
128 • Program Management in Defense and High Tech Environments
DETECTING TROUBLE AND DETERMINING
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Very oen when programs are deemed to be in trouble, there is a good
reason: they are in trouble. Your job is to be constantly vigilant for bur-
geoning problems and take action to remedy the cause. Depending on the
size of the program, your local culture, and your personal skills, you will
detect problems through varying combinations of talking to the people
and using program metrics. ese approaches can be deceiving, and there-
fore, a healthy mix of quantitative and qualitative watching is indicated.
e key indicator of prog