Don’t they? Ever immerse yourself in a project where you were confident your team, your boss, or others involved would have the same process? Yeah, me too. And, even though everyone wants the same outcome, the process and mindset make success complex. That’s the human experience. The best we can do is to align expectations and assumptions before launching into the project. And that’s a LOT. Next time you have a project involving multiple inputs, start with the expectations for each participant, both by outcome and by time commitment. In short, ‘Provide the summary of the article with 3 takeaways by next Friday’ has clear expectations that you can confirm. But don’t leave out the assumption, if any. I might assume you have the article or that you know I’m looking for financially-related takeaways, which leaves you able to meet the expectation in your mind, but not mine. Check your assumptions, communicate those along with your expectations for your best opportunity for success.