If a project is not complete and its planned completion date is in the past, how is the project described?

A project that is incomplete and has a planned completion date in the past can be accurately described as "late." This term specifically refers to the situation where the expected timeline for project completion has not been met. When a project is "late," it indicates that it has fallen behind its scheduled deadlines, highlighting a need for reassessment of project management practices and possibly resource allocation in order to bring the project to completion.

It is important to note that while "behind," "delayed," and "at risk" may all describe aspects of a project that is struggling, they do not carry the same implication of missed deadlines that "late" does. "Behind" could suggest that progress is slower than planned, but does not necessarily confirm that the deadlines have been missed. "Delayed" may imply an interruption but does not inherently indicate that the overall completion date was missed without further context. "At risk" usually refers to potential issues that could impact future progress rather than definitive missed milestones. Therefore, "late" is the most precise description for the scenario presented.