The values of the project should be kept in mind for all team members because the goal may change.

The lack of explicit discussion about why and how the mission had to change created a wedge between participants. Reminding team members about the values underlying the project — promoting sustainability, urban livability, innovation — could have helped bring all of them back into the fold. Instead, the team found itself split between those enthusiastic about the new goal and those who clung to the old one.

When it comes to funding the pensions of their workers, American states and local governments have not been doing a good job. Back in 2000, the average pension plan was fully funded, according to the Centre for Retirement Research; at the end of 2015, the official funding ratio was just 72% .