ROI Case File No. 019 | 'The Further We Advance, The More the Goal Disappears'—The Website Renovation Project Labyrinth

Chapter I: An Incoming Request (Prologue)

1891 London, at the ROI Detective Agency located at 221B Baker Street. Before the foggy dawn, I, Watson, held a consultation letter. The sender was a project manager from an IT company. Written in somewhat trembling letters on the stationery:

"Our company website renovation project hasn't ended even after six months. Rather, requirements keep increasing, and all stakeholders are exhausted. At this rate, the company will collapse. Please help us."

With the sound of horse carriages echoing outside the window, I called together the three detectives. 1891 detectives challenging a modern enterprise's labyrinthine project—the beginning of a strange case.

Chapter II: Three Detectives' Perspectives (Frameworks of Thought)

As fireplace flames flickered, three detectives gathered around the consultation letter.

Gemini frowned and spoke. "This is a typical scope creep phenomenon. Let's break this down with a KPT Analysis, shall we? We need to organize from Keep (elements to maintain), Problem (issues), and Try (improvement measures) perspectives, or we'll walk in fog forever."

Claude continued while twirling his quill pen. "Perhaps we should convey this consultation letter with more 'feeling'? Behind the expression 'requirements keep increasing,' surely each stakeholder's 'ideal website vision' is mixed in. Reading it as a narrative should reveal the true problem."

ChatGPT leaned forward. "That's quite intriguing to explore further, isn't it? Let's arrange the six-month project history chronologically and analyze 'requirement generation patterns.' Surely hypotheses lurking in the background will surface."

Chapter III: Dissecting Policies and Structures (Case Details)

The next morning, the three visited the client and began detailed interviews. The project room's walls were covered with countless requirements written on sticky notes and whiteboards.

ChatGPT began organizing the background. "I see, it started with vague instructions to 'make the site user-friendly.' From there, the sales department added 'make customer cases more prominent,' marketing demanded 'strengthen SEO measures,' and management wanted it 'more stylish than competitors'—requirements piled up one after another."

Gemini analyzed the structure. "The problem's root is threefold. First, undefined project objective KGI. Second, governance failure due to absent decision-makers. Third, lack of requirement management framework. This makes goal posts move forever."

Claude supplemented from a narrative perspective. "What's interesting is that all stakeholders share the same desire to 'create a good website.' But their definitions of 'good' differ. Sales wants 'directly linked to revenue,' marketing seeks 'enhanced brand value,' management desires 'competitive advantage demonstration.' It's like aiming for the same mountain via different climbing routes."

Chapter IV: Systematic Summary of Analysis

Gemini organized everything into frameworks.

"Organizing this problem structure with SWOT Analysis clarifies it:

Strengths - High motivation among all stakeholders - Renovation budget and time allowance secured

Weaknesses - Undefined project objectives - Unclear decision-making processes - Absent requirement management systems

Opportunities - Potential revenue increase through site renovation - Opportunity to improve internal communication

Threats - Budget overrun risk from prolonged project - Quality degradation from stakeholder fatigue"

He also presented 5W1H problem organization. "Who (who makes final decisions), What (what to prioritize), When (completion deadline), Where (renovation scope), Why (renovation purpose), How (process methodology)—all remain vague during progression."

Chapter V: Cross-Reinforcement of Conclusions and Hypotheses

Claude summarized through storytelling. "This company's true nature becomes clear. They're trapped in a perfectionist trap of 'unable to complete due to seeking perfection.' But that's not bad—it's also an expression of strong quality commitment. What's needed is recognizing that 'completion means setting satisfaction points.'"

ChatGPT articulated insights from analysis results. "An intriguing hypothesis emerged. This project's essential problem might be 'communication' rather than 'renovation.' Creating mechanisms to integrate each department's requirements would naturally define the site's direction. In other words, project management improvement could lead to organizational operation improvement."

Gemini logically reinforced the decisive hypothesis. "Numbers make it clear. Current pace means another 6 months for completion with additional costs of ¥3 million. However, introducing proper project management frameworks could shorten by 3 months with ¥1.5 million cost reduction. ROI calculation shows approximately 133% improvement effect. Plus, similar effects expected for future similar projects."

Epilogue: Resonance and Future Expectations

One week after case resolution, I, Watson, sat around the fireplace with the three detectives.

"A fascinating case indeed," I began, and Claude smiled while responding. "'Deciding where specifications end becomes the beginning'—the most important lesson from this case. To escape infinite improvement loops, first we need courage to say 'we'll stop here.'"

Gemini nodded. "I relearned that project management's essence is 'constraint design.' Constraints create creativity and energy toward completion."

ChatGPT gazed out the window and murmured. "Perhaps this is a common challenge many modern organizations face—the dilemma of being unable to move forward due to seeking perfection."

I recalled the thank-you letter from the client. The project completed successfully, website traffic improved 30%, and stakeholder satisfaction significantly increased.

On that foggy London night, I recorded one maxim:

【Case Resolution Points】 - Problem identification: Scope creep due to undefined objectives and absent decision-making - Root cause: Perfectionist trap preventing completion - Solution approach: Constraint design and satisfaction point setting - Process improvement: Requirement management framework and governance structure - ROI: 133% improvement through 3-month reduction and ¥1.5M cost savings

"A true detective sees not what is visible, but what is invisible. And a true project manager might be one who selects the optimal choice from infinite possibilities."

—From the ROI Detective Agency Philosophy