The Risk and Issues List – Redux
I have received a number of comments on my blogs. One
comment was about vision and how to instill it in the project team. I intend to
address this topic in a future blog. I will also be writing about delivering
bad news in a future blog.
In my last blog, I
discussed the Risk and Issues List as the best document to communicate items in
the project to the project members and stakeholders. One of the comments I
received was to expound my views on how to present the risks and issues.
Basically, this person believes that communication is sometimes the great
equalizer of the actual content and that management never likes surprises. I
couldn’t agree more that management never likes surprises and that communication
is not only the equalizer, but the main reason why projects fail. So the way a
Project Manager (PM) communicates this document to management is critical.
Communicating the Risk and Issues List
The most common ways to communicate the Risk and Issues list
are: 1) via email and 2) in the actual status meeting. The mistake PMs make is
that these are the only two ways they communicate the Risk and Issues list. Earlier I mentioned that management NEVER
likes surprises. A common mistake that PMs make is that they believe that
everyone reads their emails. If a PM must communicate bad news, especially an
issue from the Risk and Issues List, the PM must first discuss the message with
their management and then the project sponsor. These may be two different types
of communication, so let’s take them one at a time.
Delivering the Risk and Issues List to the PM’s Management
Let’s face it, the PM’s Management is more concerned about
the status report and that it stays green or on course. However, as I mentioned before, probably the
more important document is the Risk and Issues List. The two documents should
refer to each other and be presented as one: the status report as the summary
document relating to the project and the Risk and Issues List regarding any
risk or issue. If it’s a risk, the status report can refer to it by mentioning
it when summarizing the phase the project is in (initial, project planning,
execution, control, or close). If it’s an issue, then the issue on the Risk and
Issues List must be well documented and self-explanatory. This makes it easier
for management to understand and to react if the project sponsor calls on the
PM’s Manager. This is the most important communication the PM has in a project:
ensuring that his management is fully informed and armed with the correct
message.
Delivering the Risk and Issues List to the Project Sponsor Prior to the
Status Meeting
Prior to the project status meeting, the PM may want to have
a separate meeting with the project sponsor if there is an issue that needs to
be explained in detail. This isn’t always bad news, but if not treated and
delivered properly by the PM, it can easily become bad news quickly. What I
mean by this is that sometimes an email cannot communicate the issues properly
and the project sponsor may not understand the communication from the PM. I
strongly suggest that the PM speak to the sponsor one-on-one, preferably in
person, or schedule a separate call with the sponsor prior to the status
meeting. With this communication, the PM
can fully explain the issue or risk properly and not “blind side” the sponsor.
What the Risk and Issue List Can’t Communicate
The Risk and Issue List cannot communicate the status of the
project, which is my next blog. I do expect more comments on this blog and as I
have done in this blog, make your comments another blog topic. Thanks again to
the person who made this comment on communicating the Risk and Issues List. If you would prefer to email me instead of
leaving a comment, please do so at Benny A. Recine.
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