Drop out of a project early (4)
I believe the answer is:
tear
'drop' is the definition.
(teardrop)
'of a project early' is the wordplay.
'of' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'TEAR' can be found hidden inside 'project early'.
'out' is the link.
(Other definitions for tear that I've seen before include "Rip, pull apart" , "A drop of sadness" , "Move quickly; pull apart" , "Shred" , "A rip and a sign of sadness" .)