Red projects
What should you do when a project is red?
A red project is not a color on a slide. It means the current plan is not credible: time, scope, quality, or confidence has broken, and leadership needs a working view of what to do next.
Direct answer
In the first 72 hours, stop adding unowned work, name the blocked decisions, identify a single accountable owner for the critical path, and write down what will be true by the end of seven days.
Do not start a new governance theater. Do not wait for a perfect data room. The Acute PMC Project Rescue session is built for this condition: 90 minutes, $1,250, one project, executive-ready Recovery Brief within two business days.
Use Rescue when
Milestones are slipping
The critical path is no longer honest.
If the blockage is still unclear and the project is not yet under material pressure, use Project Clarity ($650, 60 minutes) instead.
$650 fixed fee
Executive scrutiny has started
Someone is asking for a recovery plan and the current status story will not survive the meeting.
Project Rescue produces a working assessment, 72-hour and seven-day priorities, a decision and ownership map, and a preliminary path forward. It does not guarantee recovery.
$1,250 fixed fee
What it is not
It is not emergency operations coverage, not legal advice, and not a replacement for the client?s project manager.
Limitations
One clearly identified project per engagement. The client remains responsible for decisions and execution.
Next step
Start Project Rescue if pressure is already material. Start Project Clarity if you still need a diagnosis.