Why Planning Like a Rocket Launch Sabotages Flexible Innovation—Use a Steering Wheel Instead

Many people approach new projects with a master plan as if they’re launching a rocket: every move mapped out, no room for mid-flight correction. But real-world innovation behaves more like driving a car. As you move, unexpected potholes, detours, and new options pop up. The best drivers adjust on the fly, steering with quick corrections, always focused on the destination.

There’s a famous example from industry: one team built out massive infrastructure expecting millions of eager customers after launch. When enthusiastic crowds failed to appear, they found themselves saddled with unused inventory and unable to turn quickly—effectively, they’d launched a rocket on a faulty trajectory and had no way to steer. An alternative approach, as highlighted in the Lean Startup method, advocates for quick movement with constant feedback—a steering wheel instead of a set course.

The key is not to abandon planning, but to keep your plans flexible. Write down your vision—that 'true north'—and use everything else as a working hypothesis subject to change. Treat unexpected feedback as valuable data, not as a derailment. In behavioral psychology, this mirrors the value of 'iteration over perfection,' which helps people adapt and grow through real experience instead of rigid scripts that don’t hold up when reality intervenes.

Driving projects with rapid, regular feedback not only catches small errors before they become big failures but also builds resilience. You’re less likely to feel lost when the path shifts, and more likely to spot better routes no one else saw. It might feel less heroic than executing a grand, flawless plan, but it’s much more likely to get you where you want to go—without going up in flames.

Create a steering wheel for your next goal by listing out the big destination, then planning only the first one or two actions. For each, bake in a feedback step—ask a classmate, see how your team reacts, observe what feels rewarding or frustrating. Don’t lock yourself in. Every couple of weeks, step back, look at what you’ve learned, and decide: Do you keep going this way, or do you try a new approach? This flexibility lets you stay true to your vision even when the road twists. Start trying this for your current project and see how much easier (and less stressful) progress can be.