One of the most dangerous phrases in project delivery is:
“The project is green.”
Green status usually means reporting is compliant.
It rarely means the project is under control.
I’ve seen projects where:
- Schedules were technically achievable
- Risks were documented and reviewed
- Governance forums met religiously
And yet — everyone in the room knew something wasn’t right.
The problem wasn’t visibility.
It was ownership.
On complex, public-facing projects, reporting often becomes a shield. It reassures stakeholders while quietly disconnecting them from the decisions that actually matter.
I’ve written before about why projects don’t fail quietly, and how hesitation compounds under pressure.
Green reporting can delay discomfort — but it doesn’t remove risk. It just defers it.
By the time status turns amber or red, options are usually gone. What follows is recovery theatre: workshops, re-baselines, and explanations that arrive too late to matter.
That’s why experienced project managers stop asking:
“What’s the status?”
And start asking:
“What decision are we avoiding because it will turn the status amber?”
Control shows up early:
- When scope is confronted, not deferred
- When risk is acted on, not logged
- When someone is willing to own an uncomfortable call before it’s forced
Green status keeps everyone calm today.
Control is what keeps the project standing tomorrow.
Ben Webb — Project Manager
AIPM Australian Project Manager of the Year (2022)
https://benwebb.au
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