Hey Reader,

Most project failures aren’t technical problems.

They’re human problems.

The team is capable. The plan is solid. The budget exists. But something’s off. And by the time you realise what it is, you’re three months deep and the damage is done.

I’ve seen it happen dozens of times.

A delivery lead notices their stakeholders keep saying yes in meetings but nothing changes afterwards. Another one realises their sponsor has gone silent, they’re not removing obstacles anymore, just approving status reports. A third discovers the team is working harder but moving slower because nobody actually agreed on what success looks like.

These aren’t edge cases. They’re patterns.

And they’re visible right now, on your project. If you know what to look for.

The Five Signs

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been distilling years of delivery experience into five observable signals, things you can see happening in real time, not months later when it’s too late.

These aren’t vague gut feelings. They’re specific, concrete indicators that something’s about to break.

Sign 1: People Keep Saying “Yes” But Acting Like “No”

Stakeholders agree in meetings. But nothing changes afterwards. Decisions don’t stick. You’re having the same conversations repeatedly.

Sign 2: Key People Are Constantly Unavailable

The people you need are always in other meetings or travelling. Decisions take weeks. Review cycles keep slipping. The people who matter just aren’t available.

Sign 3: You’re Getting Contradictory Direction From Different Stakeholders

The sponsor wants one thing. The end users want another. The ops team is pushing a third direction. You’re caught in the middle changing course constantly.

Sign 4: The Team Is Working Harder But Moving Slower

Velocity is dropping, not rising. Rework is increasing. Dependencies are growing. The team feels stuck, even though they’re putting in the effort.

Sign 5: The Sponsor Isn’t Removing Obstacles. You Are.

When blockers come up, you’re the one problem-solving them. The sponsor isn’t actively clearing the path. You’re building workarounds instead of getting real solutions.

​Take the Assessment​

Here’s what I want you to do right now:

Go through your current project. Which of these five signs are you actually seeing?

You might not be seeing all of them. Maybe it’s just one. Maybe it’s three.

But here’s the thing, if you’re seeing any of them, that’s information. Important information.

1-2 signs? You’re in the early warning zone. You have time to course-correct.

3 or more? You need to act now. This project is at risk.

I’ve built a simple assessment you can complete in two minutes: https://pmwy-5-signs.netlify.app/​

It’ll show you where you stand.

What Comes Next

Starting next week, I’m going deep on each sign.

Week 1 will unpack Sign #1 — what it really means when people say yes but act like no, and why it happens.

Week 2 through Week 4 will follow the same pattern, one sign per week, how to spot it and what to actually do about it.

But don’t wait for next week.

Take the assessment today. Find out where your project really stands.

Then when we go deep on each sign, you’ll know which ones matter most for you.

Project failures don’t surprise you.

They announce themselves.

But only if you’re paying attention to the right signals.

The five signs I’ve outlined above? Those are the signals worth watching.

You can’t fix what you don’t see. But you can absolutely prevent a failure if you see it coming.

So look. Assess. Then decide what to do next.

Praying you have a blessed week.

Yom

P.S. If you’re seeing multiple signs on your current project, don’t ignore it. Reply to this email. Tell me which ones. I want to know what you’re dealing with, it helps me know what to focus on in the series ahead.

​​​