Too often, meetings are maladapted attempts to solve problems. So if you want to know what parts of the project are suffering the most, pay attention to what the team is having meetings about, how often meetings are held, and who is being dragged into those meetings. In particular, look for meetings with long invite lists. Large meetings are less effective than small meetings, but they do convincingly spread the blame around by giving everyone the impression that all parties were consulted and all opinions were explored.
