Did you know that according to the Standish Group CHAOS Report, only 31% of projects succeed, while 52% face serious challenges and 17% fail outright? (source: Standish Group, CHAOS Report 2020). The numbers are brutal and yet, many failures could be predicted early if project managers, sponsors, or teams recognized the warning signs; but let’s focus on PM… I’m writing all as Project Manager for other Project Managers:)
Failure doesn’t just “happen” overnight. It usually creeps in slowly: through disengaged teams, unclear roles, silent meetings, and endless delays. The good news? If you can spot these signs early, you can take action before it’s too late.
So… how will you know that your project is on the edge of failure? Let’s break it down!
1) Team Has No Energy
The team is just going through the motions. Meetings are filled with silence. No one talks about the future of the project, the scope, or even what needs to be done next.
Sure, tasks might still get delivered (if you’re lucky), but without energy, collaboration, and ownership, you’ll constantly fight to define scope and ensure everything that matters actually gets done.
Good luck with that kind of team!
2) Roles and responsibilities are unclear
This one has been haunting me recently. In international environment, where people come from different countries, different corporate cultures, and of course different definitions of roles.
You may call someone a Scrum Master, Business Analyst, or Project Manager but it’s still unclear who does what. Add in role overlap, bias from past environments, and suddenly… chaos.
Unclear roles = misaligned expectations = big trouble.
3) Project Sponsor is not involved
Let’s be brutally honest here: if your sponsor doesn’t find the project valuable, it will fail.
As a PM, you don’t have the authority to release budget, allocate resources, or push project priority up the chain. You may fight for it (like I did many times), but after years of experience I’ll tell you: if the sponsor isn’t engaged, your energy is better spent elsewhere.
Go back to basics: Why do we want this project? and Who really cares about the outcome?
If you can’t answer that you’re already in trouble.
4) The Project Has Low Priority
If your project is at the bottom of the organizational portfolio, prepare yourself: every email reply, every resource request, every deliverable will take forever…
Fast forward six months, you may literally have nothing. Fast forward eight months, your project may be quietly suspended or simply closed.
Sad but true.
5) The difficult customer
By “customer” I mean the one who orders the work, whether it’s internal or external.
Some customers act like they’re superhuman experts who know everything better than team. They monologue in meetings, reject data-driven decisions, and resist any suggestions.
In this scenario, failure often gets hidden. Officially, everything looks fine but in reality, everyone knows: the project failed.
6) Dysfunctional project board
On paper, a project board looks like a blessing… people with strong positions making strategic decisions. In reality? If their personal goals outweigh project goals, you’re in for serious trouble.
Instead of making decisions, they’ll overcomplicate, delay, and request unnecessary consultations. The board should enable decisions, not paralyze them.
If the board doesn’t see or prioritize project goals → your project is heading straight for failure.
7) No big picture
Yes, you’re delivering. But is it valuable?
You may be shipping software, but if it is not valuable for users…. Doesn’t generate sales or capture market potential, what’s the point? Metrics can help, but only if you’re measuring the right things.
Delivering without value = wasted effort = project failure.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the early warning signs. The truth is, I could add many more to this list (and maybe you have some of your own?).
But the real question is: what do you do when you recognize you’re in one of these situations? Should I write a follow-up blog post on practical steps you can take when failure is creeping in?
Let me know at karolina@pmchallenges.pro or on my social media @pmchallenges or my linkedin.