Successful engineering design relies on disciplined creativity. I develop "innovation windows" early in projects, which are dedicated morning sessions where my team can freely explore new ideas, followed by disciplined afternoon implementation phases. This rhythmic strategy keeps the creative juices flowing while ensuring that we continually meet goals and provide value to stakeholders.

Sometimes these questions are clearly AI generated. Not to box in creativity to a phase, but generally the innovative process happens at the stage you make your offer, or define the scope of the project. Getting "creative" near deadlines is a sign that: the planning went horribly wrong, the scope was unilaterally altered, or the initial conceptualization was inadequate. None of these are symptoms of a well functioning process. Get creative and innovative during the initial phases, by all means. But once the execution phase rolls in, literary execute the engineering as it was planned. Concentrate on the nuts and bolts and your QA/QC to assure a good design/product. Remember, slow is careful, careful is smooth, smooth is fast.

The priorities for a project depend on its objectives. As project managers, it is essential to balance time, cost, and creativity while aligning these factors with the perspectives and expectations of stakeholders. Prioritization should be guided by the stakeholders' input and the overall benefits the project aims to achieve.