Our operations team shows a 95 percent on-time project completion rate on the weekly Scorecard, but clients complain work is consistently late because project managers push out due dates in our software. How do we stop teams from gaming on-time delivery metrics?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Teams game on-time delivery metrics by altering the baseline. When a project falls behind schedule, project managers quietly adjust the due date inside your project management software. On paper, the project finishes exactly on its revised schedule, keeping the Scorecard box green while the client experiences a delayed delivery.

To eliminate this gaming, you must introduce a locked baseline rule and track date modifications as a counter-metric.

First, change the definition of on-time delivery on your Scorecard Data Dictionary. On-time delivery must be calculated strictly against the original client contract completion date, not the estimated completion date inside your software. The original promised date remains permanently locked unless an official, client-signed change order modifies the project scope.

Second, add a second operational measurable to your departmental Scorecard: unauthorized deadline changes or total days of schedule slip. Tracking the delta between original baseline and current projected delivery exposes the hidden delays before the project crosses the finish line.

Third, verify this data through weekly automated exceptions rather than self-reported checkboxes. If a project manager can change a task date without system logging, your software permissions are flawed. When the Scorecard measures delivery against unchangeable contractual baselines, operational delays can no longer hide behind manipulated schedules.