Managing Risks Beyond The Obvious

This post discusses the case study Food Poisoning Ruined The Project.

I wish I could say it is not your fault that the employees fell ill; that your boss is behaving as if she never faced any problems; and that the customer is not accessible when there is panic. But it is. Really.

That is Project management for you. It is your responsibility to see a project through on time, if not before. Now here are a few tips that can help you to avoid such a situation.

1. The most critical resource in your project is your team. Whenever I see a person of my company eating at a joint and if I think the joint may not be that healthy, I make it a point to tell my engineer to avoid eating there. This may look like interfering outside the office premises, but to me anyone falling ill is within the scope of my project management.

2. Share all your risks with the customer, but more importantly, your team and your boss. Thay ensures that there are no surprises.

3. If you do not have a buffer (in days) on your hand your project management techniques are poor. Unplanned non-availability of resources is a standard risk. Your mitigation action may be anything, but your contingency action is generally a buffer.

4. Before the start of the project, you need to establish a protocol with the customer. How can I contact you in case of emergency? Can I call you on your cell phone, if I really need you? Here is my mobile number; feel free to call me at your convenience. If you are not available, who can I get in touch with?

Even with all risk management and project management, you will face such occasional disasters. As long as you keep your customer, team and boss in the loop from the beginning, you will find them more sympathetic and responsive.