I've been a project manager since 1983 and a supervisor or manager since 1977, so I've had a little bit of time to observe project related issues.  For your use or amusement, I've put together a list of project failure warning signs that seem to be, in no particular order of priority, pretty common.  Judging from the constant stream of e-mails I get from around the world, these warning signs seem to pop up in numerous countries, projects and industries!

For simplification, I included a few items which also apply to financial, sales organization or program management failure warning signs.

"Instant Amnesia" and "Da Nial Ain't In Egypt"

People suddenly can't remember anything or want to own anything.

• WARNING SIGN:  Executives can remember every detail of their "big idea" the PM is trying to execute, but conveniently forget when reminded about problems like "there's not enough money" to pay for that big idea!
• WARNING SIGN:  Executives say "I don't remember that" when told "we briefed this before" (you don't need to go to WebMD to diagnose this problem as "instant amnesia", a tragic disease which strikes hesitant decision makers).
• WARNING SIGN:  Executives and middle managers trying not to look at problems and mistaking "denial" for "da Nile."
  • • Let me explain it to those folks one more time:
      • "Da Nile" has three pyramids and a  sphinx sitting next to it;
      • "Denial" is the curtain managers like to pull over the truth about their project's problems
      
      
• WARNING SIGN:  Executives stop calling it "my project" and start referring to it as "your project" or "(PM)'s project"
• WARNING SIGN:   "You're now in charge of it" is your new term of address from management

Project Cost

The proposal writer uses a reality-defying "magic calculator"

How do you decide on a project price during the sales cycle without asking for a PM or analyst "reality check" to see if the work can actually be done as proposed within the price?  You can't and expect the project to be on time or on budget.

• WARNING SIGN:  No PERT estimate completed prior to giving the price quotation to the customer
• WARNING SIGN:  Heavy discounting by sales or executives to get the project with no outside (read no PM) validation
• WARNING SIGN:  Sales representative gives you a blank look, argues, walks away or outright refuses when you ask for his calculations which support his price

The Long Ranger Rides Again!

Even the customer knows when you're running the hide off your labor force.

The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Yogi Bear had Boo-Boo, Quick Draw McGraw had Baba-Looey, so why do so many PMs run projects without adequate staff to help track issues, research solutions to problems, conduct risk analyses, mark up schedules on a daily basis and so forth?

• WARNING SIGN:  PM working alone with no dedicated resources
• WARNING SIGN:  PM does not have an analyst to complete analytical or testing tasks
• WARNING SIGN:  PM tasked to use a matrix staff, but multiple managers or executives can divert project team members to other tasks regardless of project impact
• WARNING SIGN:  No project expediters (read "grunts") to do low-level project tasks, even on a billable basis!
• WARNING SIGN:  The customer observes the resource issues and tells executives they need to fix the problem.
  

No Sale!

Have you ever seen a CEO or sales staff who can't sell?

Very few PMs receive commissions on the project statements of work or change orders, so why are they expected to bring in the sales for the company?

• WARNING SIGN:  PM asked to make sales pitch to client instead of sale representative
• WARNING SIGN:  PM asked to sell change order to client without sales support
• WARNING SIGN:  Rapid turnover of sales people
• WARNING SIGN:  Staff notices executives are not closing deals to bring in sales themselves, but relying totally on sales staff.  (Shorthand:  What's so wrong that the CEO can't bring in new business?)
• WARNING SIGN:  Previous customers won't see sales people even when offering to bring the PM along
• WARNING SIGN:  Sales people do not stop in at clients just to THANK them for the current work; they only visit the customer to make sales calls

Arrogance rules!

Look out for the backbiting and sniping all around you.

Tact and diplomacy seem to be found only at the State Department.

• WARNING SIGN:  The client staff argues amongst themselves in front of vendors
• WARNING SIGN:  The client staff publicly ridicules its sponsors and decision makers
• WARNING SIGN:  People who enter and leave the project sporadically are seen as "all knowing"
  • aka "The seagulls who fly in out of nowhere, [commit an act which creates manure] half-baked solutions, and fly out again to nowhere, leaving you with nothing useful" (credit for the warning sign:  a very wise chief master sergeant at Edwards AFB CA circa 1991 who shall remain anonymous)
  • aka "Why aren't you just doing _____?"
  • aka "Well, that doesn't sound hard..."
• WARNING SIGNS:  Weekly reports and meetings upon meetings abound to satisfy disengaged managers' sudden and directed interest
• WARNING SIGN:  In state and local consulting, the (governor's) (commissioner's)(some other grand poo-bah's) name is mentioned often for emphasis
• WARNING SIGN:  Someone who's not a project manager recommends discarding PM practices and using a task list on a Post-It or something similar, often called "PM Light"
• WARNING SIGN:  You receive e-mail(s) from someone not on your project telling you how to run your project

2 + 2 = 17 !

The numbers do not add up even if you use a child's abacus!

A lot of folks pay lip service to resource management, but have no idea what they're talking about or doing.

• WARNING SIGN:  No one listens or responds positively when the PM notes the price or estimate is unrealistic
• WARNING SIGN:  Nothing is reserved in the pricing or resources for contingency costs
• WARNING SIGN:  Nothing is reserved in the pricing or resources for risk mitigation
• WARNING SIGN:  No one accepts the concept of a 40 hour work week or 2080 hour man-year or even the concept that people get sick, take vacations, have to run their baby to the doctor or are otherwise not available full-time every week
• WARNING SIGN:  The basic elements of the pricing equation are not used on each and every task:

Price = (direct cost+indirect cost+overhead+profit)

Mao didn't have the only "Long March"

The project has to get done no matter what so long as the profit margin is preserved.

