What got you here will keep getting you here — unless you stop to figure out why it’s happening in the first place. When a project goes off the rails, it’s tempting to focus on the urgent: fix the immediate issues to get things back on track. But unless you uncover the root cause and address it, you’re simply setting the stage for future failures.
Failed projects are more than missed deadlines or budgets. They erode trust, drain resources, and embed inefficiencies. And recovery isn’t just about damage control; it’s an opportunity to realign priorities, strengthen foundations, and build a playbook for sustainable success. Addressing root causes during recovery sets the tone to prevent similar challenges across your entire portfolio.
Why projects fail
On the surface, most failed projects struggle because of issues like unclear objectives, poor planning, scope creep, or weak sponsorship. But these are just symptoms of deeper problems. So ignoring those root causes doesn’t fix the problem, it just delays the next failure.
