3.2. Lessons from Uncertainty and the Unknown

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.

— Sun Tzu , The Art of War

Having accepted that uncertainty, the unknown, and change are unavoidable, you can bring your project to a position of strength in its ability to accommodate them. In fact, you can turn them from threats into a source of value and strength. There are a lot of corollary lessons that become apparent with this new understanding. These lessons strongly underlie how we approach planning, requirements, and process.