Project reviews are carried out to enable the right decisions to be taken to achieve project objectives. However, these decisions are often taken on incomplete, optimistic, inaccurate, misleading or simply wrong information. Whilst incompleteness is inevitable with the complex and rapidly changing nature of high technology engineering projects, it is important that the project manager has a good appreciation of the extent to which these other factors may affect the progress information upon which judgements are made. This paper explores a few of the traps the author has come across, and suggests possible approaches to avoid some of them.

A systems perspective is recommended, with a focus on risk management, resolving ambiguity, rapid response, trend analysis, earned value principles and taking account of the effects of organisational changes.