People tell me they often know when a project is in trouble long before the project is openly declared a failure or out of control. They know it in different ways. Some get an intuition or hunch. Others feel it their bodies--a tight chest, frequent sighing, clenched fists, digestive tract irritations, or unexplained rashes. A few tell me they are able to associate their intuitions and body signals with certain behaviors they notice on projects. That is, when they see the behaviors, they know trouble is not far off.

While there are lots of behaviors that foretell project trouble, here are five that can make it difficult for you to manage day-to-day problems and opportunities effectively. Important project work can fall through the cracks and put your project at risk if these behaviors are allowed to persist.

Issue Logs Not Being Worked
High priority issues reported as open on issue logs week after week should always show up on your worry radar. Your worry radar lets you know when something important needs your attention. For some it is an intuition. Others keep a worry list on their whiteboard. A worry list can simply be a list of behaviors that cause you to take action immediately.

There can be many reasons why an issue remains open week after week, but it is wise to investigate as soon as you notice. Some of the reasons could include:

• The issue has not been assigned to anyone.
• The issue has been assigned, but the responsible person does not have the skill, experience, or resources to resolve it.
• The responsible person is overloaded with higher priority work.

Whatever the reasons are, if issue logs are not being worked, it points to a general lack of management attention. This leads one to question what else is not getting management attention.

Decision-making at the Wrong Level
The symptoms of this behavior can include:

• Decisions are not made at all.
• Decisions are made, then later reversed or ignored.
• Decisions are made, but followed by lots of grumbling and second-guessing at the water cooler.
• Decisions are eventually made, but the context has changed, rendering the decisions inappropriate.

The right level for decision-making is the lowest possible level. The lowest possible level is the level at which the decision-maker has the necessary information, contextual perspective, and organizational authority and responsibility to act. When decisions are pushed to a management level higher than necessary, people may be puzzled or disappointed with the result--a decision they do not like or no decision at all. When decisions are pushed too low, sometimes the decision-maker languishes and never actually decides anything, or makes a decision that no one supports.

Closed Human Communication
Communication is said to be closed when information can come in but not go out. Information is available, but some people on the project have the information they need and others do not. Some people are working with current information and others are using outdated information. Rumors seem to be a primary information source. Certain techniques help open up communication: consistent format for all status reports and issue logs; a communications clearinghouse manager who is responsible for making sure project information is consistent, accurate, current, and distributed quickly to the people who need it; and regular all-hands meetings during which accurate information is shared and current rumors are solicited and clarified.

Denial Instead of Solutions
Sometimes denial becomes the apparent solution method of choice. The most serious evidence of this is when you hear nothing at all about problems that you know exist. Still serious but less so are comments such as "It's not that serious," "No problem here," "They did it to us," "We can make that up, no sweat," "It will get better when. . . ." These kinds of comments imply something is wrong yet deny the impact or project it onto someone else.

If allowed to persist, denial can put your project at serious risk. Try summoning your courage during a project management meeting and say something like, "I don't think we should proceed until we talk about why we cannot talk about what is wrong with our project."

Progress Stated in Abstract Terms
Progress reports stated in terms of activity instead of progress worry me. When I read a progress report that says things like, "I worked on the eight ball module," "I attended a meeting," "I talked to Mr. Taylor," I want to say, "So what? What did you complete? What remains to be completed? When will the eight ball module be completed? Is there anything that can be completed ahead of schedule?"

Let's say that a work package has 20 tasks to be completed in 12 weeks. Ten tasks are completed in 8 weeks. Fifty percent complete, right? A status report says, "We should be able to catch up in the next 4 weeks." With only 4 weeks left, 10 tasks are due, yet the actual experience is that 10 tasks took 8 weeks. Why would anyone think the work package can be finished on time? Are the remaining 10 tasks that much easier? What if they are harder? Will people work overtime? Will resources be added? Exactly how will productivity be increased by 200 percent? The answer is what I would like to read in the status report.

More Foretelling Behaviors
For a more extensive list of behaviors that foretell project trouble, see my just-released book, Powerful Project Management, published by Management Concepts, Inc.

Wayne Strider is cofounder and vice president of Strider & Cline, Inc., an IT management consulting firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. He can be reached at waynestrider@worldnet.att.net. His website is www.striderandcline.com. © Copyright 2001 Wayne Strider