Let’s start with the feelings, because this is a tough situation. It feels bad. Even if your team understands and accepts the reason for the cancellation—even if you all agree!—it’s jarring to suddenly drop the plans and milestones you’ve built. You all might feel like the work you’ve done has been for nothing. If you weren’t part of the decision to cancel, it can feel like a personal failure. You might feel angry, disappointed, and cheated or resent that a change that affects you so much has happened in a room you weren’t in. This may be a legitimate complaint: if managers make big technical
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