How do you ensure that your project or business strategy is a complete failure? Simple. All you need to do is discourage your employees from speaking up about project failures. According to a research study by The Concours Group and VitalSmarts, "organizational silence" is the cause of 85% of failed business programs and projects.

The research shows that you can actually shape the success and prevent failure by ensuring that these five conversations are held at regular intervals and by acting on the results.

The first conversation revolves around unrealistic deadlines. This meeting will address the issue of limited resources, and deadlines set without any consideration for reality. Next, you move on to unreliable sponsors. If your project has a sponsor who doesn’t provide leadership, political influence, time, or energy to see a project through to completion, you need to address the issue immediately or the project is doomed from the start.

Then come the actual project-related meetings. Many a time, people skirt the priority-setting process and try to work around it. No way your project sees light of day if this is the way your team functions. There are problems and you know the project is headed for disaster. So do your team members. But everyone is too chicken to bring it out into the open. You need a meeting to bring to the fore the fact that the king has no clothes on.

 Are there any members in your team who are unwilling or unable to support the project? Time you hauled them up and made them accountable. Call a meeting.