What makes an analogy break?
An analogy transfers understanding from a familiar situation to an unfamiliar one. Calling a project a relay race highlights handovers, but it can hide the fact that several people may work at once. The comparison becomes more useful when you name both the shared relationship and the important difference.
Go deeper
Compare the structure, not just the appearance
A relay race provides a simple way to discuss project handovers. One person passes responsibility to another, and a poor transfer can disrupt the result.
But projects may involve parallel work, repeated feedback and changing goals. A relay normally follows a fixed sequence and a defined course.
An analogy is a reasoning aid, not evidence that two situations obey identical rules. Its strength comes from the relationship it captures.
When using one, state the specific feature being compared. Then identify where the comparison stops helping. This prevents a memorable image from carrying more weight than it deserves and makes it easier to keep the useful part without importing unrelated assumptions.