In the week celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, I was listening to a piece about how the Moon was becoming a staging point for missions to Mars. The speaker being interviewed identified that there only 2 risks with the Mars mission being completed in the next couple of decades.

The risks he suggested were technical and political.

Technical risks are more easily mitigated; they’re engineering problems.

Political risks are more complex; different people and policy will require the programme to flex to meet changing demands.

You can’t solve political problems with technical solutions. Political support  though can have a great impact on how you might solve technical problems.

Make sure you understand the business politics so you get the best value from sponsors. They may not always be there and having wider support will work more in your favour than technical expertise.