The silent project killer you’re probably not tracking

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👋 Let’s talk about communication debt

If you've ever found yourself wondering “Why are we even doing this task?” or “Wait, didn’t we already have this conversation?” - you’ve probably experienced communication debt firsthand.

Communication debt is what happens when key conversations are skipped, decisions go undocumented, assumptions stay unspoken, and expectations aren’t aligned. It builds up quietly and, like any form of debt, eventually demands to be paid with interest.

We’ll be unpacking communication debt and its detrimental effects in this 3-part series of The Deliverable. So buckle in and get ready for a wild ride! 

In this issue, we will cover: 

• What communication debt really is and how to recognize it

• A self-check on where you stand with communication in your team 

• How to use Power BI for project budgeting and forecasting

• Real reasons why modern projects fail

Communication debt is the accumulated cost of things left unsaid or unclear.

It might look like:

• Decisions made but never documented

• Roles and responsibilities that change mid-project with no announcement

• Team members operating with wildly different assumptions

• PMs repeating the same update in four different tools

It’s not that teams aren’t communicating—it’s that they’re communicating inconsistently, incompletely, or with the wrong level of clarity. Over time, that creates rework, delays, frustration, and, in some cases, complete project derailment.

📉 The PM impact: Why it matters

Communication debt directly undermines:

• Schedule performance → Confusion = delays

• Scope control → Misaligned expectations = scope creep

• Team utilization → Rework = wasted hours

• Stakeholder satisfaction → Mismatched assumptions = disappointment

• Risk management → The more you leave unspoken, the more you gamble

It also damages trust, velocity, and team morale, and none of that shows up on a burnup chart until it’s too late.

Take it from the project managers on Reddit:

Is your team building communication debt?

Copy, paste, and score yourself (or your team) in your next retro or 1:1.

Score each item:

✅ = Always | ⚠️ = Sometimes | ❌ = Rarely/Never

🔁 Clarity & Alignment

1. Do we explain why tasks matter and not just what to do?

2. Are decisions captured somewhere visible to everyone?

3. Can everyone describe the project goal in the same way?

💭 Assumptions & Understanding

1. Are unspoken assumptions regularly surfaced and discussed?

2. When people disagree, do we explore why they think differently?

🔄 Feedback Loops

1. Do we have regular check-ins where we align on progress and blockers?

2. When things change, is that communicated to everyone it affects?

📚 Documentation & Traceability

1. Do we document decisions, not just action items?

2. Is our documentation up-to-date, findable, and relevant?

💬 Communication Culture

1. Do people feel safe asking for clarification, even if it was “already explained”?

2. Do we have a shared understanding of which tools to use for what?

👉 Score yourself:

✅s = Low risk

⚠️s = You may already be accruing debt

❌s = Time to start paying it down

Over the next 2 issues, we will: 

• Dig into the real roots of miscommunication and different levels of communication debt

• Introduce frameworks to help you manage communication debt in projects

• Bring you insights and tips from experts

P.S. Want to share how communication debt has shown up in your projects? Hit reply; we’d love to feature your story or tip in a future issue.

This month’s can't-miss resources:

🖌From the web - How to use Power BI for project planning, budgeting, and forecasting
Ben Richardson

🎙Podcast vault - 4 reasons why modern projects fail
Project Chatter Podcast

🗓 Discussion -Improve performance: Strategies for micro-managers and the micro-managed @23rd September, 11 pm CEST

Thank you for reading! See you next month

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