When you’re in the middle of a start-up it can be very difficult to know if you’re on track or not. Here are a few things to check:

1. Are the project objectives clear and understood by everyone that is key to delivery (if there are any receivers of the delivery, do they understand).
2. Is there a list of critical milestones that make sense? Are there dates and owners assigned to each one? Have any dates been missed yet? Do the dates look credible and realistic? if you need resources, do you have them.
3. Are the objectives and the milestones being actively tracked? Is someone watching them?
4. Has anything changed since the project started that fundamentally challenges the objectives of the project?

Sit down for an hour and take a cold look at these. Remember, you’re likely to be the most critical person. I suggest you make a video of yourself at the start and at various critical points along the path. Keep it short and explain what you’re trying to deliver and why. Generally, we’re hugely enthusiastic at the start but as we hit the most challenging bit of the project we can’t see the wood from the trees. A short video will re-inspire you and will hopefully stop you beating up too much on yourself.

Remember, you can’t change the objectives or the milestones without significant thought and hopefully someone elses input – this is why most projects fail, they change mid-stream. Unless there’s something hugely significant, deliver what you set out to deliver. It might not work. You knew that at the start – better to deliver something that might work than deliver nothing.

If you’re off track on any of the questions above, take corrective action.