"Things Fall Apart: The Center Cannot Hold" – Lessons for Project Managers
“Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”
– W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming
This iconic line from Yeats’ poem resonates far beyond literature. It reflects moments of chaos, breakdown, and a loss of control—something every project manager has experienced at some point in their career. Projects, like the systems Yeats alludes to, can face moments when the center—the core structure, strategy, or leadership—starts to disintegrate.
In this article, we’ll explore how this timeless observation applies to projects, the signs that things may be falling apart, and how to restore stability when the center begins to fail.
What Does “The Center” Represent in Projects?
In project management, the “center” symbolizes the core components that keep a project unified and on track:
• A Clear Vision: T…
