I think one of the clearest signs is what I call reportmania. More and more controls and reports are being established according to some motto 'the more we have written down the better we can manage the problem'. This is totally wrong in my opinion. It leads to some felt security which it is not.

Another warning sign down the ladder is many people leaving the project and/or getting fired. By then it is often too late because you can't compensate for the brain drain.