I think that instead of negatively reinforcing being "quixotic"(overly idealistic) and stumbling when taking on a complex project, let's positively reinforce the fact that they had the fucking balls to try.
In future, people will be able to use this project (including it's shortcomings) as a learning tool.
Kudos to the team for biting off more than they could chew, for now we all have a better of idea of what size bite to go for next time.