The 12 month myth

It's mid June. Holiday season is around the corner again. Working with enterprise organisations, I'm reminded of a pattern that keeps repeating:

In a twelve-month period, you're actually getting maybe four or five months of actual execution and decision windows. The rest is waiting or absence.

January through early February is slow - people are easing back in. Budgets land in February, roadmaps follow. By late May, holiday mode starts. Through summer, decision-makers aren't there. September hits and teams realise they've lost months. You work hard September through mid-December, then the cycle resets.