Escalate
Official Definition:
The process of referring an issue or forecast breach of tolerance to the next level of authority.
Layman’s Definition:
When things are starting to go wrong — and your limits have been (or might be) exceeded — you raise the alarm and tell your management level above you, which may be the Project Board.
Examples:
• Construction: Delays mean the contractor can’t meet the agreed finish date.
• Healthcare: A key supplier is unable to deliver critical equipment.
• IT: The project’s cost forecast exceeds the agreed budget tolerance.
When to Use:
As soon as it becomes clear that tolerances are predicting to be breached. Escalation is proactive — not left until it’s too late.
What It Might Look Like in Practice:
• Team Member alerts the Project Manager of problems beyond their delegated limits.
• Project Manager submits an Escalation Report / Exception Report of issues or risks forecasting to take them outside their delegated limits.
• Decision(s) made by Sponsor or Project Board based on reported information .