Signs That Your Project Is Going Off the Track

You are leading your company’s biggest and most visible project.

While the project started out with great fanfare, expectations are high and the pressure is mounting. Your internal and external stakeholders are pulling you in different directions, changing scope, and demanding more.

How do you know when the project is starting to get into serious trouble versus just hitting normal bumps in the road?

Based upon project post mortem feedback from hundreds of project leaders and team members, it is time to recalibrate immediately when you find:

1. The Slightest Bit of Goal Confusion. If there is any ambiguity between customers, management, project managers, and the project team regarding what they want to accomplish and why, the project risks derailment.
   
   
2. Debated or Unsigned Statement of Work. Project deliverables, scope, approach, assumptions, timing, or budget are not formalized or agreed to by key stakeholders.
   
   
3. Inadequate Resources. There are not enough resources to meet key project objectives within the identified project time, quality, and cost parameters. This also includes not having formal and authoritative project sponsorship.
   
   
4. Cost, Quality, Time, Scope Issues. If there is any slippage or potential to miss a deadline, deliverable, schedule, or target, you must face these problems early and often.

Projects really implode when project team leaders avoid difficult conversations, underestimate challenges, or fail to recalibrate with key stakeholders as circumstances change.