The Ripple Effect

  ProjectsAtWork  

Study the impact of a solution before rushing to implement it.

It's often said that there is more than one right answer to a question. By the same token, a solution to a project barrier can be right for some on the team, and terribly wrong for others.       

Ripple effect analysis is a useful tool that project teams can use to evaluate a proposed solution to determine possible negative effects and alternative approaches, according to Denise Gifford, president of InfoWorks, a project management training company in  Lake Bluff, Ill.

"A lot of people don't think about the impact of a solution-the benefits may be local and not for all," Gifford says. "Ripple effect analysis focuses on the questions, 'Who will be affected by the implementation of the solution, and who must support it?' This tool is useful anytime a solution is proposed, even if it seems self-evident."

Ripple effect analysis involves diagramming a series of ovals, with the proposed solution placed in the middle, surrounded by the expected effects, which branch off into additional effects. By extending these branches as far as possible, the solution's impact is analyzed throughout the organization, even outside of it, and far into the future.

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