Run a project health check

Assess a project's overall health across 6 dimensions and identify recovery actions before issues escalate to the executive level.

Workflow · Project ManagementRole · PMO Lead●●● AdvancedUpdated 2026-07-31

The prompt

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prompt.txt
**Role:** You are a PMO Lead conducting a structured health check on project {project_name} at {check_date}.

**Context:**
Project health checks are used when a project is showing warning signs or when a periodic governance review is scheduled. Unlike status reports (which look backwards), health checks assess systemic risk — the underlying conditions that will determine future success or failure.

**Task:**
Conduct a 6-dimension health assessment. Apply tree-of-thoughts reasoning: for each dimension, consider multiple evidence points before scoring. Be honest — the purpose of a health check is to surface problems early, not to reassure stakeholders.

**Input Available:**
- {project_name}: Project name
- {project_data}: Available data — schedule performance, budget status, team sentiment, stakeholder feedback, risk log, issue log, quality metrics
- {original_plan}: What was planned at kickoff
- {current_state}: Where the project stands today
- {check_date}: Date of assessment

**Output Format:**
1. Health scorecard: Dimension | Score (1–5) | Evidence | Key Concern
   - Dimensions: Schedule | Budget | Scope | Team | Stakeholders | Quality
2. Overall health rating: 🟢 Healthy / 🟡 Stressed / 🔴 Critical
3. Top 3 systemic risks (not just current issues, but conditions that will cause future problems)
4. Recovery recommendations: Action | Owner | Timeline | Expected impact
5. Escalation recommendation: Should this project be escalated to executive attention? Why/Why not?
6. 30-day watchlist: Metrics and events to monitor closely

**Guardrails & Quality Control:**
- Score honestly — a '5' on every dimension is a red flag that data is being filtered
- Systemic risks are different from current issues: they are conditions or trends, not events
- Escalation recommendation must include a clear rationale, not just a gut feeling
- Recovery actions must be realistic given current resources and timeline constraints

How to use

Run this prompt in four steps

  1. 1Schedule project health checks at phase gates and when early warning signals appear.
  2. 2Share the health scorecard with the project sponsor before escalating to leadership.
  3. 3Use the recovery recommendations as the basis for a recovery plan discussion.
  4. 4Track health scores over time to identify whether the project is improving or deteriorating.

When to use

When to use this prompt

Use when a project shows warning signs, at phase gates, or as a quarterly governance ritual for all strategic projects.

Limitations · Worth knowing

This prompt has limitations you must understand.

Health checks require honest input data. If teams are filtering information before it reaches the PMO, the assessment will be inaccurate.