarry?” but whether change was delivered, people adopted it, risks were managed, benefits were realized, and organizational value lasts. — A stronger organization. A brighter tomorrow.
The Golden Mindset
★

The Project Manager's Mindset

Look beyond today. Build a brighter tomorrow.

Fig. M — The Project Manager's Mindset pm_mindset.png
Golden Mindset

Don't choose the easiest option simply because it works today.

Understand the problem.What is really driving the change, and what risk is really building underneath today's numbers?
Understand the people.Who is affected, at the organizational level and the individual level, and why might they resist?
Understand the risks.Project risk and change/adoption risk are not separate — look at the combined, overall risk to success.
Understand the long-term value.Not just what's easiest today, but what delivers a stronger organization for generations to come.
Deliver the Solution → Enable People to Adopt It → Realize Benefits → Create Value

Then choose and manage the change that best enables the organization to succeed.

The equation

People  +  Solutions  +  Successful Change  =  A Brighter Tomorrow