Project slippage is a symptom, not the rude cause

Missed deadlines. Constant reprioritising. Unforeseen “surprises.” These aren’t just operational mishaps, but signals that deeper systems along human (inter-)communication aren’t aligned.

According to McKinsey, the root causes of project delays often stem from unclear roles, lack of cross-functional ownership, and low-quality communication, not the plan itself. Even in highly skilled teams, silent misalignment leads to visible derailment.

If your projects stall more often than you are comfortable with, it’s time to look at how well your people understand, challenge, and support each other across milestones.

Addressing the most urgent human skills issues (e.g. cybersecurity, flexible work, govt legislation) for decision makers, HR, People and Culture ,and operations managers.

These are just some of the issues we have identified.

Turnover/'Quiet Quitting'/Talent management 1 2 3 4 5 6
Remote teams/loneliness/communication with/back to office 1 2 3 4
Stress and mental health/resilience 1 2 3 4
Skills shortage 1 2 3
Transfer skills to their people/upskilling 1 2
Learning and development/human sustainability 1 2
DEI/Neurodiversity 1 2
Motivated staff/resilience 1 2
Planning for workforce of the future/competition for talent/succession planning 1 2
Psychosocial hazards 1

These are sourced from articles and white papers issued by DLPA, Gartner, Randstad, Robert Half, Deloitte, Fast Company, Culture Amp, Gallup, MyBusiness, UCL School of Management, HRM, and the University of Melbourne.

For further insights on cultivating high-performing teams and embedding psychological safety into your organisational culture, connect with Rebooter Group's Human Psychological Safety and Performance specialists.