Lyaun Hay puts leadership and communication at the heart of project delivery
CanCham's August committee session examined why projects go off course and the role of clear objectives, stakeholder engagement and consistent oversight.
Clear objectives, capable leadership and effective communication took centre stage at CanCham's Urban Development Committee meeting on 7 August 2026, as consultant Lyaun Hay led a discussion on why projects fail and how to improve their delivery.
Held at Penh House Hotel, the session used real-world case studies and interactive discussion to examine the human and organisational problems behind project setbacks. Participants considered unclear objectives, weak leadership, poor communication and ineffective stakeholder engagement.
Keeping a project on course
The conversation also covered regular monitoring, evaluation and proactive risk management. These subjects shifted the focus from reacting to a problem after it appears to maintaining oversight throughout a project's life.
The themes are closely connected. Objectives give a team a shared direction; communication and stakeholder engagement help keep the people involved aligned; monitoring provides a way to check whether progress still matches the intended outcome. Together, they offer a useful way to understand why project delivery is a leadership responsibility as well as a technical task.
The interactive format allowed participants to explore these issues through cases rather than a list of tools alone. It placed teams, decisions and consistent attention to risk at the centre of the conversation.
CanCham thanked Hay for preparing and leading the discussion and Penh House Hotel for hosting the group. The meeting continued the committee's practical programme of exchanges on the challenges facing projects and businesses in Cambodia.
Source: CanCham Cambodia newsletter, September 2026, page 1.