It’s undisputed among project managers that the majority of project management is solving problems. So, what if you could identify problems before they became issues, would you do it?
Textbook project management says to rely on your dashboards, charts, and graphs because they will indicate where the problems are. Maintain the issue and risk logs and everything will be fine. All reports may be green, but they don’t recognize the disaster that’s already happening and hasn’t bubbled up to their charts and graphs.
I read somewhere that most disasters don’t come from incompetence, they come from politeness. What does that mean?
It means that team members know something is off:
- But they are afraid to speak up
- They don’t want to sound negative
- They don’t want to be the squeaky wheel
- They feel you are incompetent
What if you could learn about and address issues when they are small, before they grow into uncontrollable disasters.
The answer is to foster an open environment where team members will tell you the truth before it’s too late.
How do you do that? It’s easier than you think.
Begin by getting out of your office:
- Engage with your team on a personal level, talk to them
- Encourage communication to build trust
- Foster an open environment where problems can be discussed
- Allow sharing of ideas without fear of judgment
Conclusion
In the end, projects rarely fail because problems are invisible—they fail because those problems go unspoken. Dashboards and reports are useful tools, but they can only reflect what has already been acknowledged. The real warning signs live with the people doing the work every day and giving space for someone to say, “Hey, something feels off.”
By creating an environment built on trust, openness, and genuine communication, project managers can surface concerns early—while they are still small, manageable, and fixable. This requires stepping away from the screen, engaging directly with the team, and making it safe for everyone to speak honestly without fear of judgment or consequence.
When people feel heard, they speak up. And when they speak up, risks become visible, issues become manageable, and disasters become preventable.
See our post on Management by Wondering Around
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