Perfect Plans vs Real Programs

A. G. asked: When building a security program how do you take into account that there is picture in your head of what you think should be the perfect program, and then there is reality, which often collides with your picture; and how do you make a plan that works in the real world and doesnt just sound good in a presentation?

There's the version of a security program you imagine in your head, the "perfect one" that looks good on slides. And then there's the reality of budgets, politics, and the chaos of actual day to day operations. Those two worlds will collide. The question isn't how to avoid the collision. The question is how to survive it:

Fundamentals first. If you don't know what you're protecting, and if you don't have the fundamentals in place, no "program" will work. The reality check is simple: without basics, your plan is theater. Perfect or not, it fails.

Planning is the point. The plan itself will not survive. Security is a moving target. But the act of planning forces you to look at the whole picture, revisit assumptions, and understand the goal. That's the real value. So spend time planning, but create a plan about 75% of the way. Leave room for change, because change will come.

Cut the buzzwords. When you present, drop the shiny tools and the alphabet soup of acronyms. Keep the language blunt and the slides stripped down. Single words. Short phrases. A clear story of why. If you can't tell the story simply, you don't have a program, you have a sales pitch. Remember: No fluff.

The Brutalist view: A security program isn't there to look impressive. It's there to do the work - protect what matters and ignore the rest.