6.2Recurring problems (playbook)
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Reflex: one symptom = likely causes = a sequence of actions — diagnose before fixing.
- Root: a recurring overrun almost always comes from the same fundamentals (written scope, remaining work, risks, critical path, leadership).
- Order: start from the table's most frequent cause, then verify on your project before applying the rest.
Bilal thread — 1 year on: the playbook on the office wall
One year on, Bilal keeps this playbook near his dashboard. Verdict: three lines served him most — the scope swelling at every meeting, the schedule that never held, and the same mistakes returning for lack of review. For each, he ended up fixing the root (written included/excluded, effort told apart from duration, closure with review) instead of repeating the incident.
Observed symptom, verified causes, actions in order: the reflex holds in three steps.
One reflex per symptom
Most derailing projects fail for classic reasons. Linking each symptom to its likely causes and an action sequence saves precious time.
| Symptom | Likely causes | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| The project overflows (schedule/budget) for no clear reason | scope creep, never-written scope, small additions accepted on the fly | write included/excluded, set a change process (formalize, assess impact, decide) (L1.3, L3.3) |
| Problems discovered too late | rare or complacent tracking, felt-based progress | steer by remaining work, regular tracking ritual, earned value (SPI/CPI) (L3.1, L3.4) |
| The schedule never holds | optimistic estimates, effort confused with duration, ignored overloads | estimate at 3 points, tell effort/duration apart, smooth workload plan, reserve (L2.2, L2.5, L2.6) |
| A stakeholder derails the project | neglected influential stakeholder, ignored opponent | power/interest matrix, engagement strategy, listening to opponents, sponsor arbitration (L1.4, L5.2) |
| A task delay delays everything | task on the critical path, no identified float | identify the critical path, focus vigilance, crashing/fast tracking on critical tasks (L2.4) |
| The team is demobilized | fuzzy roles, no meaning, no recognition, control-based management | clarify roles/expectations, give meaning, recognize, empower (leadership) (L5.1) |
| Conflicts poison the project | untreated tensions, attacking people, negotiating on positions | intervene early, address the problem, seek interests, win-win (L5.2) |
| An agile project scatters everywhere | unprioritized backlog, no increment, too much WIP | value-prioritized backlog, usable increment per sprint, limit WIP (L4.2, L4.3, L4.4) |
| The same mistakes repeat project after project | botched closure, no review, no capitalization | close properly, run a blameless review, formalize and file lessons (L5.3) |
Ready-to-say script — name the symptom before fixing (1 min)
“My symptom: [overrun / late-discovered problem / schedule never holding]. My hypothesis #1: [the playbook's most frequent cause]. I verify on the project then apply the sequence. I review in two weeks.”
Copy-paste template — express diagnosis sheet
Observed SYMPTOM (facts and figures): ...
Since when / frequency: ...
Likely CAUSES (playbook 6.2): ...
Verification (written scope? remaining work? effort vs duration? risks?): ...
ACTIONS (in order): 1) ... 2) ... 3) ...
Targeted FUNDAMENTAL (scope, remaining work, risks, critical path, leadership, review): ...
REVIEW in 2 weeks: improved? stable? worse?...Small business / tight budget
No formal table: one symptom, one cause verified on the project, one noted fix.
Algeria SME
Include real constraints (short staffing, scarcely available suppliers, administrative lead times) in the causes before concluding a method problem.
Remote / hybrid
Add the information circuit to likely causes: at a distance, an unshared risk looks like no risk.
Cross-cultural
Verify scope and role understanding in writing before acting: apparent agreement can hide a misunderstanding.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Spot 1 current symptom in your project, fill the express diagnosis sheet and test the 1st action.
- I can link a symptom to its likely causes.
- I have filled (or scheduled) an express diagnosis sheet.
- I know the referral to the level to dig into for my case.
Bilal's project overflows for no clear reason, with small additions accepted orally. Which playbook reflex applies?
One same failure recurring is not ten incidents: it is a missing reflex to fix at the root (scope, write scope, steer by remaining work, anticipate risks, capitalize).