Drift detection playbook for program teams

Drift is when a responsibility is still nominally owned but no longer moving — silent commitments, missed revisits, overdue tasks piling up. The goal isn't more reporting; it's earlier intervention.

Weekly radar review (15 minutes)

• Scan vital signs: overdue, at risk, silent, mandates needing attention
• Pick one do-first item — not the whole list
• Assign a clear next step (message owner, schedule revisit, escalate)

Signals that matter most

Silence is often the earliest warning: a commitment with no activity in five or more days. Unowned commitments and missing due dates are structural drift — fix the system, not just the task.

When to escalate vs. support

Escalate when failure sensitivity is CRITICAL and health is declining. Support when the owner is overloaded across mandates — the fix may be tradeoffs, not pressure.