Making Organisational Drift Visible in Real Time

Problem: A complex construction project was running behind schedule. Leadership was approving deviations to recover time. Each deviation looked low risk in isolation. The accumulated effect was a project substantially different from the one assessed at sanction.
Behavioural Mechanism: Antecedent: schedule slippage. Behaviour: sequential approval of deviations. Consequence: short term relief and no immediate negative feedback. Each decision was rational in isolation. The pattern was not.
Intervention: A behavioural risk review was inserted into the change management process. Any cumulative deviation above a defined threshold triggered a re-baseline of the original risk picture, not just an assessment of the latest change. Drift was made visible to decision makers in real time.
Result: Leadership identified that the project profile had moved materially from sanction. Two planned deviations were withdrawn. The change management process now functions as a drift early warning system, not just a change approval gate.