Being "dead in the water" generally means that the subject or situation in question is definitely at a standstill without hope of making noticeable progress or positive impact. This idiom recalls a boat that has stalled in open water without wind-propelled sails or a working motor; the vessel needs some types of repairs or replacement parts before it can function correctly and begin moving once again. This English saying dates to approximately the mid- to late 20th century, and it can be used to describe a wide variety of unfortunate situations, ideas, or plans. People who use this saying while assessing such circumstances are often trying to either formulate solutions or come up with an entirely new course of action for a "dead in the water" situation.
Noticeable financial difficulties within a business or organization can sometimes cause its management team to ascertain that the current budget and operating procedures are "dead in the water," usually leading to the necessity of either increasing profits or reducing costs. Sometimes regional or national economic structures on a larger scale can also be declared "dead in the water" in the midst of prolonged troubles such as high unemployment and unbalanced rates of supply and demand. This type of case often calls for a close re-evaluation of economic priorities among leaders.
Another instance of the idiom "dead in the water" can be attributed to a stalled and unchanging plan that is failing to generate any favorable results. Business projects that begin with insufficient information, inadequate resource materials, and poor leadership are often quite likely to become "dead in the water" within a relatively short time. A marketing plan without enough in-depth demographic research can be one example of this type of project. The same type of situation can also apply to other kinds of day-to-day activities such as travel plans without enough early preparation.
Failure to plan well enough ahead can often cause a course of action to come to this kind of halt. An absence of contingency or back-up plans can also contribute to this situation and even prolong it in many cases. When a plan or set of circumstances becomes "dead in the water" without even a small chance of proceeding towards improvement, the best possible course of action is often to start over completely if at all possible and evaluate the mistakes made to salvage the only element possible: a valuable learning experience.