Most delivery issues seem obvious in hindsight.

After the fact, it is easy to point at the moment when things went wrong, whether it was a late dependency, a missed review, or a piece of work that was “almost done”.

The action taken or not taken at the time is always easy to justify - business pressure, higher priority elsewhere or someone accepting the risk, etc.

The uncomfortable part is that in almost every case, the warning signs were visible long before the risk became an issue.

Most delivery teams are stuck in a horrible reality of being pushed to provide estimates which are then turned into commitments. The estimates are an expression of confidence at best.

Dates are chosen because they feel reasonable, or because someone senior is comfortable with them, or because a plan demands certainty. The organisation then rallies around that date, progress is reported optimistically, and reality is politely ignored until the moment it can no longer be hidden.