Risk management « A PM's workshop

Risks and People

By Eugenio, on September 23rd, 2009

Peopleare the most valuable asset for the project; nevertheless, they are the most dangerous source of risks. Human beings are condemned to be sometimes fallacious; some of us tend to live it as a life sentence.

Picking up the brightest is a Mantra. However, the process of staffing the team(s) is influenced by many factors, starting [...]

The value of hope

By Eugenio, on September 10th, 2009

Managers as kings have to show the capacity to deal with problems. The energy produced by the sentiment of hope is an essential part of this job. We have to learn how to nurture this source of vitality without becoming prisoners of [...]

Just back (to the basics)

By Eugenio, on September 7th, 2009

Average and colors

This pause, perhaps longer than planned, offered me a chance for chatting with a customer about the importance of the correct data management.

The nub of the matter was about “undervaluation” of the use of the basic statistical functions.

Reviewing the toolbox

These are the “tools” that cannot miss in any practitioner. A useful notice: [...]

Cultural uniformity

By Eugenio, on August 27th, 2009

A slide rule

When the project involves different countries (either for production or implementation) the richness of different cultures is a huge capital that offers some challenges. Some of them are of logistical nature and could hamper communications.

Assuming the same mindset

When the project is completed within the same geographical area (city) and most of the [...]

Risks and Opportunities

By Eugenio, on August 26th, 2009

Instead of spending energies on devising plans that should deal with any potential problem, the team works in a “ready condition”. Therefore, the Risk (and opportunity) Monitoring will be part of the production [...]

Patterns and Risks

By Eugenio, on August 24th, 2009

Patterns are not easily distinguishable from behaviors merely based on opinions or prejudices. For being fruitful, they need to be translated into common practices; thereof they must contain shareable measurement [...]

History and Learned Lessons – different sources for Risk Management

By Eugenio, on August 20th, 2009

“Lesson Learned” provide the whole scenario. Avoiding carefully the “blame game”, people and situations shall be analyzed in view of the results, which shall be framed into the existing conditions.
Risk management needs a “scientific” approach. It has to supply reliable facts and figures highlighting the logic that produced them. These elements come from the “Learned [...]

Risk and history

By Eugenio, on August 17th, 2009

Delacroix

Any reasonable attempt for measuring risks is based on history. The project is made by people. This requires dealing with each person history, both technical and personal.

Choosing the methodology, tools and then setting up procedures are tasks that must be matched with the “available” people. The first and most important homework for management (sponsors [...]

Risk and leadership (art of delivering decisions)

By Eugenio, on August 13th, 2009

Leading is about direction

Since the leadership is classified as source of risk, it is essential to understand it and then find, if possible, a simple way for measuring its efficacy through the evaluation of results.
Merriam Webster’s definition: “capacity to lead”.
In a project environment, this should be focused on the stakeholders’ relationships. In particular [...]

Risk in using templates

By Eugenio, on August 10th, 2009

The use of templates help us in the process of delivering correctly the information within a standard frame. Like armors, they have grown in weight until our “freedom of movements” are limited. It is time to think again the (meta) structure of our written [...]