Play audio-only episode | Play video episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window. Episode Summary Subtle problems often start long before a project shows obvious signs of distress. Leaders feel the pressure to deliver momentum, teams shift toward activity over outcomes, and stakeholders slowly fade as competing priorities pull them away. In this conversation, Matthew Oleniuk brings his experience from overseeing large public sector projects and highlights seven early indicators that signal when a project is heading toward trouble. He explains why these issues are easy to ignore, how they quietly compound over time, and why strong leadership vigilance matters more than any dashboard color. He also describes how patterns like output beating outcome, performance theater, and risk box ticking show up in real projects and why they are so harmful when left unchallenged.

The Project Management Podcast

[email protected] (Cornelius Fichtner)

Episode 543: Catch Project Trouble Early and Protect Your Delivery

DEC 6, 2025-1 MIN
The Project Management Podcast

Episode 543: Catch Project Trouble Early and Protect Your Delivery

DEC 6, 2025-1 MIN

Description

<div class="feed-description"><p> <a title="To download: Right click here and select 'Save as...' or 'Save target as...'" target="_blank" href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_543_2025_12_06_Catch_Project_Trouble_Early.mp3">Play audio-only episode</a> | <a title="To download: Right click here and select 'Save as...' or 'Save target as...'" target="_blank" href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_543_2025_12_06_Catch_Project_Trouble_Early.mp4">Play video episode</a> | <a title="Watch it on YouTube" target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/0zdI4p4yc9Q">Play on YouTube</a> | <a title="Watch it on Spotify" target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5D0w3WzlYV6cjN677T0a5J?si=cOCcVxIzT4662qtpqUfWGQ">Play on Spotify</a> </p> <p> Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window. </p> <p align="center"> <video width="100%" controls="controls" preload="none" poster="https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/f/2/e/7/f2e7a0d37ea38b8516c3140a3186d450/PM_Podcast_543_2025_12_06_Catch_Project_Trouble_Early.jpg"><source src="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_543_2025_12_06_Catch_Project_Trouble_Early.mp4" type="video/mp4" /></video> </p> <h2>Episode Summary</h2> <p> Subtle problems often start long before a project shows obvious signs of distress. Leaders feel the pressure to deliver momentum, teams shift toward activity over outcomes, and stakeholders slowly fade as competing priorities pull them away. In this conversation, Matthew Oleniuk brings his experience from overseeing large public sector projects and highlights seven early indicators that signal when a project is heading toward trouble. He explains why these issues are easy to ignore, how they quietly compound over time, and why strong leadership vigilance matters more than any dashboard color. He also describes how patterns like output beating outcome, performance theater, and risk box ticking show up in real projects and why they are so harmful when left unchallenged. </p> </div>