Sometimes business requirements truly change because of some change external to the project; then again there are times where a business user simply can’t make up his/her mind on what is needed creating frustration with team members.

Question to ask: What is the degree of confidence on each requirement? If not 100%, what will it take to get it to 100%?

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If a consultant is actively proposing on a project he could get overly optimistic when articulating benefits to secure the work.

Question to ask: What’s the math behind the expected benefits and what assumptions were being made in the benefit calculation?

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Each steering committee member at the table needs to feel some pain of the as-is and be materially impacted by the solution.

Question to ask: Is each steering committee member materially impacted by the solution, and do they feel the benefit of its success, and the pain of the as-is?

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The sponsor needs to ensure that the expected benefits support the cost of getting the project done. Ideally a financial analyst develops and certifies the cost/benefit analysis.

Question to ask: Is there a clear cost/benefit analysis that is updated at key project milestones to ensure project makes financial sense to do?

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The project sponsor needs to own decision-making where the project team needs direction. Failing to do so can stall the project or force the project team to make the decision themselves in spirit of keeping the project moving forward.

Question to ask: Is the sponsor driving a list of key decisions needing to be made with clear consequence if a decision is not made by a specific date?

See all 100 lessons in Six-Word Lessons to Avoid Project Disaster.