Brainstorming Risk

Vincent is a Senior Project Management Consultant and e-Learning Developer.

  Communications Management   Risk Management   Talent Management   Teams   Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)   ProjectsAtWork  

A common approach to identifying project risk is brainstorming, and it can also serve as a great team-building exercise. However, there are pitfalls that can reduce its value. Here are practical tips for a more effective brainstorming, including a closer look at those potential pitfalls and how to deal with them.

In the previous article — “Don’t Fool Your Schedule” — we saw how project risks are identified while creating the schedule; that is, as we create the WBS, estimate the work and assign resources, we should be identifying risks as well. There are significant advantages to this approach: you’re taking a more holistic view of the project, and, with practice, it really doesn’t take additional time. Thus, when you’re under pressure to quickly create a schedule, you’re not forced to create an overly optimistic schedule — one that ignores risk. 

It can be useful to also have a brainstorming session to see if there are any risks that have been overlooked. This is typically done as your project plan is being finalized and most of the resources have been assigned. Not only do you identify risks, but it is also a good exercise in team-building. The team walks through the project together, gets to see the potential problems, and can start developing solutions for those problems.

The collective brain dump

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