Monique PietropaoliCommercial Manager| De Nora Water TechnologiesPittsburgh, Pa, United States
At the completion of a Risk Management training session I led, a co-worker complained that it took too much time to document risks. I responded with a question that was intended to make the audience stop and think about risk management differently. Here is what I said; “When you execute a project without a defined scope or risk management plan you essentially go to work naked. You may be comfortable exposing yourself to co-workers, but are you okay exposing the company?”
Please share with me any thought provoking statements you have made to new PMs or in training sessions that have had positive results. Saving Changes...
Often people are not realizing that they expose the company but going unprepared
Thanks for sharing Saving Changes...
Denise CantyAgile Coach, Life Coach, Author, Senior Project-Program Manager| Cenden CompanyWashington, Dc, United States
Unaddressed risk management is a major cause of project failure. Saving Changes...
Edward DanielsProject Manager| IndependentGlen Burnie, Md, United States
In my bourgeois tones, i would say "if these were your personal funds, would you want us to do all that we can beforehand to ensure a successful outcome?
However when i first started, I have said in annoyance to a stakeholder, "if this was your money, i am pretty sure you will hound us to death to not waste any of it. Risk management helps us address issues that may cause the project to derail and fail. It helps us to develop a strategy of what to do if any of the identified risks occur or at least what to do in case something else comes up to disrupt the project".
Oh times have changed, I only use 1 sentence vice 3 or 4 to explain why we do Risk management.
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1 reply by Monique Pietropaoli
Apr 17, 2017 8:10 AM
Monique Pietropaoli
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Edward,
I once followed in the same path however the result was not effective. It seems difficult for experienced Project Managers (those without formal training) to think of the project budget as their own money. Although I have see this work on new or less experienced project managers who have not weathered as many storms and who are more cautious in their actions.
Thanks for your response.
Monique
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The first thing you have to take into account is your client (now that Agile becomes a buzzword I can say that is the way and only the way to start adding Agile principles). If the client is saying what you stated then you have to review the management process instead of making a complain to her/him. Second, you have to make stakeholder analysis to understand all "the pain" your stakeholders have for not using some process or how your stakeholders will feel more "rich" by following the process that without not following it, where "rich" is not a matter of more money only. To take an example, perhaps my answer to your question could be "it does not matter to me". And more of the times, it does not matter because between other things when you see the work annual objectives a person have to achieved is nothing inside them related to this type of things. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
This type of things belongs to change management. And to understand change management is easy. You only have to understand the Isaac Newton`s Three Laws of Movement. Saving Changes...
Monique PietropaoliCommercial Manager| De Nora Water TechnologiesPittsburgh, Pa, United States
Apr 13, 2017 2:20 PM
Replying to Edward Daniels
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In my bourgeois tones, i would say "if these were your personal funds, would you want us to do all that we can beforehand to ensure a successful outcome?
However when i first started, I have said in annoyance to a stakeholder, "if this was your money, i am pretty sure you will hound us to death to not waste any of it. Risk management helps us address issues that may cause the project to derail and fail. It helps us to develop a strategy of what to do if any of the identified risks occur or at least what to do in case something else comes up to disrupt the project".
Oh times have changed, I only use 1 sentence vice 3 or 4 to explain why we do Risk management.
Edward,
I once followed in the same path however the result was not effective. It seems difficult for experienced Project Managers (those without formal training) to think of the project budget as their own money. Although I have see this work on new or less experienced project managers who have not weathered as many storms and who are more cautious in their actions.
Thanks for your response.
Monique Saving Changes...
The first time you do document the risk, build the register etc., it can be a little time consuming but as you state - so worth the effort to not be naked. If you do this at the very beginning, then you don't need to worry about taking time to document - it's part of the practice and the routine and becomes second nature. Review weekly to ensure team involvement. I do really like the naked analogy! Saving Changes...
