PROJECT STORY DRIFT
Everyone thinks they understand the project.
They’re just not working from the same version of it.
What this pattern is
The project looks clear on paper.
But as work moves forward, different versions of the project start to form.
The team, stakeholders, and contract slowly drift out of alignment.
And no one realizes it’s happening until things start to feel off.
No single moment causes it.
It builds over time.
What this actually looks like
The team is working one version of the scope
Stakeholders are expecting something slightly different
The contract says something else entirely
Conversations include:
“While we’re at it…”
“Can we also include…”
“Let’s just take a look at this…”
No one calls it a change
But the work keeps expanding
Why this happens
Projects don’t just drift through decisions.
They drift through conversations.
Small additions get layered in without being clearly defined, tracked, or aligned.
Each one feels reasonable in the moment.
But over time, those small shifts create multiple versions of the project story.
What this causes
Schedules start slipping
The team feels stretched but can’t explain why
Work increases without clear ownership
Leadership starts asking questions you can’t cleanly answer
Not because the work is failing.
Because the story of the project is no longer consistent.
First move to stabilize it
Stop trying to fix the work first.
Instead, step back and look at the project as a whole.
Where are the differences between:
what was agreed
what is being worked
what is being expected
Clarity starts by seeing the gaps.
If this feels familiar, you’re not the only one seeing it.
If you’ve inherited a project that feels harder than it should be, you’re probably seeing this already.
I write about patterns like this every week — the ones that quietly create confusion on projects, and how to start making sense of them.