By Shawn D. Belling, Ed.D., PMP, PMI-ACP, CSP, RS@SP
Even the best-planned projects can go off the rails. Timelines slip. Scope creeps. Stakeholders disengage. Too often, as I’ve seen repeatedly across industries and project types, these signs are ignored until the project is in trouble. The good news? Troubled projects can be recovered–if we’re willing to assess with honesty, respond with strategy, and act with courage.
After more than three decades in IT, engineering, and professional services, and teaching project management at universities and companies, I’ve come to believe that project recovery is less about heroics and more about discipline, clarity, and communication.
What Signals Trouble?
There are common red flags that often signal a project is headed for trouble:
- Scope creep with no accompanying budget or timeline changes.
- Sponsor dissatisfaction or disengagement.
- Earned value metrics (CPI, SPI) far from baseline.
- Anecdotal warnings from stakeholders: “I hear your project is in trouble.”
- Lack of progress despite what the team’s timesheets say.
Agile projects have their own signals: missed sprint commitments, team dysfunction, backlog neglect, and lack of product owner involvement. If these sound familiar, it’s time to pause and evaluate.
Root Causes: Start at the Beginning
Trouble doesn’t always start in the execution phase. Often, the seeds are sown earlier:
- Initiation: Was the charter incomplete? Were the right stakeholders consulted? Is the sponsor clear and committed?
- Planning: Were risks assessed? Resources properly allocated? Dependencies understood?
- Execution: Are metrics tracked and monitored? Are changes managed well?
In one recent scenario, an AI-powered scheduling project in healthcare hit resistance from clinicians and compliance teams because the charter had never been finalized, and no one had engaged them early on. In another, a cloud migration failed midstream due to absent risk planning and no contingency for data loss.
Assessing the Situation
Project recovery starts with structured, phase-by-phase assessment:
- Go back to the early stages: Is the foundation sound?
- Examine planning artifacts: Are they realistic? Were they followed?
- Review executing controls: Is progress measurable and visible?
- Evaluate the team’s engagement and morale: Are they part of the problem—or the solution?
Responding with Tactics
Recovery options vary. Recovery planning may require:
- Revising scope, schedule, or team composition.
- Creating a recovery charter that defines the new path forward.
- Changing leadership—including, sometimes, the project manager or sponsor.
- Switching methodologies (e.g., moving from waterfall to Agile, or vice versa).
- In extreme cases, cancellation—a courageous choice that preserves organizational credibility.
One case study I share in my classes involved a SaaS HR system rollout where no actual hours or costs had been tracked. Without data, stakeholders were in the dark. The recovery plan included immediate time-tracking implementation, schedule reforecasting, and sponsor re-engagement—ultimately salvaging delivery.
In another case, a complex vendor-managed e-commerce upgrade imploded because the sponsor had a hidden agenda: proving vendor partnerships could work despite evidence to the contrary. Strong contracts were in place—but the unwillingness to enforce them hamstrung the recovery. We eventually terminated the vendor, rebuilt in-house, and delivered success the long way around.
Project recovery is not about assigning blame or pulling off miracles. It’s about understanding root causes, engaging stakeholders, and making decisions with transparency and resolve. It’s also about knowing when to stop. A good project manager knows how to deliver. A great one knows when to walk away—and how to do so without leaving scars on the team or the organization.
A Final Thought
Projects fail. It happens. But when they do, we’re offered an opportunity—not just to recover the project, but to build better processes, stronger teams, and deeper organizational trust.
In the end, it’s not just about getting back on track. It’s about learning how not to derail again.