Boil the Ocean
'Boil the ocean' is an idiom which is commonly used in businesses and startup culture to describe taking on an unnecessarily or impossible difficult task or project.
Updated: October 16, 2023
'Boil the ocean' is an idiom which is commonly used in businesses and startup culture to describe taking on an unnecessarily or impossible difficult task or project. It generally inspires reconsideration of a business decision or project.
Project management software is used by many businesses when attempting to take on a seemingly impossible task. 'Boil the ocean' indicates that the current project path isn't feasible, and the team may not meet its goals when it is applied to groups or projects. The project team will be able to adjust the course such as timeline, budget, resources, or end goal before the project fails by responding to the phrase early.
Business leaders, managers, and project managers can narrow critical efforts; turn goals into smaller, manageable projects; allocate the right team and resources and manage scope creep to avoid boiling the ocean. The most vital work that teams must focus on need to be identified by business leaders to maximize impact, while avoiding spreading resources too thin. Teams alleviate the burden of taking on too many high-priority initiatives at once by prioritizing efforts. Project managers can help break down more significant concepts into actionable plans. The appropriate people, resources, and budgets should be assigned by leaders to projects to increase the likelihood of success
Examples of boiling the ocean
- Solving World Hunger Overnight
- Achieving Perfection in a First Draft
- Instant Global Peace
- Curing All Diseases Simultaneously
- Creating a Utopian Society Overnight
- Solving Climate Change in a Month
- Building a Successful Multinational Corporation in a Day
- Learning a New Language in an Hour
- Eradicating Poverty in a Week
- Transforming a Company's Culture Overnight
- Mastering a Complex Skill in Minutes
- Solving Deep-rooted Political Conflict Instantly
- Completing a Massive Research Project in an Hour
- Turning a New Business into a Fortune 500 Company in a Month
- Finding the Perfect Life Partner in a Day