The Anatomy of Project Health: From Metrics to Mindset

Every project has a story, but how do you know if that story is moving in the right direction? Understanding project health is one of the most important skills for any project professional, yet it is often overlooked until problems become visible. This session will help participants gain clarity on what “healthy” looks like in projects, programs, and portfolios.

In this Lunch and Learn, Melanie Stratchan will explore project health as a multidimensional concept—one that goes beyond scope, schedule, and budget to also include people, culture, and governance. Drawing on her extensive experience in leading large and complex government projects, particularly in the Health and Emergency Management sectors, Melanie will outline practical ways to assess whether a project is thriving or at risk. She will share tools and frameworks that help teams spot early warning signs, address issues proactively, and build resilience into their delivery approach.

Participants will leave the session with strategies to embed project health checks into their regular practices, ensuring that assessments are not just one-off reviews but part of an ongoing framework for sustainable success. By the end, attendees will understand how to balance performance metrics with human factors and how to take meaningful action when interventions are needed.
Learning Outcomes
Attendees will leave equipped with practical takeaways, such as:

1. What is meant by “project health”
2. Project health isn’t just about performance – it’s also about people.
3. Methods for assessing in-flight project health.
4. Why building project health into your project frameworks is critical.
5. Taking action to improve project health.
6. Tools and techniques for assessing program and portfolio health.