13 Complacency

Complacency is defined as a lack of awareness of actual deficiencies or dangers. In project management, complacency is the inability to recognize potential risks to project success.

The Sin

Like heart disease in human beings, complacency is a common “silent killer” of projects. Generally, there are no warning signs that it is about to occur—or is already occurring—on the project. Project managers can easily be lured into complacency without even realizing it. Thus, this sin often goes unrecognized until it’s too late.

Complacency most often occurs when everything is going great on a project—ahead of schedule, under budget, and meeting the client’s expectations. When things are going well, the project manager can be lured into feeling invincible. Pleased that the team is performing at a high level and feeling like nothing can go wrong on the project, the project manager can lose focus and concentration on the potential risks that may lie in wait. When a project leader puts down her guard and becomes complacent about how the project is progressing, unforeseen risks can rear their ugly heads and negatively affect the project.

Not only can complacency lead to thousands, possibly millions, of dollars being lost on a project, but it can also have long-term effects on the organization. For example, when a project is running smoothly and then all of a sudden takes a nose dive, the negative impact on the morale of the project team, as well as the organization, can be devastating. The results can include high turnover, lack of trust in the project’s and the organization’s leadership, increased administrative and project oversight requirements, closer scrutiny by executive leadership, and high stress levels for anyone willing to take on the role of project manager.

A Case of Complacency

One of the areas where complacency often occurs on a project is in the identification and management of stakeholders. Some years ago I was managing a large construction engagement that was progressing smoothly with very few problems and none to be seen on the horizon. It was at the point when we thought everything was going as well as it possibly could that an unforeseen risk jumped up and stopped the project dead in its tracks. Apparently, the project team had overlooked an environmental activist group in the stakeholder identification process and had therefore not considered this potential risk to the project. Suddenly, this group was able to halt all work on the project until its needs and concerns had been addressed.

Our complacency led to thousands of dollars in delays and legal fees on the project, causing the project to be delivered behind schedule and over budget. Complacency had led the project team to think that everything was golden and nothing could go wrong. The team lost focus and didn’t see the risk coming until it was too late.

Danger Signs

Complacency is the silent killer of projects. Generally, the team’s complacency is not recognized and an issue arises with no forewarning. Once a project manager realizes that the project is in trouble, it is often too late to take corrective action. If there is any warning sign for the project manager, it is when everything is going great on the project and it seems that nothing can go wrong. When this happens, the project manager should be on the highest alert for any risks that may have been overlooked or new risks that may occur.

Tips for Confronting Complacency

Be alert and stay focused on every aspect of your project, particularly when things are going well.

Constantly re-evaluate the identified risks to the project and investigate whether any new risks have arisen since the last review period.

Examine and report the project’s status, even when the project has no significant issues.

Consider having an independent party review or audit the project. Sometimes we get so close to the project that we can’t anticipate problems until it’s too late.