quantmleap

From reading other Project Management related blogs I know, with a high level of certainty, that my experiences are unique as not very often am I fortunate enough to “implement” project management in the ways the founding fathers have intended.

I am often reminded of this unfortunate fact when exercising basic concepts of risk management.

Take for instance the following scenario. As I go about doing my PM ‘things’ I happen to come across a ‘Risk’. Having identified the risk I advise the appropriate interested parties of the consequences, should this risk eventuate, with distinct hope that these relevant stakeholders will work with me to devise an appropriate risk mitigation plan. So far so good.

What, frequently, occurs is that I am asked whether I have registered (i.e. documented) the ‘Risk’ in the ‘Risk Register’ and upon hearing the affirmative response those interested parties are merrily going on their merry way, knowing that now that the risk has been ‘registered’ things will be just fine.

Now, I know this never happens to you, so you don’t have to endure the humiliation and frustration associated with chasing people up with the hope that they will actually assist you to find an actual, yes – tangible – implement-able – realistic – risk mitigation plan.

Which leads  me to the ‘meaning of life ‘ question: Why is it that for some people the mere input of a cursory line in a risk register is seen as the end rather than the start of the process? Is it because for them the risk register is just an artefact whose sole purpose is to demonstrate that you’ve given the problem some thought and that if disaster strikes they’d be able to say that it is not their fault – after all they did mention it in the risk register?

Sigh,

Think about it!