Over-Scoped Phase 1 Rollout
How teams try to "boil the ocean" in Phase 1, leading to analysis paralysis and project failure
🎯 Learning Objectives
- Understand how teams try to "boil the ocean" in Phase 1, leading to analysis paralysis and project failure
- Learn the importance of starting with pilot programs and incremental progress
- Discover how Strategic Trust's phased implementation approach prevents over-scoping
- Apply phased implementation strategies to your Zero Trust project
💥 The Failure
Teams try to "boil the ocean" in Phase 1, leading to analysis paralysis and project failure. Instead of focusing on quick wins and incremental progress, teams attempt to solve everything at once, resulting in overwhelming complexity and stalled projects.
Real-World Example
Company: Mid-Market Manufacturing Company
Industry: Manufacturing
Date: 2022
Impact: $800K wasted, 12 months lost, project cancelled
Root Cause: Trying to implement Zero Trust across all systems simultaneously
The company planned to implement Zero Trust across all 15,000 users, 200 applications, and 50 network segments simultaneously. After 8 months of planning, they had completed nothing and the project was cancelled due to overwhelming complexity.
The Business Impact
- Financial Loss: $800K in development costs
- Operational Disruption: 12 months of wasted effort
- Reputation Damage: Security team credibility lost
- Regulatory Fines: $0 (project never implemented)
- Recovery Costs: $200K to restart with proper approach
🔍 Root Cause Analysis
Why This Happens
- Analysis Paralysis - Too many variables and decisions to make simultaneously
- Perfectionism - Trying to get everything right the first time
- Lack of Prioritization - No clear understanding of what's most important
Warning Signs
- ⚠️ Project planning takes longer than 3 months without implementation
- ⚠️ Team tries to address all security gaps simultaneously
- ⚠️ No clear prioritization of what to implement first
Strategic Trust Solution
Strategic Trust's comprehensive security framework could have prevented this attack at multiple intervention points through advanced threat detection, automated response, and continuous monitoring.
Strategic Trust Could Have Prevented This Attack at 6 Different Points
Advanced Threat Detection
Automated Response
Continuous Monitoring
Ready to Implement Phased Zero Trust?
Strategic Trust's phased implementation approach prevents over-scoping and ensures successful Zero Trust implementation.
✅ Prevention Checklist
Before Implementation
- ☐ Identify pilot group (50-100 users maximum)
- ☐ Choose single use case (remote workers, contractors, or high-risk applications)
- ☐ Define success criteria ("Reduce login time by 50% and eliminate VPN issues")
- ☐ Set 90-day timeline for pilot completion
- ☐ Create expansion plan based on pilot results
🎯 Action Items
This Week
- Assess your current Zero Trust implementation scope
- Identify pilot group and single use case
- Research Strategic Trust's phased implementation approach
💡 Pro Tip
Strategic Trust's phased implementation approach prevents over-scoping by providing clear guidance on starting small and expanding gradually. This ensures successful implementation while avoiding the complexity that kills most Zero Trust projects.