Why execution breaks long before motivation does

I keep seeing projects stall even when everyone involved is motivated and capable.

In my experience, execution usually breaks earlier — when ownership is unclear, scope is still fuzzy, and “progress” isn’t defined in concrete terms. The team is busy, but no one is fully accountable for outcomes.

What’s surprised me is how rarely this is a tooling problem. Most of the time it’s a clarity problem that shows up as friction, delays, and quiet disengagement.

Curious how others here spot execution risk early — what are the first signals you look for that a project is about to drift?