Discussion on:

10 ways to minimize the pain of killing a project

A lot of great innovations and progress have come after many failures. In this case, the author suggests building in, up front, the possibility that things may very well not work out. This is a matter of managing expectations and attitudes. For sure, you want to take calculated or educated risks; but a risk is just that, a risk (not a guarantee). I think the author is giving very good advice here.