Management underestimated the cost of a project, mis-stated the technical difficulties or failed to accept risk mitigation, so a "death march" is used to get the job done.

• WARNING SIGN:  Additional resources are unavailable for the life of the project
• WARNING SIGN:  Overtime is out of control, exceeding fifteen per cent of the average worker's 40 hour work week
• WARNING SIGN:  Management has no idea how to get overtime under control
• WARNING SIGN:  Management dictates continued overtime for more than three weeks to make up  for lack of resources
• WARNING SIGN:  Management rejects any effort to bring overtime under control
• WARNING SIGN:  Multiple employees from organizations participating in your project are exploring or participating in union organization activities of the workplace due to uncontrolled overtime (No offense meant--I come from a union organizer's family!)
• WARNING SIGN:  Management screams at workers despite "hostile work environment" litigation potential

What risk?  There's no risk here!

Due diligence keeps you out of trouble and lawsuits!

This problem area is just one of the reasons why I believe project managers should be licensed professionally just like civil engineers, architects, surveyors, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, certified public accountants and lawyers. 

• WARNING SIGN:  Client dictates solution based on emotion or advertising
• WARNING SIGN:  Client rejects advice, mandates solution, but not asked to sign a hold harmless agreement
• WARNING SIGN:  A finished product is specified in the contract (even though you need to develop it first), yet the contract doesn't say it's a developmental effort!
• WARNING SIGN:  Senior managers mark up "reds" to "yellows" and "yellows" to "greens" on status briefing slides
• WARNING SIGN:  The only information senior managers want to see is on a quad chart

Where's your project plan?

While project plans are important, they are not the same as "project management".

When over-emphasis is put on one problem area like schedules or briefing charts, other overlooked problems are lurking elsewhere in the project, but it all boils down to a lack of following accepted global project management practices.

• WARNING SIGN:  Overemphasis on producing or updating Gantt charts and other illustrations; but little emphasis on other PMBOK tools like risk assessments
• WARNING SIGN:  No project documentation until the week before the Project Management Review (PMR)--as if any smart executive can't tell that these things were just put together in the last couple of days
• WARNING SIGN:  Spreadsheets, quad charts and items of vogue that take priority over resolving project issues
• WARNING SIGN:  Version after version after version of briefings are created to communicate project information rather than just presenting a straight-forward business problem and solution.

I'll take a booth without a cell phone!

How many times have you gone to supper or lunch and someone--even you--has to take a cell phone call about a project?  Probably more than you want to admit.

You know these clowns; they're in every organization, but executives thing they're fabulous.

• WARNING SIGN:  People keep cell phones, e-mail, PDAs, pagers on in meetings and leap up like Superman to respond when something comes in on one or the other
• WARNING SIGN:  Someone's cell phone bill goes higher each month as the project progresses
• WARNING SIGN:  Every little decision requires multiple cell or conference calls

Don't bother me with details!

Projects, by their very nature, have a lot of details, most of which interlock with each other and very few can be ignored by managers when trying to understand project issues.

Every project is built of many small pieces, but how many times do you hear nothing is important except the big things?  Think about this:  Fasteners are small things, but awfully important to keeping your airplane or car working in one piece!

• WARNING SIGN:  You're told, "Keep it short" which is shorthand for "Catch me up fast, I'm on my way to learn about the next fire that I don't know anything  know about"
• WARNING SIGN:  You're told your communications are too long which is shorthand for "I only need to know enough to cover my [posterior]"
• WARNING SIGN:   "Just do it" or "Just get it done" is heard on a frequent occasion
• WARNING SIGN:  In reengineering projects, existing issues or core problems are not dealt with, but the reengineering staff is marginalized or denigrated
• WARNING SIGN:  PMs operating in crisis are seen by managers as more engaged than those whose projects are quietly under control

What layoffs?

You survive a layoff, your project is on track, but you're worried things are bad in the cash room.

Virtually every organization's layoff has financial problems at its core.

• WARNING SIGN:  Multiple, consecutive layoffs
• WARNING SIGN:  Managers are in denial but you know the company is in financial or sales trouble
• WARNING SIGN:  Invisible management
• WARNING SIGN:  Reimbursements take longer and longer to come back to you
• WARNING SIGN:  Clients take longer than usual to make purchase decisions
• WARNING SIGN:  There are no new customers
• WARNING SIGN:  The firm fires the project team as soon as the project is delivered.
  

The Out-of-Towner speaks:  Distance means credibility

You're the PM closest to the work at hand, but your manager takes the word of someone at a distant location as "more credible".

You hear very faint strains of "March of the Clowns" in your mind as the "out of towner" speaks.

• WARNING SIGN:  The out of towner has huge credibility with your boss, but hasn't looked at a single document related to the project's requirements or solution
• WARNING SIGN:  The out of owner declines your offer to provide any and all project documentation by e-mail for his review and comment within the next few business days
  
• WARNING SIGN:  The out of towner refuses your tactful and diplomatic invitation to attend a program management review or technical interchange meeting at your location so his ideas and comments can be vetted by the project team in front of your manager
• WARNING SIGN:  Your manager is not concerned that the out of towner won't air his ideas and comments in an on-site program management review or technical interchange meeting
• WARNING SIGN:  Your manager doesn't share his e-mail or phone calls with the out of towner, but claims that person is right

DISCLAIMER:

The above lessons are not based on any one person or company, but rather reflect a mosaic built from my observations in over 29 years of project management.  Of course, if you're guilty of one of these lessons, you're probably seeing yourself here, and getting ticked off at me!