Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) banned select Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains from traveling into Switzerland due to their chronic late arrival. The Swiss have declared that late trains disrupt their network too much, so it is better for them to terminate the German service at the border and run SBB trains onward into Switzerland.

Which partners does your work rely upon that consistently disrupt your results? It might be funders who distribute grants late, local government slowed by bureaucracy, another nonprofit organization that needs constant prodding, volunteers who are not engaged effectively, or your own board that is risk-averse and requires more time for contemplation.

We can script a nimble timeline, but the human element often has a bigger impact than we might anticipate. How might we construct alternatives or more flexibility when relying on other components? When do we decide to pause/terminate a partnership because the impact on overall performance is unsustainable?