5 Minutes Podcast with Ricardo Vargas

In this episode, Ricardo warns that artificial intelligence is often approved as a project cost, but after implementation, it becomes an ongoing operational expense. Unlike traditional licenses, its cost varies according to consumption: the greater the adoption, the higher the bill. He also highlights frequently ignored expenses such as data preparation, systems integration, human review, price changes, model replacement, and new testing. Ricardo recommends presenting recurring costs per unit, projecting growth scenarios, identifying who will assume the expense after the project ends, and proactively assessing exit costs. For him, advancing with AI is essential, but it requires financial discipline. Without knowing the cost, the responsible party, and the value generated, there is no complete and sustainable business case.

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In this episode, Ricardo warns about the risk of resuming January’s projects at midyear. According to him, the context has changed: budgets, suppliers, technology, markets, regulations, and priorities may now be different. Before following the original plan, he recommends three actions: recalculate the project using current information, assess external changes, and reevaluate the portfolio, prioritizing what truly matters. Ricardo emphasizes that replanning does not represent failure; instead, it shows awareness of the transformations that have occurred. He suggests setting aside two hours, gathering people who understand the project’s reality, and asking whether it would still be approved today with the same structure, scope, team, and cost. This reflection reveals whether the project will meet the organization’s needs in December.

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In this episode, Ricardo explains that modern projects depend heavily on external suppliers, contractors, partners, and AI vendors whose teams do not report directly to the project manager. He argues that leading these people has become a core project management skill. He emphasizes that contracts and service-level agreements define obligations and penalties but do not create trust, commitment, or guarantee success. Ricardo also warns that supplier risk should be treated as a major project risk. He recommends involving partners in planning, explaining the project’s purpose, addressing problems early, and speaking directly with leaders who can reallocate resources. Finally, he encourages managers to identify their three most critical external organizations and build genuine relationships with their senior decision-makers.

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In this episode, Ricardo discusses the common rush to start acting before fully understanding a project’s problem. Action creates a sense of progress, while thinking may seem like wasted time. However, teams can work intensely and still move quickly in the wrong direction. Ricardo emphasizes that speed should not be confused with impulsiveness. Asking simple questions about the problem, missing information, potential consequences, urgency, and reversibility can prevent weeks of unnecessary rework. Even during crises or emergencies, acting quickly does not mean abandoning reflection. Planning often appears expensive because it happens before execution, while the cost of correcting poor decisions remains hidden. Before saying there is no time to think, teams should ask whether they have time to do the work twice.

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In this episode, Ricardo discusses rework, one of the most damaging yet invisible costs in projects. Rework occurs when presentations, software, proposals, plans, or decisions must be redone because expectations, requirements, or responsibilities were unclear. Although teams appear busy, they may simply be returning to a point they believed they had already reached—paying multiple times for a result. The later an error is discovered, the greater its impact, which shows that speed does not always mean efficiency. Ricardo highlights avoidable rework caused by haste, poor communication, ambiguous decisions, weak planning, and unvalidated requirements. He suggests measuring not only completed work, but also how much had to be repeated. True efficiency means transforming effort into results with minimal waste.

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