Matthew D. MartinChief of Product| Meribah Flow Consultants, Inc.Vancouver, BC, Canada
Question for you practitioners out there: what degree of transparency and edit-ability do you set up for your Issue Log, in relation to you project team?
For example, one configuration is that everyone can read, but it’s read only (say, in Excel) and potential new issues are sent to PM for review. Or, anyone can generate and list an issue that’s come up for them (no prior vetting if issue). Or you as PM own the list and only make it visible at team meetings, and are the only one to officially creat new issues on the list?
Would appreciate any tips on managing this process. Saving Changes...
I have two logs. One is transparent to all stakeholders and the team, and the other (similar to a little black book) is for my eyes only, and the latter would contain stuff that you wouldn't want anyone to read especially if it is something unfavorable about an individual, yet is crucial enough to record as it does or may impact the project. Saving Changes...
This is why it is sometimes simpler to capture issues, actions, risks and other such information in a record-centric repository vs. a document-centric one. It simplifies the process for having the owners keep them up-to-date and can also permit differing levels of access control.
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1 reply by Matthew D. Martin
Apr 03, 2018 8:18 PM
Matthew D. Martin
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Kiron, could you provide a an example or two of what you mean by a record-centric system? Do you mean a full-bodied PMIS like Primavera?
Saving Changes...
Matthew D. MartinChief of Product| Meribah Flow Consultants, Inc.Vancouver, BC, Canada
Apr 03, 2018 6:52 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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This is why it is sometimes simpler to capture issues, actions, risks and other such information in a record-centric repository vs. a document-centric one. It simplifies the process for having the owners keep them up-to-date and can also permit differing levels of access control.
Kiron, could you provide a an example or two of what you mean by a record-centric system? Do you mean a full-bodied PMIS like Primavera?
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Apr 04, 2018 8:09 AM
Kiron Bondale
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Hi Matthew -
It could be much simpler than a full-blown PMIS - I've seen these implemented via MS Access database, MS SharePoint sites or in tools such as JIRA...
Primavera, SharePoint, there are may central repository solutions as opposed to sitting in the document owners preferred storage location which may have issues such as security, version update, access control, central admin etc. Saving Changes...
Lenka PincotChief of Staff to the CEO| Project Management InstituteParis, France
Hi Matthew, I believe it should be very easy to everyone to enter new issue, whether it’s your team member or the project customer. It’s good to know about issues and it’s good to understand what people involved in your project consider a issue.
However it’s also important to maintain a structured way to record the issue - who created it, when, who owns the issue, what is the status. We typically used Sharepoint list. Saving Changes...
I am inclined with Sante to have two logs one is your private notes contains info protected by privacy laws which can be used as legal documents in the court. Saving Changes...
For me, the issue register is a central document with one owner. This document is often updated by the owner periodically and is available (read-only) to all participants. All project-related and customer-facing issues are logged in this document.
The importance of a single owner is to ensure we don't stumble upon issues such as parallel versions, side decisions, etc.
I do maintain a secondary 'internal' issue register -- this is only to log project issues where their root causes are not relevant to customer teams (e.g., our holiday calendar, non-availability of resources, etc.). This is shared with all internal stakeholders. (I wouldn't maintain this register if the entire project team was represented by one organisation.) Saving Changes...
Tamer Zeyad SadiqAssistant Cost Manager| Turner & TownsendRiyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
You shoud have an issue log format approved by the client and should be updated in each meeting or if you have any new status!!! Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
I had the log exposed and available to those part of the project site (SharePoint) able to add new items. I would vett out new items as valid or not. If it was not an issue (misunderstanding from customer POV) I would close with comment. If valid, would open an actual case in JIRA and assign appropriately, then update the issue item in SP with a status of Open and the link for the JIRA item.
I wanted those involved with the project to feel included and able to call out anything they felt as a potential issue. Once logged, it could be handled as needed. I certainly did not want to stifle any contributions, and any potential issue should be addressed, whether valid or not. Saving Changes...
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