Risk is inherent in all projects because projects, by definition, represent a one time improvement to an operational process. There is usually some sort of primary risk factor under which the project was defined, such as market risk for the development of a new product, or technical risk for an assembly line improvement project (will it speed up the line, etc?). After … [Read more...]
The Risk Management Process
Could your projects use additional risk management? Experts agree that it is one of the most underutilized areas of project management. As project managers we like to think we know the primary risks to the project and know that we have them under control. But a small amount of risk management planning at the outset of every project will reap disproportionate dividends … [Read more...]
Creating Risk Response Plans
In a proper project risk analysis, once the risks to the project have been identified (step 1), their probability and impact given a value and an overall priority (step 2), risk responses are drawn up (step 3). For each response plan, trigger conditions should be identified. These are the conditions that warrant the implementation of the response plan. For example, an … [Read more...]
Project Risk Analysis
Risk analysis is an often omitted area of project management, probably because you can't see its results in a direct way. On top of that, small projects just don't seem like they have the time and budget to justify the time spent. But I would argue that analyzing risk is one of the easiest ways to prevent major headaches later on, and it pays for itself in costs that … [Read more...]
Identifying Project Risks
The first step in a good risk management plan is the identification of risks. The other phases of project risk management are built on this foundation. It involves developing a list of the potential risks to a project. This list is called a Risk Register. A good risk register might have the following six columns: Name/Description of … [Read more...]
Day 10: Motivate the Project Team
Your project team is the single biggest factor in the successful completion of your project. When everything is stripped away, a project is nothing more than teams of people doing some work, and the quality of the final products will only be as good as the people producing them. So how do determine who to pick for your project, and what can you do to ensure the people … [Read more...]
Day 9: Create a Project Management Plan
A project manager's roadmap and guiding document is called a project management plan. It puts all the pieces of project management together into one coherent place. Rather than holding all the pieces of the project in your head (like alot of project managers I know) it's incredibly helpful to organize them on paper and to have a plan. To be a rock star project manager, … [Read more...]
Day 8: Mitigate Project Risks
Risk management,as a subset of project management, is not a new concept but has been growing momentum as of late. Project managers are expected to know the risks inherent in their projects, and give them the appropriate level of scrutiny. Definition Project risk is defined by the Project Management Institute as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a … [Read more...]
Do you need a Risk Breakdown Structure?
Have you ever considered the risks to your project's successful completion during the planning stages of your project? If not, I would suggest it is a highly beneficial exercise to help you grow in your project management career. A Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) is an organized way of categorizing the risks to a project. According to the Project Management Institute's … [Read more...]
5 Risk Response Strategies
Have you ever stopped to brainstorm the risks to your projects? If you're like most technical professionals you just arrive at work in the morning, and start your project where you left off the previous day. You try to dot all the i's and cross all the t's, and then cross your fingers that unexpected things don't blindside you. Project management standards dictate … [Read more...]