My team lead and I both know our project is six months behind and likely to fail but we keep having these optimistic check-ins where we pretend small improvements mean we're on track. Neither of us wants to be the one to say it's not working, and now we're presenting fake progress to executives while privately panicking.
More people experience this than they realize.
You and your team lead keep faking progress instead of admitting the project is sinking.
“Where Are You with Engineering — Electrical (Physical Systems)?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.