Right from the outset, every project will have a mix of red and green flags. Identifying them is critical – plus a healthy dose of instinct and critical thinking skills to understand what the flags are signalling.
Project lore says that the first four-to-six weeks of any project are the most important. If you don’t set yourself up for a good start, the likelihood of failure is far greater. We’re advocates of the Set Up For Success Review: a forward-looking process that allows you to stop and check if you’re on the right track, and course-correct if required.
However, in our experience there is important work that can and should be done to assess the likelihood of project success well before the all-important Set Up Review. As soon as the project initiation phase – and even beforehand, when you are deciding whether or not to move forward with this particular project, at this particular time – project leads can scan the environment for what we might call red and green flags.
It’s a process that requires a certain level of critical thinking skills, rather than tools, templates and checklists. The answers you’re seeking here are often not straightforward or even clear, and will likely demand you have a more nuanced understanding of the context and the judgment to navigate ambiguity.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common red and green flag situations you’re likely to come across at the outset of your project, and strategies to assess and manage them.
Flag #1: Connectedness of vision, strategy, scope and execution
Green flag: The project has a solid vision and strategy with enough detail to both meet the desired high-level outcomes as well as deal with the day-to-day realities of project execution. The project scope has the right inclusions and exclusions.
Red flag: The vision and strategy sound good in theory, but there’s too much ambiguity for you to connect it to a workable execution strategy. There are critical elements missing from the scope, or it’s overwhelmed with inclusions that aren’t required.
How to assess for flags: When you’re reviewing the project documentation, play a simplified version of the Six Thinking Hats game. You really only need two hats here – black and white. Spend some time thinking through all the elements that are critical to the project’s success in the business case, paying particularly close attention to the key assumptions. What will happen if they’re not true? What’s the likelihood of them happening? Are the right things in and out of scope?
If you start to get the sense that your business case has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese, it’s time to pause and reassess what you’re doing.
Flag #2: Level of project sponsorship
Green flag: Your project has sponsorship at the appropriate level (i.e. executive level if it’s going to have a business-wide impact, or maybe a department head if it’s more contained) and the sponsor is ready and willing to support your progress, deal with any challenges and advocate for the project.
Red flag: Sponsorship is not at the appropriate level and/or the sponsor is not properly engaged. You have the sense that they’re not going to be there to move roadblocks for you, or make the time to promote the change and align the leadership team.
How to assess for flags: Set up one-on-one time with the sponsor and use the opportunity to listen to what they’re saying. Are they enthusiastic, or is their attitude more non-committal? Non-verbal cues matter, too. If your sponsor keeps moving the meeting or doesn’t have time to meet with you at all, you’re not going to have much hope of enlisting their support when you really need them – which you will.
Flag #3: Resourcing
Green flag: The project has sufficient resourcing or access to resourcing – not only now, but throughout the execution phase.
Red flag: The project does not have sufficient resourcing allocated. You don’t have enough money or time to bring in the help you need, or there isn’t enough enthusiasm internally for people to share their resources with you.
How to do it: Get out those critical thinking skills and consider not only what you need right now, but what you’re going to need down the track (and importantly, when). If you have one, lean on your EPMO to get a better understanding of dependencies and sequencing with other organisational projects so you know what’s available to you and when.
Turning flags into action
No matter how well set-up your project, you’re likely to uncover one or more red flags. Their presence doesn’t necessarily mean you should back away from the project. One or two small red flags may be tolerable with minor corrective action; six or seven large flags – perhaps not.
It’s also worth remembering that even with the most finely honed critical thinking skills, you won’t necessarily have all the answers. The capability to assess and balance risk and reward will always be valuable in the world of project delivery.
For more seasoned project managers, the ability to decipher what the flags are telling you may be a natural instinct. For those with less experience, the support of a strategic, active EPMO – where thinking and doing are equally prioritised – will be an important support when it comes to assessing scope, identifying portfolio impacts and replanning as required.
Ultimately, red and green flags are just that – a warning sign, rather than a guarantee of success or failure. However, learning to read them as part of the bigger picture will help you make more informed decisions early on, navigate potential landmines within the business and increase the likelihood of a good project outcome.
Quay Consulting is a professional services business specialising in the project landscape, transforming strategy into fit-for-purpose delivery. Meet our team or reach out to find out more about how Quay Consulting can help your organisation, please contact us.
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