How do we rebuild trust after a missed delivery?
Trust damaged by unreliable commitmentsBe precise about what happened, what changed, and what can now be promised. Restore credibility through small verifiable commitments and transparent forecasts rather than stronger reassurance.
What to do now
- Explain the missed commitment factually
- Address the underlying planning weakness
- Agree a near-term verifiable outcome
- Deliver and report evidence consistently
When to escalate
Escalate when
The cause remains unresolved or new commitments are still unsupported.
Who decides
The team lead and appropriate line manager
Example
The team commits to a tested pilot outcome before offering a full rollout date.
Mistake to avoid
Promising a more aggressive date to compensate for the previous miss.
Prevent a repeat
Review whether working agreements improve delivery and raise people concerns through the appropriate channels.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Tasks
- Resources
- Documents
Make agreed responsibilities and follow-up tasks visible while keeping sensitive people matters in the authorized confidential process. See the platform
Related cases
- The team feels blamed for an unrealistic plan. How can we reset?Broken planning trust
- A team member keeps missing commitments. What should I check first?Unexamined performance barrier
- The issue deadline keeps moving. How do we make it meaningful?Unreliable issue commitments
- A supplier date is a promise, not a supported plan. How should we schedule it?Unreliable external forecast