home / skills / lerianstudio / ring / project-health-check

project-health-check skill

Q: What inputs are mandatory to run a credible health check?

Project baseline, current schedule and cost actuals/forecasts, updated risk register, quality metrics, and stakeholder feedback are required. Missing data prevents reliable assessment.

Q: How is the overall health score calculated?

Each dimension is scored 1–10 and weighted (Schedule 25%, Cost 20%, Scope 15%, Quality 20%, Risk 10%, Stakeholder 10%). The weighted average maps to Healthy/Manageable/At Risk/Critical bands.

safe

/pmo-team/skills/project-health-check

This skill provides structured project health checks across dimensions to identify risks early and guide recovery actions for stakeholders.

npx playbooks add skill lerianstudio/ring --skill project-health-check

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)

SKILL.md

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---
name: ring:project-health-check
description: |
  Individual project health assessment skill for evaluating project status across
  multiple dimensions. Provides early warning of troubled projects.

trigger: |
  - Need to assess single project health
  - Project showing warning signs
  - Milestone review required
  - Stakeholder escalation received

skip_when: |
  - Portfolio-level view → use portfolio-planning
  - Resource-only issue → use resource-allocation
  - Risk-only analysis → use risk-management

related:
  complementary: [portfolio-planning, risk-management]
---

# Project Health Check Skill

Systematic assessment of individual project health across multiple dimensions.

## Purpose

This skill provides a framework for:
- Comprehensive project status assessment
- Early warning identification
- Root cause analysis
- Recovery recommendation
- Stakeholder communication

---

## Prerequisites

Before health check, ensure:

| Prerequisite | Required For | Source |
|--------------|--------------|--------|
| Project baseline | Variance calculation | Project plan |
| Current status data | Health assessment | Project manager |
| Stakeholder feedback | Satisfaction assessment | Stakeholders |
| Risk register | Risk health | Risk analyst |

---

## Health Check Dimensions

### Dimension 1: Schedule Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Formula | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|---------|-------|--------|-----|
| SPI | EV / PV | >= 0.95 | 0.85-0.94 | < 0.85 |
| Schedule Variance | EV - PV | >= 0 | -5% to 0 | < -5% |
| Milestone Status | On-time % | >= 90% | 70-89% | < 70% |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Is the project on schedule?
- Are milestones being met?
- What is causing any delays?
- Is the critical path protected?

---

### Dimension 2: Cost Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Formula | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|---------|-------|--------|-----|
| CPI | EV / AC | >= 0.95 | 0.85-0.94 | < 0.85 |
| Cost Variance | EV - AC | >= 0 | -5% to 0 | < -5% |
| EAC vs Budget | EAC / BAC | <= 1.05 | 1.05-1.15 | > 1.15 |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Is the project within budget?
- What is driving cost variance?
- Is the estimate at completion acceptable?
- Are there unplanned costs emerging?

---

### Dimension 3: Scope Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|-------|--------|-----|
| Scope Changes | < 3 | 3-5 | > 5 |
| Change Impact | < 5% baseline | 5-10% | > 10% |
| Requirements Stability | Stable | Some changes | Significant flux |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Is scope under control?
- How many changes since baseline?
- What is driving scope changes?
- Is there scope creep occurring?

---

### Dimension 4: Quality Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|-------|--------|-----|
| Defect Rate | Below target | At target | Above target |
| Rework % | < 10% | 10-20% | > 20% |
| Test Pass Rate | > 95% | 85-95% | < 85% |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Is quality acceptable?
- What is the defect trend?
- Is rework manageable?
- Are acceptance criteria being met?

---

### Dimension 5: Risk Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|-------|--------|-----|
| Open Critical Risks | 0 | 1-2 | > 2 |
| Risk Trend | Decreasing | Stable | Increasing |
| Mitigation Progress | On track | Delayed | Blocked |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Are risks being managed?
- Are mitigations effective?
- Any new critical risks?
- Are issues being resolved?

---

### Dimension 6: Stakeholder Health

**Metrics:**

| Metric | Green | Yellow | Red |
|--------|-------|--------|-----|
| Stakeholder Satisfaction | Satisfied | Concerns | Escalations |
| Communication Effectiveness | Good | Gaps noted | Major issues |
| Decision Timeliness | Timely | Some delays | Blocked |

**Assessment Questions:**
- Are stakeholders satisfied?
- Is communication effective?
- Are decisions being made timely?
- Any relationship issues?

---

## Health Check Gates

### Gate 1: Data Collection

**Objective:** Gather current project data

**Actions:**
1. Collect schedule data (actuals, forecasts)
2. Collect cost data (actuals, forecasts)
3. Review scope changes
4. Review quality metrics
5. Update risk register
6. Gather stakeholder feedback

**Output:** `docs/pmo/{date}/project-{name}-data.md`

---

### Gate 2: Health Assessment

**Objective:** Assess each dimension and overall health

**Actions:**
1. Score each dimension (1-10)
2. Calculate overall health score
3. Identify red flags
4. Document root causes

**Health Score Calculation:**

| Dimension | Weight |
|-----------|--------|
| Schedule | 25% |
| Cost | 20% |
| Scope | 15% |
| Quality | 20% |
| Risk | 10% |
| Stakeholder | 10% |

**Overall Score Interpretation:**
- 8-10: Healthy
- 6-7.9: Manageable
- 4-5.9: At Risk
- < 4: Critical

**Output:** `docs/pmo/{date}/project-{name}-assessment.md`

---

### Gate 3: Recommendations

**Objective:** Provide actionable recommendations

**Actions:**
1. Prioritize issues by impact
2. Identify quick wins
3. Recommend recovery actions
4. Define success criteria

**Recommendation Categories:**

| Category | Urgency | Examples |
|----------|---------|----------|
| **Immediate** | This week | Escalation, resource injection |
| **Short-term** | This month | Process change, replan |
| **Medium-term** | This quarter | Restructure, descope |
| **Long-term** | Future | Lessons learned, prevention |

**Output:** `docs/pmo/{date}/project-{name}-recommendations.md`

---

## Anti-Rationalization Table

See [shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md](../shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md) for universal anti-rationalizations.

