You know that your project is in trouble when ....

1. Your status spreadsheet is so complex that it is stretched across two wide screen monitors, and you still cannot see all the status columns.
2. Your project manager tells you that there is no time for planning.
3. You say that there is no time for planning. (You should wash your mouth out if you ever say this).
4. Your project manager thinks that sending cryptic directives to each team member through instant messaging is a substitute for a communication plan.
5. You are asked to fill out a status spreadsheet, and you first have to study the instructions before you can determine how to fill out the spreadsheet.
6. Project progress is measured in terms of "How many hours were you in the office over the weekend?"
7. Your project manager is astonished when you propose the use of a project plan.
8. Team members spend more time retaking decisions and double guessing decisions than executing the actions flowing from decisions taken.
9. Your project manager firmly believes that a giant "to-do" list eliminates the need for a project plan.

If you are working on a project that displays the above behaviours, then your project is in trouble. You need to stand firm and bring sanity to the situation as you apply your project management skills. Don't allow this behaviour to go unchallenged, because you know that the result will be sub-optimal. Project management can be summed up as "Plan the work, then work the plan". You can't work without a plan.