Looking at Risks: A Logical Approach

Kenneth has 14 years of healthcare experience in government and private industry. Over eight years of experience managing healthcare IT projects, operations, contracts, and personnel. His work experience includes project management, contracts and procurements, data analysis, claims adjudication, business writing, and business process modeling. Kenneth was certified in 2006 as a Project Management Professional.

  Risk Management  

Looking at risks in a project can be a daunting task for project managers and team members. Where do you draw the line between working on the project and dealing with the unknowns and possibilities that risks bring to the table?

You could take many different approaches, perhaps sticking your head in the sand or putting your fingers in your ears. Other approaches might include scheduling endless meetings talking about what could go wrong and how you might deal with it. But somewhere in the middle of all of that is a reasoned and logical approach to looking at risks on a project. The project manager should ensure that the approach is as careful and planned out as possible.

The Scale
One of the first issues to look at when it comes to risks on a project is what the scale is. The risks you consider for a short-term, small project that involves a group of four or five people for two months will be much different than the risks for a large project lasting multiple years and involving dozens of resources.

For the small project, one person leaving would be a very large risk, but for the larger projects the loss of one person may not slow the overall work very much. It is important to understand the scope and scale of the project when you start looking at risks—and also communicate that to the stakeholders so they will understand what kind of risks you will be reviewing …

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