### Health Check-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

| Rationalization | Why It's WRONG | Required Action |
|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
| "PM says project is green" | Self-reported status often optimistic. Verify with data. | **Validate with metrics** |
| "One dimension is off, overall is fine" | One critical dimension can sink a project. | **Address all yellow/red dimensions** |
| "Wait and see if it improves" | Delays compound problems. Early intervention is cheaper. | **Act on warning signs** |
| "They're aware of the issues" | Awareness ≠ action. Verify mitigation progress. | **Confirm corrective actions** |

---

## Pressure Resistance

See [shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md](../shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md) for universal pressure scenarios.

### Health Check-Specific Pressures

| Pressure Type | Request | Agent Response |
|---------------|---------|----------------|
| "Make the status green for the exec report" | "Status must reflect reality. Will provide accurate status with context and recovery plan." |
| "Don't dig into that dimension" | "All dimensions must be assessed. Selective assessment misses problems." |
| "The PM has it under control" | "PM optimism is natural. Independent assessment provides balance." |

---

## Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

**ALWAYS pause and report blocker for:**

| Situation | Required Action |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Overall health < 4 (Critical) | STOP. Immediate executive escalation required. |
| Multiple dimensions Red | STOP. Recovery intervention needed. |
| Data unavailable for assessment | STOP. Cannot assess without data. Request information. |
| Stakeholder loss of confidence | STOP. Relationship repair needed before project work. |

---

## Output Format

### Health Check Report

```markdown
# Project Health Check - [Project Name] - [Date]

## Overall Health Score: X/10 - [Green/Yellow/Red]

## Dimension Scores

| Dimension | Score | Status | Trend |
|-----------|-------|--------|-------|
| Schedule | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |
| Cost | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |
| Scope | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |
| Quality | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |
| Risk | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |
| Stakeholder | X/10 | G/Y/R | Up/Stable/Down |

## Key Findings

### Red Flags
1. [Finding with evidence]

### Yellow Flags
1. [Finding with evidence]

### Positive Signs
1. [Finding with evidence]

## Root Cause Analysis

| Issue | Root Cause | Impact |
|-------|------------|--------|
| [Issue] | [Cause] | [Impact] |

## Recommendations

### Immediate (This Week)
1. [Action] - Owner: [Name]

### Short-term (This Month)
1. [Action] - Owner: [Name]

## Decisions Required

1. [Decision needed with options]
```

---

## Execution Report

Base metrics per [shared-patterns/execution-report.md](../shared-patterns/execution-report.md):

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Analysis Date | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Scope | [Project name] |
| Duration | Xh Ym |
| Result | COMPLETE/PARTIAL/BLOCKED |

### Health Check-Specific Details

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| health_score | X/10 |
| schedule_variance | X% |
| cost_variance | X% |
| scope_changes | N |

Overview

This skill performs an individual project health assessment across six dimensions to give early warning of trouble and concrete recovery options. It produces a scored, evidence-backed report with root-cause analysis and prioritized recommendations. The output is designed for PMs, PMOs, and executives who need rapid, actionable insight into project status.

How this skill works

The skill collects baseline and current project data (schedule, cost, scope, quality, risks, stakeholder feedback) and scores each dimension using defined metrics and thresholds. It calculates a weighted overall health score, flags red/yellow issues, documents root causes, and generates immediate-to-long-term recommendations. Reports and artifacts are saved with dated filenames for traceability.

When to use it

Routine health checks (weekly/monthly) to validate project status
When schedule, cost, or quality variances appear
Before executive reporting or steering committee reviews
If stakeholders report concerns or confidence drops
When onboarding a new PM or performing a project reset

Best practices

Collect and validate source data before scoring to avoid optimistic bias
Use the defined metric thresholds (SPI, CPI, EAC/BAC, defect and test metrics) for consistent scoring
Document evidence for each flag to support escalation and decisions
Prioritize remediation by impact and feasibility; assign owners and success criteria
Stop and escalate immediately if overall health < 4 or multiple dimensions are red

Example use cases

Weekly PMO assessment identifying a slipping critical path and recommending resource injection
Pre-exec report validation that uncovers cost creep despite a green self-report
Post-audit recovery plan after identifying unstable requirements and repeated rework
Risk-triggered check when open critical risks increase to evaluate mitigations and impacts
Stakeholder-initiated review after reports of communication gaps and slow decision making

FAQ

What inputs are mandatory to run a credible health check?

Project baseline, current schedule and cost actuals/forecasts, updated risk register, quality metrics, and stakeholder feedback are required. Missing data prevents reliable assessment.

How is the overall health score calculated?

Each dimension is scored 1–10 and weighted (Schedule 25%, Cost 20%, Scope 15%, Quality 20%, Risk 10%, Stakeholder 10%). The weighted average maps to Healthy/Manageable/At Risk/Critical bands.