Project Delivery & Rescue
Critical project stuck? Need senior oversight for a complex build? Get technical leadership for projects that require architectural depth, AI-augmented practices, and experienced decision-making
Discover more FREE RESOURCE
Project Health Assessment
A diagnostic framework to evaluate your software project's health across 6 critical areas. Get your score and actionable improvement recommendations.
Choose Your Format
Get your personalised analysis or download the checklist
Recommended
Project Health Diagnostic
Answer 10 questions and receive a personalised project health report with risk assessment
- Your project health score
- 5-category breakdown
- Warning sign identification
- Priority recommendations
12 minutes
Get Your ScorePrintable Checklist
Get the complete project health checklist as a downloadable PDF
- Instant download
- Share with stakeholders
- Self-assessment guide
- Team discussion tool
Who is this for?
This assessment is designed for technology leaders and stakeholders who suspect their software project isn't performing as well as it should, but aren't sure where the problems lie.
Project Managers - You're managing delivery but sense something is wrong. Deadlines keep slipping, estimates are consistently off, and you need an objective framework to identify where the real problems are hiding.
CTOs and Technical Directors - You're overseeing multiple projects and need a consistent way to evaluate health across your portfolio. This assessment gives you a structured diagnostic you can apply to any project in minutes.
Founders and CEOs - Your tech project is consuming more budget and time than planned, but your team assures you everything is "nearly done". Get an honest reality check on where things actually stand.
Product Owners - Delivery is unpredictable and you can't plan releases with confidence. Understand the root causes behind the chaos so you can have informed conversations with your development team.
Agency Owners - Client projects are running over budget and your team is firefighting constantly. Identify systemic issues affecting delivery before they damage client relationships.
If you've ever thought "I wish I knew whether this project was actually on track", this assessment will give you clarity in 15 minutes.
What's inside
What's Included
This comprehensive self-assessment helps you evaluate your software project across 6 critical areas:
1. Delivery & Velocity
- Release frequency and deployment confidence
- Sprint predictability and cycle time
- Time to production for changes
2. Code Quality & Technical Debt
- Bug vs feature development ratio
- Test coverage and confidence
- Codebase maintainability
3. Team Health
- Morale and engagement levels
- Knowledge distribution (bus factor)
- Collaboration effectiveness
4. Architecture & Documentation
- Documentation currency and completeness
- System clarity and understanding
- Overall maintainability assessment
5. Operations & Reliability
- Deployment stress levels
- Incident recovery capability
- Monitoring and alerting coverage
6. Stakeholder Alignment
- Requirements clarity and stability
- Priority alignment across stakeholders
- Satisfaction with progress
Includes: 18 diagnostic questions, scoring framework, grade interpretation (A-F), section-by-section improvement recommendations, and warning signs that require immediate attention.
About the author
Michael Card
Experienced Fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Architect, and .NET developer with a strong background in leading technical strategy and building scalable applications across diverse industries
View full profileFrequently asked questions
How long does the Project Health Assessment take to complete?
The assessment takes 10-15 minutes to complete. Answer each of the 18 questions honestly based on your current project situation. The most valuable results come from honest self-assessment rather than aspirational answers.
What score indicates a project needs external help?
Projects scoring below 60% (Grade C or lower) typically have significant challenges that benefit from external expertise. If you score D (20-39%) or F (below 20%), urgent intervention is recommended. Projects with any single section scoring below 10/30 have a critical weakness that needs immediate attention.
What causes software projects to fail?
Common causes include unclear requirements, technical debt accumulation, poor team communication, inadequate testing, and stakeholder misalignment. The assessment helps identify which specific areas are contributing to your project's challenges so you can focus improvement efforts effectively.
Can a struggling project be turned around?
Yes, most struggling projects can be rescued with the right intervention. The key is honest assessment of the current state, prioritising the most critical issues, and bringing in experienced leadership to guide the turnaround. Early intervention improves success rates significantly.
How often should I reassess project health?
We recommend reassessing every 6-8 weeks to track improvement progress. Regular assessment helps identify emerging problems early before they become critical and validates that improvement efforts are having the desired effect.
Related Services
More Free Resources
You might also find these guides helpful
FREE RESOURCE
Technical Due Diligence Checklist
A 96-item checklist for evaluating technology assets before investment or acquisition. The same framework used by professional investors and acquirers.
Get the Free Checklist FREE RESOURCE
Legacy Modernisation Roadmap Template
A structured template for planning your legacy system modernisation. Covers assessment, strategy selection, phased planning, migration, governance, and budgeting.
Download Free TemplateReady to put these insights into action?
Book a free consultation to discuss how we can help you implement these best practices in your organisation.