Very interesting. A trove of experience and practical knowledge.

They were able to anticipate most of the loss scenarios in advance because they saw that logical arguments were not prevailing; when that happens, ""there's only one explanation and that's an alternative motive"". His ""number one recommendation"" is to ensure, even before the project gets started, that it has the right champion and backing inside the agency or organization; that is the real determiner for whether a project will succeed or fail.

Not very surprising, but still tragic and sad.