The stages of a project

(I found this today on my PC, evidently written a good few years ago).
There are well known phases to a project like this “tackling global warming”
1. Politics
Politically active people (within society or a company) seeking to manufacture a power base for themselves pick up on issues from well-intentioned individuals which they then push for their own self advancement, seeking to create the biggest possible project consuming the most resources possible for their own personal gain. The result, totally unrealistic goals which have little to do with the original issue.
2. Enthusiasm
After securing funding from the gullible people who control funding, a new project starts, many enthusiastic consultants, researchers, etc. are hired, because they will tell the managers how fantastic the project is and how much they can achieve.
3. Realism
As the initial enthusiasm turns out to be over-hyped, as goals are beginning to look more difficult, as early work fail to make the anticipated progress, those most responsible for the unrealistic goals see the writing on the wall (from all their other failed projects) and find another issue to push leaving an increasingly disillusioned group having to deal with the fallout.
4. Pistoffeness
The early progress grinds to a halt. The promises of how much will be achieved turn into grate with the reality of how much has been achieved and initial enthusiasm disappears.
5. Search for the guilty
Everyone, including even the extremely gullible, now realises the initial aims are unachievable. Now those involved, spend almost as much effort trying to pin the blame for its failure on others as working on the project and everyone is trying not to be the first to be sacked.
6. The clearout
With the key driver long gone, the blame now falls on the poor project leader (chosen for their enthusiasm not ability to deliver) And when they go, so goes all their expensive hyperbolic consultants and managers. The project goals are severely cut down to match reality, and the now cut-down and functional project team (led by engineering types) at last has some prospect of achieving the more realistic objectives (often bearing no resemblance to the original objectives, but only stated to be the same “project” so as to save face.
7. The Enquiry
Almost without exception, those who pushed the original unrealistic goals (e.g. politicians) have sloping shoulders and they know the best way to avoid taking the blame themselves is to lead the charge to pin the blame on others.
In the mud-slinging that ensues, the functional managers finally making progress usually haven’t a chance against the slick political types (who are really to blame). Dirty laundry is exposed.
8. The “it will never happen again”
Those most responsible now vow to never let the fiasco recur. They pin the blame on the last few good managers on the project, awarding them hugely inflated redundancy packages to keep quiet, so allowing the real culprits to remain in their high offices, who now cynically use the “example” of this failed and the appalling behaviour of the good managers to justify their next massively expensive project, with over hyped goals, etc.